When I told my husband I was building a chicken-watching bench he exclaimed, “It’s about time!”
Now, I know he was being a smart-pants, but it really is a project I’ve been meaning to get to ever since we got the hens. Just a simple place to sit and watch the girls gobble up the scraps and dig around in the dirt. I don’t know why I waited, because it’s the easiest thing I’ve ever built.
So easy. My dimensions are sort of random based on the scrap lumber I had around, so if you want to build a similar bench feel free to use different measurements. This is not meant to be hauled around a lot, just to be placed and sit there. If you want a bench to stand the test of time and be dragged around, you should probably add some cross supports to the legs. This is for if you just have to have a place to sit and watch chickens TODAY.
Four 4×4 post legs and two 2×4 supports. The 4×4 legs measured 13″ long and the supports are 19″ long. I used plenty of extra long (3 1/2″) heavy duty exterior screws:
Five 2×4 seat boards, each 47″ long:
The finished height of the bench is 16″.
Piece. Of. Cake.
It IS about time!
looks good..I went for a more rustic (and easier) solution and got a few sawn up bits of trunk when the tree at the back of my house was felled!!
I am still laughing…as I have a nearly identical “chicken watching” bench…minus the funky orange stained board! LOL
Bravo TL. Great job. Hope the girls are doing well with the cold weather? You are one smart lady to raise your own chickens and have fresh eggs without any chemicals added to the feed to make them more productive. Enjoy Enjoy as all my little different breeds were the hilight of the day for my girls when they were little and it brought a smile to my face seeing “our” lol bench but no color on the boards. They do make the best and you will have that baby for a very long time. My two youngest are nearing 30 and still talk about our farm life with the chickens, cows, pigs, ducks, rabbits, turkeys, goose, etc. I never regret all the hard work because they have a bunch of memories that will carry on. Best of luck with your chickens. Sounds like you are doing well aready though. 🙂
I love watching chickens. It’s one of my most favorite thing to do.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
Beautiful!! I know what’s next on my list of things-to-build!
Did you have to drill guide-holes for the screws? -Alex
Alex–I don’t remember what I did for this project, but guide holes never go amiss. I would never tell anyone NOT to use them.
A great and super practical “piece o cake”. Thank you from the southernmost end of the world, Chile