Thursday, November 24, 2011

The Fat Fruit Tardis


Something you may not have known 
about the Fat Fruit Greenhouse.
Just like Dr Who's Tardis, it is much bigger inside than it appears.

Incorporated in one side, 
is a chicken coop!
The nest box opens from the top for easy egg retrieval.
The whole door (with the nestbox attached) swings out
for easy cleaning.


There is mesh above and below the nest box for ventilation.

At first I was a little worried 
about the heat factor inside the coop.  
But I have been monitoring that with a thermometer
and am very happy that the ventilation works well.


It is ideal for Jenny and her babes.
It would take three or four hens if you were using it as a night coop
and had the door open during the day to allow them to free-range.


In this view from the side you can see that it is a triangular prism.
Daniel is going to make benches with one shelf at the top so,
from now on, the coops will be square in profile.

Can you see the marine ply, on top of the coop, under the shelves?
In the winter these panels come out and there is
a mesh panel to keep the chooks out of the greenhouse.
(You can see this in the second/middle photo)
Two of the panels fit exactly in the grills on the door,
above and below the nest box.

In the colder weather, the chickens are protected from the draught
AND
the warmth from their bodies will help to even out the temperature
in the greenhouse on cold nights. 

Now, isn't that clever!

2 comments:

  1. If I wasn't jealous before, I AM NOW!!! A greenhouse AND chooks.... 2 of my favourite things!!! Such a fantastic idea! lol x

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  2. Yes it's very clever and i just wanted to say welcome to Blotanical from Flowergardengirl in NC. Nice to meet you.

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