New hen house

CLUCKINGHAM Palace II is nearly finished and the feather riot are thrilled with their new abode.

Moving house is nothing compared to moving garden and chickens, as any chook-keeper will tell you.

Firstly you have to create a fox-proof, safe environment for the gals. Then you need to move them at night when they are more docile. Note, carrying a box of sleepy chickens is a lot easier than dealing with recalcitrant, squawking hens in broad daylight.

Anyhow, Hilda, Gidget, Layne, Philly and Ledger survived the experience (far better than I) and have settled in beautifully, still laying all the way.

The old shed with green plastic before the transformation

into Cluckingham Palace 2 - to the right is the studio.

 

 My new house came with a north-facing yard and five sheds, one of which looked like it had been a greenhouse. Using a range of mostly recycled materials, I've converted it form a raggedy-looking shack into a clean and safe  hen run.

Here the shed has been transformed into Gidget's Chook Shack.

Steel sheeting from the carport roof has been used to create a windbreak and extra-secure skirting along the bottom of the wire walls and doors.

With help from a friend, I stripped off the heavy-duty plastic and replaced the walls with avian wire and cement sheeting. An old built-in wardrobe was cannibalised for the hutch and the doors from a wooden TV cabinet were also used.

 

On the shed roof i found an old wooden ladder, which was chopped down to size to allow the hens an extra roost.

 

All I have to do now is paint the cement sheeting on the next fine weekend and it's finished!