My new chicken coop Episode 2

Day 2 of my new chicken coop project didn't start off so smoothly. First of all the builder, Solomon, had a family crisis and only got to the job at mid-day and then we had a short down-pour which delayed things a bit further. But once they got going, loads of bricks were carted to the site and they started with the mix for the floor.

Once the concrete slab has been thrown, the brick-work won't take all that long (I'm hoping!) as I've sort of set my sights on it being finished by the end of that week so that I could start painting and furnishing it. So the chooks will probably only be moving in the week after that... sigh...

But I'm not going to rush the project - we've waited this long, a couple of weeks longer won't kill us.

After another hour delay because of another heavy down-pour, the first half of the floor was done at the close of day. We do it in two sections to allow for expansion and contraction and to prevent cracks.

At least the new structure won't be a total shock to them as they will be getting used to seeing it grow as the days go by. I'm sure they'll also investigate inside the half-built structure in the afternoons before bed-time, so the big move might not be so strange at all.

While I was talking to Solomon that afternoon, Artemis brought some of the girls along to come and have a look at the proceedings. They all clustered in the corner, discussing the events! The previous afternoon they entered the chicken run very cautiously, navigating all the equipment scattered around very carefully to get to their coop, but I assured them everything was fine, offering them an extra treat for their discomfort.

Hettie was not quite sure of what is going on in and around their coop! 

Chicky-Boo also seemed unsure of herself, but quickly followed me into the coop to see what the treat was. 

Artemis, on the other hand, was quite confident that nothing posed a threat but nevertheless kept a vigilant eye and comforted his ladies every now and then by calling them closer and eventually leading them into the old coop to settle down for the night. 

Day 3 dawned cloudy but warm and I was holding thumbs that the rain would not interfere with our plans for the day! But the weather held and within 2 hours the last of the concrete screed for the floor was thrown and Solomon started marking out where the walls would go.

 Soon the first row of bricks was in place and I felt my excitement rising!

 Solomon's handlanger (helper) did not pitch that day, so Solly, our trusty handyman (pusing the wheelbarrow) was called in to assist with the building.

 The progress by lunch-time

Shortly after lunch-time, the door was in place and then everybody had to run as the rain decided it had held out for long enough. We don't actually mind showers in between the building progress, the wet ensures that the cement does not dry out to quickly, which could lead to cracks.

But really, we were hoping for a very sunny day tomorrow!

Closing thought for the day : 

Follow the third episode, coming soon!

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My new Chicken Coop Episode 1

Since I hastily erected a make-shift coop in January 2011, when I was given Henny Penny and her ten babies, the time finally came in October 2012 for the up-grade of my chicken coop! it was long in the offing!

The current little coop was only 1.5m x 2m, with eight nest boxes and a couple of roosts, just big enough to move around in for cleaning and by no means totally weather-proof. It was supposed to be just for a week or two! I'm actually a bit ashamed to show it here, it looks so tiny in this photograph! But it'll be good to be able to look back and compare!

The old chicken coop looking lost and forlorn in the chicken run

Starting with the foundations for the new coop - pegged and squared and ready to be cleared for the new floor.

I'm also going to be landscaping the area in the chicken run, which is quite a nice big size, lawned and fenced. I'd like to put in shrubs and flowers that are pretty, hardy and chicken-friendly. I've got a Lavender bush given to me by a friend, obviously with much love in her heart because it has grown beautifully since I planted it, which I'll be transplanting to the chicken run (I'm not quite happy with where it is at the moment anyway) and I've just bought some nice Rosemary, Sage and Thyme bushes. A couple of Aloes, which don't need much water, might not be amiss either, as a great deal of the run gets full sunlight the whole day and the chickens don't touch them. And they provide beautiful colour during their flowering period in winter.

My young Lavender which I'll be transplanting

Beautiful winter-flowering Aloe ferox will really brighten up the chicken run

It was a difficult decision to make as to what materials to use. My first thought was wood, as it looks so pretty, but first of all, wood is an expensive commodity in South Africa and, secondly, none of us around here are carpenters of any sorts. My second thought, because of cost, was poles and metal sheeting, but that means very cold housing in winter.

The plan for the new chicken coop

So finally, I decided on a brick structure with a concrete floor and corrugated iron roof. Bricks are easy to work with (even I have built a few small structures!), cost-effective and very strong. It is also easy to decorate with the necessary nest boxes, roosts, shelves for storage and tools and secure and safe against the elements and predators. And a further cost-saving is the fact that I've already got two existing walls, so I only need to build two walls, the side and the front.

Ventilation will be window openings (but no window frames) covered with wire mesh for security. My materials list included 1000 bricks (for starters), cement, sand and stone for the concrete floor (4m x 4.5m - approx. 13ft. x 15ft), wood for the rafters (already in stock from decking removed from the patio) and about 6 or 7 corrugated iron sheets and a box of roof screws. Also a door and door frame and the hardware like hinges and door handles.

My plans include a corner with shelving to use as a storage space for food, buckets, baskets, brooms, rakes and any other equipment I normally have to fetch from the tool shed when I want to clean; ten nest boxes (double storey) and an area for roosts and food.

 Progress just after lunch-time on Day 1 - all cleared and ready to begin.

