At Waterfowl of Chenoa I have a pen that has been used for pigeons, pheasants, and bantams for nearly 25 years. Recently I decided to refurbish it by putting screws where nails had loosened and replacing chipboard covering with plywood that I had water proofed. During this period I came up with a genetics idea that I wanted to experiment with using bantams, retired you know. Since I needed a new enclosure for the project I decided to replicate the original as cost per year had been very low on it. Believing others might be interested I photographed my way through the project in case others are interested.

The project was completed in stages and then assembled. The first effort was to construct the wire portion of the enclosure. A roll of 1" by 2" welded wire 5 feet tall was obtained, thus fixing the height of the wire enclosure as five feet. The pen width was established as eight feet and the house height was established as four feet. These latter two measures were necessary to accommodate the use of a 4' by 8' sheet of plywood.

Sections of wire were then cut to construct each of the sides of the upper wire enclosure. All pieces were 5' tall when cut. The top and the end were each cut 8' long. The two sides were cut 5'2" long, while the divider was cut 8'10". To complete the wire enclosure two pieces were cut which were 1'1".

Wire Enclosure

All pieces cut from the roll of wire had a tendency to roll up. I assembled all of the sides, the, end, and the top with the "hump" to the outside. There was no choice with the divider.

To begin the assembly, the 8' edges of the top and end were brought together and connected with j-clamps as shown in the photograph below. Note that three spaces were skipped between j-clamps. J-clamps and the applicator can be purchased at most farm supply stores or state farmers co-ops. They can also be obtained from Rocky Top General Store, PO Box 1006, Harriman, TN 37748, 423-882-8867. They will send a catalog on request.

After securing the top to the back, the two sides were j-clamped into place. The divider was secured at the 4' mark on the top and end sections with j-clamps. The wire enclosure will be completed later after taking the two 1'1" pieces and securing them together length wise making a piece that is 10' long. Just lay it aside for now.

At this point a little preparation needs to take place. Note that on each side the open end extends out 2" further than the top. Remove a section on the top edge of the side that is 2" wide and 1' high. The result is a flap that can be secured to the house frame to anchor the wire enclosure. Now remove 2" from the bottom of the divider along the total length. At the top of the divider remove a section from the flap that sticks outside the main enclosure that is 1'2" high and 3'10" wide.

Now use the piece that you laid (10' by 1'1") aside to fill the missing side of the enclosure that will be next to the house. You will need to remove the extra 2' which is not needed. Although the Wire Enclosure photograph is hard to visualize you should be able to pick out the parts you have just assembled. This whole section should now be laid aside.

Corner Showing Use of J-Clamps

The base was constructed by starting with four 8' and four 10' treated 2" by 4" pieces of wood. For starters two pieces were cut 8'10" long and two others were checked for accuracy at 8'. The 8' pieces were then fastened to the ends of the 8'10' pieces with #10 screws 3" long. For reference an 8' piece is in the green chair in the photograph below. Again using the #10 screws a 9'5" piece is secured to each of the 8'10" pieces creating an overlapping appearance as shown in the Corner photograph below. The pen bottom is continued by placing 7'9" pieces on the remaining portions of the 8' pieces. This design gives support to the pen base while leaving a minimum of places for bird waste to collect.

Pen Bottom

The internal part of the pen base is completed by centering an 8'10" piece at the 4' mark on the 8' ends. The long sides of the pen base measure 9'1". The cross pieces of 45.75" are placed at 3' intervals. To begin place the first pair at 3'.5" from the edge of the long side, then on 3' centers. Pieces that are 1'6" can be used to help stabilize the crosspieces. See the center brace photograph below.

Center Braces - Pen Base

Corner - Pen Base

The floor wire is 1" by .5" welded wire. Using 3' width wire, three pieces are cut which are 8' long. They are fastened together with j-clamps as shown in the photograph below.

Wire Floor Panels J-clamp Joined

The 1" by .5" welded wire floor is now a piece that is 8' by 9'. It was placed on the pen base and secured to the 2" by 4" pieces using small staples. The wire enclosure constructed earlier was placed on the pen base. The divider which was reduced by 2" on the bottom side earlier now lets the wire enclosure sit low enough on the pen base that 2" of the enclosure now rests below the top of the 2" by 4" pieces. The wire enclosure was then secured to the pen base with small staples. The bottom edge of the divider was secured to the 1" by .5" welded wire by the use of j-clamps.

Wire Enclosure and Wire Floor Mounted on Base

The house frame was begun by cutting the necessary pieces. Two 8' pieces of 2" by 4' wood are needed for the top front and top back of the house. Five pieces of 2" by 4" which are 3'8.5" are needed for the four corners and the center brace for the doors. Two pieces of 2" by 4" which are 3'6" are needed for connecting the top corners at the ends of the house. One piece of 2" by 4" which is 4'1" is needed to support the roof. A section 3.5" wide and 2.5" high should be removed from each end of this piece. A final 2" by 4" which is approximately 3'8" will be used to make the center brace a T to allow for the attachment of the divider wire. See the Open Door photograph below. Secure the wire enclosure to the house frame with staples.

New Pen Under Construction Showing Frame For House Mounted on Base Compared To The Original In The Background

The house construction is completed by taking two pieces of .5" plywood which are 4' by 8' in size. The plywood was treated with a preservative before and after cutting to be sure the edges were well treated. Each board is split into a 4' by 4' section for a side, a 2' by 4' section for a part of the back, and a second 2' by 4' section for a door. The plywood was secured to the frame by #6 screws which are 1.5" in length. The sides were attached with the plywood fitting flush with the frame. The back was then overlapped to cover the end of the plywood side. This makes possible space where the doors come together, thus allowing room for the eye bolts discussed below. The doors were attached using 2.5" hinges using .25" bolts of 1" in length with a washer and a lock washer. The roof is made using two pieces of corrugated roofing tin which is 2' by 9'. The tin is secured with roofing screws.

Completed House Section

The following photograph shows a close up of the inside portion of the house. Note the T referred to earlier for the attachment of the divider wire. Also note the divider wire is attached to the center roof brace. The feeder is a pig feeder enlarged to make feeding less frequent. The holes make it less likely that the birds will scratch feed out and waste it. Perches in the background are 1" by 2" boards 8' feet long that have been treated with a preservative. They fit perfectly through the wire from one side through the divider to the other side. They are secured with a small block of wood on each end of the perch held in place by a screw. When closed the doors are secured using a 2.5" screen door hook. The eye bolt was made by closing the hook on a hanging basket hook since a longer shank was needed to accommodate the thickness of the plywood.

Open Door Showing Door Construction And Feeder

This file was placed in service 03/18/2003.

The University of Tennessee at Martin is not responsible for the information or views expressed here.

Last Modified Saturday, 26-Apr-2008 13:35:52 CDT