Building a chicken house in Cambodia

[Lostandfound]

After almost two months in Cambo L and F was getting bored.

A waitress at the hotel in Siem Reap invited me to visit her family farm, about 35 KM out of town.

So - into the tuk tuk



Past the sort of hotels that are full of chinks and you need full riot gear to get near the breakfast buffet



And off we go out of SR where it soon gets very rural







and we arrive at the "farm"

They have three buffs



They have some chickens wandering about and want to have more. So L and F volunteers to help build a new chicken house (and pay for it). The only trouble is I know bugger all about chickens. So its a bit of a learning curve

Decide to build circa 8 x 6 m using nine big upright poles. 6 as walls and three to support roof. Unsawn tree logs (big ones) come in at $4 -$5 a piece. So we marked out the area and dug some holes.

They deliver the timber and cement $6 delivery charge from 5 kms away



Grandad gets busy. He's getting a free chicken house so whats not to smile about?



Seems they are all happy



L and F shows them how its done



Builders crack with waitress girl carrying bucket for pour



3 parts sand 1 part cement. The Cambos recommend 4:1. I'm playing it safe



A trench so we can bury chicken wire 20-25 cm into ground with a small cement plinth circa 15 clearance. Should stop any burrowing animals I reckon



Roof goes on






Then onto cement form work for wire surround plus we start to prepare floor to make solid cement floor and some raised ledges, again in cement finish..

Want it all to be hosable cleanable.

Anyone here know anything about getting rare chicken breeds in Cambo?

[Lostandfound]

Total cost so far circa circa $260 us. Another 10 bags of cement and I reckon we will be done. More pics to follow.

Given me a week of exercise and the most fun I've had since Meccano was invented

[nigelandjan]

Well done to you mate.

Dunno if its too late but if you can , bring the trenches out for the chicken wire out about 3 foot so your wire is in the ground at an angle , ideally at around 30 degrees to the cage .

This will stop foxes etc burrowing , straight in the ground like your pic shows rarely does.

Anyway hope you have no foxes

[charleyboy]

Great thread and kudos to you...

Did you get the idea from BettyBoo's blueprints?

[Dillinger]

^ Ouchy

[reddog]

like your style mate, you are the first westerner she would of met that did
something good for her and her family, like your style.

[Lostandfound]

Well done to you mate.

Dunno if its too late but if you can , bring the trenches out for the chicken wire out about 3 foot so your wire is in the ground at an angle , ideally at around 30 degrees to the cage .

This will stop foxes etc burrowing , straight in the ground like your pic shows rarely does.

Anyway hope you have no foxes

Maybe for later - I used thinish chicken wire, with hindsight shouldve used heavier. Maybe an idea for secondary boundary....

Tomorrow is leveling floor and cement pour. No spirit level so planning to do in 3 sections with a small trench i can fine tune if we get it a bit wrong

Anyone got suggestions on best chickens to breed for high end restaurants?

[charleyboy]

Dillie, here it is!
LF's looks very similar, dontcha thunk?

[Lostandfound]

Dillie, here it is!
LF's looks very similar, dontcha thunk?

Children play with toys and models. Grown ups play with the real thing.

[Bettyboo]

^don't say that to the FiL, L&F - you see his machete in the background...

^^no!

OP, excellent, socially conscious, kind, decent and hard working fella. (Who are you trying to shag?)

Did you get the idea from BettyBoo's blueprints?

Me and youse may need to have a gnatter, Charles!

[Lostandfound]

(Who are you trying to shag?)

Ouch.

[cdnski12]

I went out to a Thai Gal's farm ... and ended up staying there for 3 years ... on & off. She had her own house. Had a great time. She was a good cook ... but I was the same age as her Parents! A real nice thread L & F. I am going to SR in 2015. Was there in 2010. Needed more time.

[BaitongBoy]

Gotta love the Cambodians...I found that they don't "push" for money, etc. as much as the Thais...Seem to be genuinely nice people, generally...

However, it seems that the Thais don't like them very much...Probably a status thing, mainly...I have had Thais tell me that they are "dirty"...They seem to fear their "black magic," as well...

Didn't the Khmer rule over most of the area in the past?...

Good for you, L&F...I know you're really enjoying this...

[Lostandfound]

I have had Thais tell me that they are "dirty"...

They don't seem to shower as much. Sometimes the raw "arome" is a good thing.....othertimes hmm. Whatever. Beats "Thainess", for me, at least.

[billy the kid]

don't forget to build a roost inside the chicken house.
chickies like to sleep about 4ft. off the ground
makes em feel safe and happy.

[Lostandfound]

The lasy wanted to raise the level so no prizes for hasty form work here

[Lostandfound]

[mingmong]

Looks like a fine Chook Condo your building there,

answer to importing Breeds might be an Incubator? buy your eggs and hatch em yourself, Thais have a breed called ''Chinese Chicken'' big an Golden and about 4 times the size of regular chooks, just an idea, good luck too!

[mingmong]

/\ is that a Picky of Betty's stick man House above??

[Lostandfound]

Just finished floor 630 pm. Dark and time for a martini!

[Lostandfound]

Want have nice finish to floor - wood form in place to make floor flush

[Lostandfound]

Now need some HELP - what do we do next to make this a sustainable income source..??

[koman]

That is one hell of an upscale chicken coup. It's better than what half the population of SE Asia have to live in. Are you sure you're not distorting the social order there LF?.....

Obviously needs upscale chickens.... You need to talk with a chicken consultant.

[Lostandfound]

That was the plan. Breed slow growing proper chickens instead of cp battery or farmyard scrawners

The structure can easily be modified for alternative uses

Glad you think its a superior hen house.

[katie23]

It's a very nice henhouse. Can easily imagine some hens dancing about.