At this point, depending on how much effort you want to put in, you can also add flashings

above the door and windows on the other frames. Nail on the wall cladding, again making sure any joins are over a stud. Dont cover the hole you have left at the back of frame B. This is where the nesting boxes will slide in (more on that next month). When you attach the top plywood panel to frame B, you can put a thick plastic sheet under it, that can run down the wall and overlap the area where the nesting boxes will be. This flap acts as a flexible flashing to stop rain running down into your nest boxes.

62 GROWING TODAY OCTOBER 2006

purlins. The purlins run at right angles to the trusses (or parallel with walls B+D), two on each slope. One should be at about half way, other near the top (but not the at the top).

The roof: use a fine mesh (often called chicken wire mesh) and staple it over the top of your roof, then add a layer of building paper. Attach your roof over the top of this. Whatever roofing option you go for, you will need some kind of ridge cap to stop water entering at the apex. The roof panels can be bigger than the actual roof, to give you an overlap.

Next month: The bird entrance and ramp,

nesting boxes and perches, plus ideas on layout. Main design plan and layout reprinted with permission from Chicken Coops by Judy Pandgman published by Storey Publishing LL. Available now through our book store, Book Look (see pages 71-72) and from book stores nationwide.