Hen Houses - Should You Build Your Own? The Day the Hen House Fell Down
Should you build your own Chook House? The perils of DIY building in a rush.
In the summer the DIY chicken coop house looked perfectly fine.
Cute even.
We were sipping a morning cuppa deciding what exciting things we would do with our day and had barely even taken the first mouthful when we heard an almighty crash and the sound of scraping iron and tearing timber.
Leaping up we raced to the windows and looked out, scanning the land anxiously expecting to see a fallen tree or collapsed iron fence.
Nothing.
We returned to how to spend this wild day.
the possibilities of the day loomed before us like an open book.
No need to wonder any more as I went out into the weather to feed the hens.
The hen house was squashed flat.
I mean flat! Like a Pancake! The looks on our faces must have been very funny to see as we took it all in and realized how much work it would be to take it all apart and fix.
The rooster appeared accusingly and we knew he had come to check progress.
He stood watching and waiting.
The hens appeared.
They stood watching and waiting.
The milled around and cackled and clucked.
We could almost swear they were telling us to get a move on.
We put on our wet weather gear to start a frenzied attempt to resurrect it in the howling winds and rains.
The flock of poultry took flight as the thought we were strangers in our crackling rain gear and hats.
We struggled to put the iron sheets back up in the wind and each one caught the wind like in sail in huge seas Hadn't we moved from the city for a nice quiet peaceful country life to be out in all weathers? Was this what we had left the city for? Stress and deadlines? It suddenly struck us as hilarious and we laughed and laughed until we collapsed helpless and weak with laughter and fell in the hedge.
Meanwhile the Rooster and his flock of ladies appeared again and watched in disbelief.
Where would they sleep tonight? These humans had better get a move on and fast.
At a crucial stage in operations assembling the roof in high winds, a visitor appeared bearing soup.
A welcome sight to us but not to the hens and Rooster.
What? Surely, they were not going to take a break now? We emerged and could almost hear a collective sigh of relief and they resumed their watching again.
The hammering began to sound like, work faster, work faster until finally it was done, completed, finished and sturdy and we sat back to admire it, rain and all.
The perches were ready, the door was on, the whole thing was back in one piece and strong enough to withstand The Rooster and Hens came and examined it.
They went all round it, they looked at it from every angle and back again.
They sat back and looked at us.
Then they walked off! We thought they were satisfied and quite content but guess what - they all decided not to sleep in it, not even one of them, there is no accounting for poultry preferences.
Where did they spend the night? In the other old one of course! Now if anyone knows of a poultry sniff perfume and poultry alluring substance please tell us.
Moral of this is to completely forget about fixing up a temporary shelter.
Forget all about making something "until we get round to doing the proper one" and the second moral is get hens that are not fussy and do not have strong personal preferences and want deluxe accommodation.
In the summer the DIY chicken coop house looked perfectly fine.
Cute even.
We were sipping a morning cuppa deciding what exciting things we would do with our day and had barely even taken the first mouthful when we heard an almighty crash and the sound of scraping iron and tearing timber.
Leaping up we raced to the windows and looked out, scanning the land anxiously expecting to see a fallen tree or collapsed iron fence.
Nothing.
We returned to how to spend this wild day.
the possibilities of the day loomed before us like an open book.
No need to wonder any more as I went out into the weather to feed the hens.
The hen house was squashed flat.
I mean flat! Like a Pancake! The looks on our faces must have been very funny to see as we took it all in and realized how much work it would be to take it all apart and fix.
The rooster appeared accusingly and we knew he had come to check progress.
He stood watching and waiting.
The hens appeared.
They stood watching and waiting.
The milled around and cackled and clucked.
We could almost swear they were telling us to get a move on.
We put on our wet weather gear to start a frenzied attempt to resurrect it in the howling winds and rains.
The flock of poultry took flight as the thought we were strangers in our crackling rain gear and hats.
We struggled to put the iron sheets back up in the wind and each one caught the wind like in sail in huge seas Hadn't we moved from the city for a nice quiet peaceful country life to be out in all weathers? Was this what we had left the city for? Stress and deadlines? It suddenly struck us as hilarious and we laughed and laughed until we collapsed helpless and weak with laughter and fell in the hedge.
Meanwhile the Rooster and his flock of ladies appeared again and watched in disbelief.
Where would they sleep tonight? These humans had better get a move on and fast.
At a crucial stage in operations assembling the roof in high winds, a visitor appeared bearing soup.
A welcome sight to us but not to the hens and Rooster.
What? Surely, they were not going to take a break now? We emerged and could almost hear a collective sigh of relief and they resumed their watching again.
The hammering began to sound like, work faster, work faster until finally it was done, completed, finished and sturdy and we sat back to admire it, rain and all.
The perches were ready, the door was on, the whole thing was back in one piece and strong enough to withstand The Rooster and Hens came and examined it.
They went all round it, they looked at it from every angle and back again.
They sat back and looked at us.
Then they walked off! We thought they were satisfied and quite content but guess what - they all decided not to sleep in it, not even one of them, there is no accounting for poultry preferences.
Where did they spend the night? In the other old one of course! Now if anyone knows of a poultry sniff perfume and poultry alluring substance please tell us.
Moral of this is to completely forget about fixing up a temporary shelter.
Forget all about making something "until we get round to doing the proper one" and the second moral is get hens that are not fussy and do not have strong personal preferences and want deluxe accommodation.