The hens' new home

 This weekend we rallied some neighbors and their family and friends to build the over-wintering chicken coop for our laying hens. One of our neighbors created the plan, and together with his son-in-law, his good friend and another neighbor and his sons, we managed to raise the coop in just 11 hours (48 person-hours!). It is such a beautiful building, I almost hate to give it to the birds. There are removable slatted floor boards for easy cleaning, a heavy-duty roof to handle the winter snow, solid walls and craftsmanship to keep out predators, and a door big enough for us to get into comfortably.

What's left to do?... just nesting boxes for the layers, a door, a paint job, and somehow getting wheels on the structure so it can be the mobile coop we need.

The crew who helped us was not only amazing for their skill, but for their sense of community. Again, I am amazed and heart-warmed by new friends lending their time and effort to accomplish a task that would have taken me and Jason days to complete. Thanks so much to you all who helped.

Eggs and chickens-for-cooking will be available in about 3 months... looking forward to sharing.