Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

It's time to build a chook house.

I've been holding off until the backyard had all its landscaping / retaining walls finished, but that's all done now so it's time to get stuck in.

I'm planning on having around 3 chooks in a small elevated chookhouse, with a 15 metre run down the back fence.

A fresh chook house build is the perfect opportunity to proof the aquaponics system against lettuce eating beasties. If you build your chook run so that it encircles your aquaponics system, or even so that in encircles a decent part of it, you will be free of slugs and bugs and other lettuce eating beasties.

My 2.01 cents worth (inflation)

Heya Bullwinkle,

Great idea!

Sadly, it's not possible... the chook run is up the back of the yard, while the aquaponics and wicking beds are on the front edge.

However we might let the chooks out for a "de-bugging" session every week.

That said, we don't get any snails/slugs in the aquaponics even now, no idea why. Maybe they can't see the tasty lettuces from the ground.

I am getting chooks shortly too, so will be watching this thread, I gotta learn from your mistakes

Mine is going under the growbeds for bug control and some shade from our mildly warm summers...

Hey Nebbian - Your chooks idea sounds great. I have had 4 Isa Browns in the back yard for years and they have been a constant source of pleasure not to mention the eggs. A word of advice don't name them. It makes it easier when they stop laying and have to be replaced. I'm currently on my third lot of "girls".

I wouldn't be putting them in an enclosure with grow beds either. They are great jumpers even with clipped wings and a waist height grow bed is a very easy jumping height and they just adore fresh greens. I tend to over plant with silverbeet and lettuce on purpose for the girls to have the excess.

Cheers

third set of chooks?

how many years have you being having hens? they usually die of old age or the fox before they stop laying completely.

chooks wouldn't much help in aquaponics unless you wanted to clean out and turn over a grow bed. slugs and snails like to come out at night when the chickens are sleeping. on the other hand they will find anything hiding at ground level.

Thanks for the comments :-)

Got a bit done today in between Australia Day obligations...

Got two posts mounted up.



I also learnt that 20 mm pvc offcuts make excellent braces.

my chooks dont eat slugs or snails but there eggs make up for that

Floor joists are up:

sweet have subscribed. will be moving soon and would love a couple of free eggs a day

How to strain a fence when you don't have a fence strainer:

Like the improvisation.
Good to see some hardwood recycled to a good cause.
Are your posts on stirrups into the concrete? - Just looked at an earlier photo and answered my own question.

Thanks Rod,

Yes they're on stirrups, all recycled from an old deck that was eaten out by white ants. Ironically this chookhouse will be better built than the deck it was made of!

That's the plan anyway, I have no idea what I'm doing so just making it all up as I go along.

forgive my ignorance. The soil seems very sandy and it looks like you are on a slope as well. Is this common in Aus/WA/Beldon. is this the reason AP is so popular.

It's very common in Perth, we basically live in a giant sandpit. Beldon, being reasonably close to the ocean, is a series of (old) sand dunes. Makes it easy when you need to do some concreting, just start digging and there's your sand!