The Trump Tower of Hen Houses

Here it is...the long awaited video tour of the hen house. The design is by me, the construction is by me (with assistance from Mexi) and the paint job is courtesy of Daughters 1 & 2. Emmy's role was to shake her head, roll her eyes, and question if I really knew what I was doing. In the end she was supportive and talked me down after a couple of major meltdowns.

Coop Tour from Emmy on Vimeo.

All in all it was a fun experience. It took four solid days from start to finish and a little bit of work on Friday (today). Now the big question is...will the hens actually use the damn thing???

It will be really frustrating to have put all this together and then have the hens completely ignore it and just go roost wherever the hell they please. But, I figure if I put the food and the water in the hen house then they will start to see it as "home".

I still have to install the roosting boards so they have a place to hang out and be sociable, as well as install the pulley system for the drawbridge. As much as I would like to think that the chickens will be safe so close to the house, the fact of the matter is that we have had both opossums and raccoons in our yard over the years. I would hate for the chickens to meet a horrible end.

Tomorrow morning at 11 am we go to pick out our three hens. I have no idea what varieties will be available, so I figure I should get there for the best selection. Jennybean suggested that I lock them in the hen house for a few days to let them get the idea that it is home. Works for me. We are supposed to go camping with the Girl Scout troop on Saturday night. They can spend Saturday and Sunday locked up and then go for a stroll on Monday.

Assuming I can get the thing moved off my back deck and placed next to the house. Yes, it is that big.