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.
