A Bigger, Better, Safer Chookhouse

So, if you have read my blog before, you will know that a fox took my chickens in August (2014).  We really liked our chickens but we loved the eggs they produced; there really is nothing better than a breakfast poached egg that has been collected warm from the nesting box that morning.  

Before we could get more chickens I really felt that I had to give them a bigger, better but above all, a safer hen house.  This took a bit of work which delayed us getting out next flock but I wanted them to be safe now we know that there are sometimes foxes in the area.  

The first thing I did was to move the new chookhouse closer to where we sleep so that we will hear if anything is going on in the night.  The next thing was to build a structure that their existing coop would fit into so that they had outside space to move around in but that would also be completely secure. 

I started by clearing the ground, levelling it off so the chookhouse would be level.

Then I built a structure that I could make completely fox proof.  A roof and vermin proof wired walls. 

Then the I installed the old coop into the chookhouse and raised it on blocks to the chooks could move around underneath.  This gave them more space so they can move around freely when they are locked away for their own safety. I also made sure that I could access the nesting box from outside the chookhouse so we could collect their eggs without going into the house.

And finally (almost) complete.  All I have to do now is to finish off the flooring and complete the fox proofing around the perimeter.

So our new chooks will still have the whole chook run during the day, but at night, they will be safely locked up away from the reaches of any foxes that stray onto our property.  Hopefully, our new chooks will have a much safer but just as happy life as our previous trio.  RIP Daisy, Geraldine and Boris.

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Not All Sunshine And Roses

I get a huge amount of pleasure from my garden and it's produce but it can't always be sunshine and roses (even in Australia).  Last Sunday morning, I went out to feed the chickens as I do every morning, but that morning they didn't run down to meet me keen to see what treats I had brought for them that day.  Instead, I found three chicken carcasses with each head cleanly decapitated.  Something had got to my chooks in the night and that was the end of Daisy, Geraldine and Boris.

Here is how they were in happier times:

And the culprit? Well we have a security camera system around our house and in the early part of Sunday morning it captured this fox that must have wandered in from the bush.

I had thought that our area was fox free but a baiting program in the bush near our house has recently ended and maybe this little sod managed to get through.

So at least we know what happened to the girls and yes, it is now clear to me that foxes can climb 6 foot high walls.  So before we even think about getting any more chickens, I need to fox proof the entire run.  That will mean putting a wire roof over the top of the run (the walls were fox proof already).  I'll also put an internal cage with the nesting boxes which will be closed up every night once the new girls go to bed.

So rest in peace Daisy, Geraldine and Boris, you had two good years during which you kept us handsomely in eggs.  You also became part of the family and we miss your clucks in the morning and when we fed you.  You will be missed.

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It has been a very quiet few months for this blog.

It has been a very quiet time for this blog.  Summer has been and gone and we are close to the end of winter now.  Evenings are getting longer and the doors outside are staying open longer in the day than even just a few weeks ago.  Give it until September and the doors will be open all day and it will be time to lock the windows open until next May.

This year, I have a few projects planned for my garden and kitchen. A few months back we installed a Balinese gazebo in a corner of our garden which has opened our a part of the garden that wasn't really used before.  So over this year, I need to put in some new beds and also landscape some areas that have been left wild until now.

I also need to finish off the outdoor kitchen which is already looking pretty good.  At the end of last summer we installed the stainless steel workbench which makes rolling out pizzas a dream.

I am also going to try growing some different plants.  I'll have some new beds this year so I need to find something to plant In the new space.  This year capers, Ceylon gooseberries, blueberries, youngberries are on my list.  

I love this time of year; longer and warmer evenings tell us that the Australian winter is coming to an end.  It is time to get back into the garden and make the most of what this beautiful country gives us.

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