This post is sponsored by Kreg Jig, this means that I have been compensated monetarily for writing this post. However all thoughts and opinions are my own. Please see my disclosure and privacy policy for more information.
Just call me the crazy chicken lady! I really love my hens and want them to have the best area to run around. This Spring we expanded the current chicken run area by about twenty yards. We had an old wood house structure that we had used to separate our young chicks from the mature hens but it has started to rot and needs to go. I knew I needed to replace it with something for the chickens to be able to roost. I looked online at several styles and options and decided to combine several ideas to create my own outdoor chicken roost design.
There were several things that I wanted my chicken roost to have including at least three roost bars and then also a swing. I sketched a little design since I am a visual person so that we could come up with a game plan of what wood pieces we might need.
We have a large amount of scrap wood pieces so I wanted to use as many of those that we could. The only wood we needed to purchase was a 4×4 post for the main support.
As I mentioned above I am partnering with Kreg for this project. I am using the Kreg Jig 720PRO to help complete this project. I am a big fan of using this jig as I think it makes a cleaner looking end result and a piece that will be strong enough not to break.
To find the complete directions and cut list visit https://learn.kregtool.com/creator/1905farmhouse/
Once you have all your wood pieces cut it is time to start using the jig to prepare for assembly.
As I mentioned above we are using the Kreg Jig 720PRO. This is the same jig we used for our previous DIY Outdoor Sectional. We needed to use the jig on the supports for the roost and then on the boards that are for the roost themselves.
This jig is easy to use and efficient. It comes with all the parts needed and has handy compartments that hold the supplies you need to adjust the collar of the bit, hold the bit and more.
Now it’s time for assembly! My favorite part! We started at the bottom and worked our way up, we assembled the bars one at a time on each of the posts and then connected each post with the bar that would hold the swing.
The first step was to use the jig and drill pocket holes into each of the 6 2×4’s and attach to the posts on three sides (the last side will be where the 2×6 is attached).
We then did the same step with each of the 2×6 sections, although you will have to drill pocket holes on both ends of the board.
Once all the pieces were attached we used the paint grade pocket hole plugs and used wood glue to fill all the pocket holes so we would have seamless design when finished with paint.
The next step was to attach the 1×2″ pieces that will be the roost bars. We cut these in two lengths, 11.5″ and 18.5″ as I wanted two different length options for the chickens. Again we used the jig to drill pocket holes into the roosting bars and attached these in varying spots on the posts.
Once all the glue was dry from the pocket hole plugs we used a saw to cut the parts of the plugs that were sticking out of the roost bars (the screws used were shorter and therefore the plugs did not fit in flush).
Justin was concerned that the longer roost bars needed additional support so he attached 2″x2″ supports underneath each of them again using the jig to drill the holes.
We then used a course grit sandpaper and used an orbital sander to sand the entire piece before painting.
Since this project was done with mostly scrap wood pieces I also found some leftover paint to paint the entire piece. I chose this darker color so that the dirt won’t show as much as if I had chosen a lighter color.
Lastly we drilled some holes in the top 2×6″ board and another 2×4″ scrap piece that I didn’t want to paint that would be the swing. I then tied some rope into knots through each of the holes to create a fun swing for the chickens. Or maybe the fun swing is for my own humor.
Now to get the ladies to actually use it! They were definitely suspicious of this new thing in their coop.
