How to spend a whole afternoon building a SIMPLE chicken roost.

I live on a farm with about 75 chickens or so. Not really sure. When I see a chicken I like I usually bring it home. One of the joys of not being married: Nobody to answer to!

I have an assortment of birds for the standard layers like Rhode Island Reds and White Leghorns to the more exotic like Polish and Sultans. Half  of these chickens are suppose to go to my daughters farm but more on the later.

Hey Matilda! Did you hear we are getting a new roosting rack???

While I was out collecting eggs I noticed that the "roosting rack" that was in the coop was in pretty bad shape. It was an old picket fence panel I found on the farm turned sideways and put in the coop for the chickens. In case you are not from a farm, chickens like to get up off the floor at night and roost, thus a roosting rack.

So I went to Lowes and picked up the material that I was going to need. That was 6 weeks ago. Earlier this week I started to build the roosting rack and this is how far I got:

That is 2) 2x4 pieces of lumber that I cut to the wrong length when I was framing the wall to put the windows (oops!) So I guess  they were not a waste. They are sitting in my Rockwell Jawhorse. I L-O-V-E this thing! I am usually doing things b myself and it is like having a 3rd person around. At this moment I realized I did not have a big enough Speed Bore bit. Crap. I finally pick up a 1 1/4 inch Speed Bore because I am using 1 1/4 inch dowel rods. Makes sense, huh?

So here is were I started today:

See the brand new bit in the CORDLESS drill?  Wellllll.......When I got first hole drilled I realized that I needed a bigger drill bit so off to Farm and Fleet I go! I go to the store and then I stopped by my daughters farm on the way home. Round trip time: 90 minutes

I get home with the spanky new bit which was 1 3/8 inch by the way only to find out:

My cordless drill, even with two batteries, could not drill 12 holes.  I needed a drill with a power cord and some torque. I sent Big L in town to pick up a drill at my work. (I own the company so it is technically not stealing if I get it back before the shop manager, Gar-bear, comes in) Round trip time: 45 minutes.

So now I am off and running! You drill the holes in the 2x4's:

See to nice big whole clean hole that the Speed Boar does?

 and put the dowel rods in so it looks like a ladder  I did use some wood glue and pinned them with some 2 inch finishing nails.

Before and After- Old roost on the left! New roost on the right!



And here are some of the chickens enjoying their new roost!




The chicken in the middle hates having her picture taken!



The bottom chickens are saying you can kiss my..........tail feathers.



Happy New Years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!