Extending the Coop

The New West Wing

With so many new chickens needing housing it was time to extend the existing coop. Rather than buiding something totally free-standing we decided to expand the existing coop by building on a wing on the western side. 

Our wonderful builder Tom worked with me to come up with a design. It was a little less stressful than an episode of Grand Designs but the original idea was changed a few times.

Even at late stages we were tweaking the design. I asked Tom to put in a door. Sure. No problem. He whipped one up in half a day.

Tom built most of the extended structure before he took down the existing western wall.

Tom built the Big Peeps a ladder leading up to their access door. He even put in a window to the main door to the new sleeping quarters.

These are the facilities inside the West Wing. Two parallel perches for roosting.

The nesting boxes are not in use yet but there are four inside this wing.

The L-shaped run has received a coat of sump oil to preserve the wood. And the whole coop was re-roofed. 

The old roofing material was used to clad the sides of the coop and make it better able to withstand the weather.

It makes the coop look a lot more rustic and more like an Aussie men's shed.

So it is now called the Chook Shed.

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Feeling like a Mama Hen

The Big Peeps grew out of the hutch rather quickly.

So the small chicks and now called 'The Big Peeps' because they have grown teenage feathers and now live in their own wing of the chook shed.

We waited three extra weeks for some special chicks to hatch. One was a Gold-Laced Wyandotte and the other was a Silver-Laced Wyandotte. Both very hard to source locally.

So Edison and Einstein settled in under the ceramic heat lamp. They were a couple of Wyandotte brothers (we are not sure what gender they are as they are very hard to distinguish at this early age) and they were loud. Edison peeped all day and all night it seemed. Duncan came up with a theory "He peeps bause he's tired and he's tired because he peeps". 

One afternoon Frances and Tristan were exchanging the chicks when Edison was dropped onto the tiled floor.

He grew very ill the next day and as I held him in my hand he breathed his last and died. 

When the kids came home from school that afternoon we had a little funeral for Edison and buried him under the lemon tree. The kids said a couple of prayers. Later I saw Frances sitting over there with him saying a prayer, blowing him a kiss and then singing him a little song. It was very touching.

Poor Einstein was left by himself ans his chirping was very sad. I took a trip back out to Farmer McGrath's and bought a white Silkie and blue Araucana chick to keep him company.

They are all fast friends. They spend sunny days outside in the small hutch.

There are new rules though. No picking the chicks up.

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