Monday, November 21, 2011

Settling In

I've had a new pen and coop built for my chooks.  The old one was pretty unsatisfactory....no protection from the rain or heat, or the wild birds that waited impatiently every morning for their free feed.  Dozens of them every day guzzling my good organic feed!  Not to mention the ibis that flew in and hoovered up porridge and scraps whenever they'd had enough of the rotten fare at the tip.   The coop was too low for me to get in and clean properly, and hot in the summer for the girls.  Time for a new abode.

I told the builder what I wanted, and he put the plan into action. 



Enjoying the early morning sun

Water tank is plumbed in

Girls exploring their new space



Shuttered window

Opens for a little breeze on a hot summer night


The ramp - new skills to be learned to get in and out


Edie - an Isa Brown, the querulous chicken, complains all day long 

Freya - a bantam and boss of the coop for all her diminutive size


Goodie, she's a quiet little bantam

and Big Juno - she's barely a year old, a buff Plymouth Rock, a gentle and sweet chicken
It's taken a few days of gentle coaxing and reassurance...and cake... to get the little girls to use the ramp, but they seem to have the hang of it now, and they use it at bedtime and in the morning, but haven't quite figured out they go back up there to lay....eggs left in all sorts of places so far.

And it's relieved a lot of stress for me, I don't have to let them out and put them to bed each day, or struggle to keep their space clean, and no worrying about the wild bird hoards descending.  They're let out of an afternoon to free range, usually while I'm working in the garden in the cool, as they sure do love my lettuce.

We couldn't be happier.

6 comments:

  1. fabulous, they'll be very happy in their new home and i loved meeting the girls. i miss mine but now's not the right time.

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  2. Great new digs Hope the girls like their new home. Very pretty shutter.

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  3. Hi ladies. Terry, thanks for noticing the shutter, I was telling the builder about some hen houses I'd seen online, and one with a shutter and how I loved the idea. Bless him, he came the next day with a shutter he gifted to me and figured a way to incorporate it.

    The girls are feeling more settled now... no eggs yet, so still a little stressed.

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  4. I bet they like their new home. I too like the shutter.
    Love their names - I always wonder what names people give.

    Love Leanne

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  5. Hello Leanne, thanks for visiting. Yes, names always interest me too, and you have a Freya don't you?....furry, not feathery :)

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  6. I have sen your garden and chickens and they are lovely.

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