I'm sure my chooks were very happy in their old little coop (it always amazes me how they can make the best of what they are given, happily settling into their routine with no qualms), but my girls are long overdue for proper housing and they deserve it for all the happy hours they provide me with.

The trick is going to be seeing what they do when the old coop gets broken down and they return to the run late afternoon to find their whole routine disrupted. I might probably also have to herd them through the door for the first time and then leave them to sort themselves out. 

End of Day 1 and everything is ready to start mixing the concrete for the floor tomorrow. I put a generous layer of Diatomaceous Earth down before the sand and stone was added just as an extra measure to discourage ants and other pesky insects.

It's going to be fun watching the squabbling over the best perches or nest boxes and, of course, egg-laying will probably stop for a few days. But hey, small price to pay for the luxury of a beautiful new hen house!

Keep an eye out for Episode 2!

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A melt-down and a broken heart

I've had a melt-down. And I've got a broken heart. And so have my girls.

First, the melt-down. My girls have absolutely ruined my garden! In about two years they've reduced it to a barren landscape with all but a few of the hardiest plants gone. GONE! My prized Echeverias, which I started with just a few plants given to me by my dad shortly before he passed away in 1990, and which had grown into beautiful specimens which I had in various parts of the garden, are all but annihilated.

The same area as above before the girls arrived.

I've managed to rescue a few of my Echeverias and planted them in a basket and placed them in my bathroom court-yard garden. Hopefully they will recover to their previous glory.

Where there used to be a thick carpet of ground covers, now there's only dead leaves and a big mess. Not that Missy minds, she's quite happy to relax there with Artemis close-by, blissfully unaware of my melt-down.

Kiep takes time out on the rock just behind Missy.

Now for the broken heart part. I'm broken-hearted because I've banned the girls from the garden. Locked up in the chicken run. No more chickens happily doing what chickens do, scratching and foraging in the garden. Having gorgeous sand baths, chasing after grasshoppers and other bugs. One thing I must say, my garden is totally bug-free - no cut-worm, no fruit beetles, no plant lice. In fact, no anything. But I'm not so sure that's entirely a good thing either. I haven't seen a lady bug or a praying mantis for absolute ages. My lizard and frog population has also suffered tremendously. NOTHING is safe from these bug-devouring lovelies!

"Why, oh WHY can't we come out?!" In stead of scouring the grass for insects, the girls would spend hours at the gait, waiting for me to open up.

ChiChi and Snookums, who grew up in my studio, are totally puzzled with this new development. They've never been locked up and cannot understand what's going on.

A couple of months ago, I did start some landscaping inside the run and I presume that, shortly, there will also be nothing left of this.

Now, as I see the matter, I have three or four choices. One is that the girls stay locked up in the run forever. FOREVER! Or I can reduce the population and only keep three or four (that's not likely to happen!). Another option is that I adapt the garden to suit the girls - no beautiful, colourful borders, no tender Echeverias and give up my love for insects and all the other garden visitors.

Hmmmmmm... Decisions, decisions....

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Dressed for Summer

To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug.

~ Helen Keller 

I felt all bright and breezy today, so Hedgie's Nature Journal is dressed in brand new summer finery (I hope you like it!). Unfortunately Blogger doesn't provide much of a choice and I'm thinking of somehow customising it myself or getting a Custom Domain which might offer more creative themes. And so is Nature. Bright and breezy I mean, and sporting new summer finery. As the Northern Hemisphere heads into their Autumn, all my trees are sporting new buds and blossoms, new seedlings are popping out and even the Hydrangeas have woken up!

My Chooks are enjoying the sunshine and the new-found greenery. Being free-range, grazing the lawn and eating insects makes out a big part of their diet and while the grass was all brown and dried up, my garden suffered greatly as they ate anything green in sight! The funny thing about my chickens is that they won't eat any greens I prepare for them - I've tried everything, followed recipes from some wonderful chicken blogs, but no go. I've tried hiding it in other food, disguising it and coaxing them to take it from my hand, but they're determined to stick to the lawn. 

I've lined up some chores for this summer and one of them is up-grade my hen house and chicken run. I saw a chicken coup make-over on the internet, complete with little lace curtains in front of the windows and nest boxes. Now isn't that grand!

Another chore on my list (I'm a great list-maker, but at least I DO get through it, most of the time!) will be to landscape the area inside the chicken run. The run and hen house were constructed in a great hurry when I accepted a hen and ten babies as a gift early one morning, with nowhere to house them. An area next to the garage was fenced off and Solly and I started with the make-shift house. 

 A few poles in the ground, a couple of sheets of galvanised sheeting found in my 'scrap heap' and the basic structure was complete.

 
Then came the interior - all that was needed at this stage was some straw for ground-cover and a nesting area where Mommy could feel safe with her babies.

The chicks have all grown up into 8 beautiful hens and two lovely roosters, so now it's time for this 'temporary' arrangement to become a beautiful 'new' addition to my garden. 

Lavender

 

I will be incorporating plants that will be able to withstand their onslaught on anything green and also some shrubs and small trees for some shade. Of course I'll be using Lavender (I like the English Lavender) and Sage as well as Geraniums, which they don't eat.

Sage (Salvia officinalis)

They do have free access to the garden, but on the odd occasion that they have to be kept in, I would like it to be in beautiful and comfortable surroundings.

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