Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I got rid of my chickens as their housing was not good. I have been designing a hen house and it looks so much like yours. Raised up on four posts. How many hens are going in there? What interesting plan do you have for easily removing the manure? I was thinking of leaving gaps in my floor and having a slatted moving grate that you can yank back and forwards and the manure falls through. Thanks for showing your build.

@ Brian. In my hen house, I just keep a couple of inches of pine shavings in the floor. As the manure builds up, throw some more shavings on. It compacts and then I empty it, (compost) and start over with fresh shavings about every other month. Although, I have heard of the grate to let poop fall through, there's nothing to cover or absorb the poo and you get a smelly coop if you don't empty the tray frequently. Or, if its open to the ground, cold air can chill your chooks. The pure manure is nice to have though, if you don't mind frequent cleaning.
@ Iceman. Are you digging the run lower than the surrounding yard? If so, it will fill with water in a heavy rain. We had that happen recently and I don't even have my run dug down. The whole yard was about 2" standing water. Soggy chickens aren't happy chickens. They will dig down some on their own as they scratch.

I have a 2.5 x 3 m tin garden shed converted to a chook house inside my shade house. I use cross cut shreeded paper on the floor and in the nest boxes, just keep adding paper and the chooks add manure. Come spring and winter I clean it out and compost it all.

Love the junk mail, no paper leaves my place in the rubbish bin. Cheers

Hi Brian,

we will be getting six layers, we are allowed 12 here but i think that might be overkill.
I'll be lining the floor with straw and will change it periodically. Also the floor panels closer to the door can easily be removed so maintenance can be done. Once removed the straw will be composted.

Not not having the run lower, but i am digging the frame in to help restrict unwanted animals from getting in. once done the photos will explain much better than i can.

I love the junk mail bedding... we get heaps down here so at least now it wont be wasted!!

Makes sense. Good thinking. I let my fencing lay across the ground out from the bottom of the run and laid old concrete rubble on top. If anything tries to dig, it has to move the rocks first (and leaves me a clue its time to set out a trap) and are foiled by the mesh on the ground.

i like that idea too... less digging too!!

And for a little more encouragement, we got our first egg today after starting with some chicks back in April.

nice one mate... my chooks aren't far away!!

I am getting there bit by bit!!

the run has been set out, need to get some more timber to finish it off.

starting to apply the chicken wire too



and even got some outdoor roosts made, the stump and branches, was a tree that was pulled down in order to make room for the run!



And i had to take a photo of the chicken wire... so, who uses chicken wire in their fishtanks?

Looking good mate:smile:. You are gonna have some happy chooks.

I never heard of using chicken wire in a fish tank

I had to look at that a few times to see if you were tricking us with photoshop. That's just plain odd.

Maybe the wire for fish tank is when you have a house on stilts on the edge of the river with your fish cage/toilet below. Wouldn't want them swimming to better pastures after "straining" to feed them for months to fatten em up


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