When Doug moved to Heath his property came with a big barn, but the only livestock he planned on was chickens. When he moved his office into the barn he had that space insulated. He also insulated the area where the chickens lived. Only in the ceiling can you see the insulation but it is also behind the wooden walls. Chickens don't need this kind of comfort, but I'm sure they appreciate it. Even the door to the…
Local chicken lovers have tended to make good use of extra lumber, roofing, and even old shower doors, but Sheila's hen house has a long history. While a young Sheila was still living at home with her parents her father gathered up the lumber from a bridge that was being dismantled to make a shed. When Sheila and her husband moved to Heath something more than 30 years ago they dismantled that shed to build a goat shed.…
My friend Bob is a jack of all trades, and most irritatingly, a master of most. His building skills are very useful here in the country and since he is always building something, here - or there - he has lots of left over materials. He used those leftover materials, lumber, metal roofing, door and windows, to make his hen house. I was most fascinated by his use of a shower door to make a large frosted window…
With so many people interested in keeping a backyard flockof chickens for eggs, and maybe even for meat, I've been visiting local henhouses, partly to be able to assure potential hen farmers that a henhouse doesn't have to be a Palais de Poulet, and to show you some of the clever designs hen farmers have come up with to make their own work as easy as possible. Emma is the youngest hen farmer I know. She is an…