New Hen House and Run April to July 2021

We added a 2nd flock of chickens (4 hens and 1 cockerel) in July 2021. Constructing their hen house and run (in April 2021) took key lessons from the 1st construction - easy clean floor, higher off the ground, easier access egg laying area, hen house inside the run and located with more shade from trees. We were fortunate by this time to also have money available to but more ´square and straight´ wood and use less off cuts - so much easier and a more solid and hopefully longer lasting result is the result. We also put 4 rabbit hutches inside the run to create a safe space for our baby rabbits before they move to their spacious rabbit palaces.

One week after the hens arrived the 1st eggs were laid (see final picture above) - not in the right place i.e. the nesting box but still a great start. A year later (July 2022) we are getting 1 egg per day per hen most days apart from November to February when we got the occasional one only - hens lay more in sunlight.