Mini Hen House

Lizzy, Rachel, and Louisa Catherine are too big for their brooder box now. They had been in the garage for the past couple weeks, using the heat lamp just at night (since it's been down into the 40s).

That was going okay until yesterday, when Tiegan went into the garage to put away a watering can and discovered that the birds had gotten out of the brooder and were roaming around the (messy, dangerous) garage. It was no fun trying to round them up in there, so today Kirk made them a mini hen house:


Remember, the little girls need to stay separate from the big girls until they get used to each other. We'd been carrying the young ones back and forth from garage to their spot in the run each warm day, and that is a huge pain. So to be able to keep them outside, they need a temporary hen house in their section of the run.

Kirk repurposed an old play oven that he built for Tiegan five or six years ago. He drilled some ventilation holes in the sides, added a roosting bar, and put some steps onto the inside of the oven door so it would work as a ramp. He also put an extra piece of plywood across the front and cut a door big enough for the little girls but too small for the big ones to try to follow them in (that will give them a hiding place if they get picked on when we integrate them). 


It's pretty funny to see the chickens trying to decide if they want to go into the oven or not. Hopefully as the dusk falls they will realize that it's nice and cozy in there for the night. If not, Kirk may have to cut the doorway a little wider tomorrow. 

I'm thinking another week of life in the run full time should have everyone ready to try taking down the chicken wire. All the big girls but Dolley are ignoring the new guys, so hopefully we can get them all into one flock soon.

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