Topic: Raising Chicken House off ground

[Old bird]

Hi have any of you got ideas on how I would raise my small chicken house on a platform so that they can go underneath as well as having the rest of the run.

I was thinking of building some sort of platform with a layer of chicken wire on top of the base to stop rats trying to get into the house.

How safe do you think it would be in windy situations (it is backed by a hedge protecting it from the worst westerlys).

Simple ideas welcome - I am not into difficult stuff!!

Thanks

Old Bird

 ::)

[betula]

Is it possible to put it on stilts sunk fairly deep into the ground :)

[Old bird]

That has my thinking Betula but the house is pretty heavy! and i will have to have it floored as the house has strips of wood to sit on (if you see what I mean)

I will think deeply tonight!

Old Bird

[Lacelotte]

hey,

My old chicken house was raised about 2 foot off the floor. I did it in the construction stage but you could quite easily make a base to sit it on with four legs + one in the middle for support. Or depending on the size of your house, look out on freecycle for an old sturdy table of similar size to sit it on

[jonny211]

Hi Old Bird,

Have you seen those 'metpost' things that you can get in B&Q, basically a metal socket and large spike that you bang into the ground. The socket varies in size but fits most square sized sawn timber (such as 47mm square). I'd make the table legs using 47 or 75mm square timber and use a couple of these metposts to anchor it to the ground, probably easier than burying the frames legs and timber buried in damp ground rots away eventually.

Good luck!

Jon

[GodfreyRob]

Here's a pic of my shed raised on a frame using metaposts - 1 in each corner. The silkie had not learnt to find its way to bed so it slept on the steps!


You can see the drinker hanging underneath - I now have a feeder there too.
What you cannot see is some diagonal 'braces' running along the left and right sides to give it a bit more rigidity. Its a heavy old shed but despite very high winds it has not moved at all.
The girls hang out underneath it when the weather is rough.

[Old bird]

That looks exactly what I am aiming for GodfreyRob!!

What size posts are those and is the platform made of slats of timber all over or just - as you say cross pieces!  I am not at all good (to be honest I am rubbish!) at doing angled joints at cross pieces so was hoping to nail into framework which would be square'ish.

Also roughly how high off the ground is that?

I now have a project for the weekend!

Thanks again.

Old Bird
 :D

[allaboutliverpool]

Make sure that you raise the house high enough to be able to get at things underneath.

I had mine in the corner of the run, about 8 inches off the ground, and the hens decided it was a great place to lay eggs. They were a devil to get out!

http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/allaboutallotments1_homepage.html

[GodfreyRob]

That looks exactly what I am aiming for GodfreyRob!!

What size posts are those and is the platform made of slats of timber all over or just - as you say cross pieces!  I am not at all good (to be honest I am rubbish!) at doing angled joints at cross pieces so was hoping to nail into framework which would be square'ish.

Also roughly how high off the ground is that?

I now have a project for the weekend!

Thanks again.

Old Bird
 :D

The posts are about 3 x 3 (75mm x 75mm) and they support a grid frame - the shed base is 8' x 6' so the grid frame is 4 pieces along the length and 5 across the width - making 2' squares.  A cross peice sits on top of the posts  (across the 6' sides) and then the 8' long pieces sit on top of those. Finally the 6' cross pieces sit on the top. (Does that make sense?).

Its about 2' 6ins off the ground - I'd go and measure it but its p*****g it down with rain at the moment!  All the girls are gathered underneath keeping dry though.
The hardest bit was thumping the metaposts into the ground as I only had a small lump hammer. I'd borrow a proper sledge hammer next time.

[Old bird]

Just snuck out of work to the wood recycling place and found a frame which is very strong and nearly the right size!!  All I need to do now is to put some tough planks accross and put the posts in and off we go.

Thanks guys for your help - much appreciated.  Us girls need a little help with the practical side occasionally!

Have a good week end.

Old Bird

 ;D

[Old bird]

Eureka!!

Thanks Godfrey Rob for the advice - I now have a superb raised chicken house with play area underneath.  I found - in the end - a HUGE really massively strong pallet which needed two blokes to carry it to the lottie!  That put on four posts belted into the ground by a suitably bulky builder and we are up and running.

It is - to be fair - one of the best chook houses I have seen!

All set up and ready to go now!  Can't wait - I do wish the Battery Hen Welfare Trust would give me a clue as to when I will get my chooks!

Thanks guys for your advice again.

Old Bird

 ;D ;D

[betula]

Great news.Hope the chickens arrive soon. :)