In anticipation of being able to move the kitcar into the back garden to work on, DH was keen that we moved the new hen house down to the allotment. The hen house was currently preventing access.
The new hen house, built by DH out of Ecosheet (recycled plastic sheets), has been finished and ready for several months. The weather has been too horrible to face the hassle of getting it on site.
Anyway. Today was the day we had selected.
It took a long time.
Not particularly to get the new hen house on the allotment (although this did involve dis-mantling and subsequently re-mantling some heras fencing and some electric fencing), it was everything else.
We moved one of the old hen houses, so that half the plot is now clear to re-seed. This weighed a ton, and involved me tripping over a log pile (ha ha ha).
The chooks got very excited that one of the coops had moved, and it had to be inspected by everyone.
We then had to manoeuvre the new coop, still in the trailer, to its resting place; the base, made from a spare set of wheels for an Omlet Cube, and some wood, was levelled first, and eventually we transferred it. I then had to diatom it all, put some Aubiose in... and I tried, unsuccessfully, to introduce the hens to it.
DH then fenced off the fallow half of the allotment, while I de-pooed the various coops, did the waterers, collected the eggs, and checked the feeders.
We still haven't decided which of the two old coops will go (in addition to an ancient shelter which is definitely going). It was too windy, and rain was imminent, so we put off destroying the ancient shelter. The active half of the plot is now a little busy with coops and shelters. We will do it the next week or so, weather permitting.
I'm not convinced the Girls are going to use the new coop of their own free will. I put some dummy eggs in the nest boxes as a bit of encouragement, but I'm not holding my breath. Given that we haven't removed any of the other coops, there isn't any point in forcing them.
Yet.
