The People's Chickens
By Sam Tucker
Ever since I was 11, I have desired a flock of chickens. At this age I purchased a book on raising poultry. After reading the book from front to cover I acquired a book detailing the different breeds of poultry, and later another book specifically about chickens. I visited a poultry show and begged my mother for a chicken.
Now, five years later, my dear friend and teacher Mr. Hadji told me of his wife, who wished to acquire some chickens as pets. He entrusted me with his plans for a chicken coop, which he designed on Google Sketchup, a program with which he excels at the operation of. I offered my help, and at first we had intended to repurpose an old waterfowl house, which he had constructed years ago to house a couple of waterfowl which he had purchased as an anniversary gift.
Unfortunately this derelict article of rotting wood had not to taken well to be left out in Canadian weather for 20 years, and collapsed upon itself when it was moved. This created the opportunity to create something from scratch (no doubt an opportunity Mr. Hadji had been longing for, as he greatly enjoys the act of creation) and we started upon the frame.
I assisted in the afternoons and on the weekends with the heavy lifting and some of the roof nailing as well as the fastening of the plywood with screws. At one point I experienced the unfortunate occurrence of smashing my finger with a graphite hammer. Fortunately this experience was not repeated on my feet as I was wearing composite steel-toed boots.
The project was finally completed in September after 5 months of (mostly Mr Hadji's) work. The last steps were to install insulation and wire. We used hardboard foam insulation as it has a silver reflective coat to reflect the body heat of the chickens. Hardware cloth was applied liberally to announce to rodents that they are not welcome.
The design of the chicken coop, according to Mr. Hadji, is similar to that of a Greek temple. To exemplify this affect a frieze was painted by my mother and Mr. Hadji's wife and placed above the front of the installation. The frieze depicts a procession of a variety of chickens, a reference to the frieze on the Parthenon which displays a procession of all different Athenians.
The chickens will eagerly devour nearly anything fed to them, and enjoy fruits, leaves, grass, vegetables, meat, eggs, insects and seed. Fruits need to be broken into smaller pieces so that the chickens can get at the insides. They enjoy apples, berries and groundcherries. They will pick at and eat nearly any vegetation they come across, including the grass and dandelion leaves, although burdock leaves seem to be a favorite. They are impartial to cauliflower and broccoli, so long as they are presented in miniscule chunks.
Mr. Hadji, being disposed to innovation, saw his sister-in-laws unused dog kennel and asked her if he could repurpose it and put it to use, as her dog did not use it. He placed the kennel near the coop, and we relocated the chickens into it, as it gave them vastly superior room to run around and scratch in. At first they had to be carried into the kennel, but after repositioning the door to face West they have started entering on their own volition. Mr. Hadji, with his unending innovative wisdom, installed chicken wire over the top of the kennel, an effective method by which to protect the hens from aerial predators. A bale of straw was spread over the bottom and feed scattered across it, giving the chickens endless hours of entertainment and cranial stimulation. A tarp was applied over the chicken wire, creating shade and shelter.
Now, five years later, my dear friend and teacher Mr. Hadji told me of his wife, who wished to acquire some chickens as pets. He entrusted me with his plans for a chicken coop, which he designed on Google Sketchup, a program with which he excels at the operation of. I offered my help, and at first we had intended to repurpose an old waterfowl house, which he had constructed years ago to house a couple of waterfowl which he had purchased as an anniversary gift.
Unfortunately this derelict article of rotting wood had not to taken well to be left out in Canadian weather for 20 years, and collapsed upon itself when it was moved. This created the opportunity to create something from scratch (no doubt an opportunity Mr. Hadji had been longing for, as he greatly enjoys the act of creation) and we started upon the frame.
I assisted in the afternoons and on the weekends with the heavy lifting and some of the roof nailing as well as the fastening of the plywood with screws. At one point I experienced the unfortunate occurrence of smashing my finger with a graphite hammer. Fortunately this experience was not repeated on my feet as I was wearing composite steel-toed boots.
The project was finally completed in September after 5 months of (mostly Mr Hadji's) work. The last steps were to install insulation and wire. We used hardboard foam insulation as it has a silver reflective coat to reflect the body heat of the chickens. Hardware cloth was applied liberally to announce to rodents that they are not welcome.
The design of the chicken coop, according to Mr. Hadji, is similar to that of a Greek temple. To exemplify this affect a frieze was painted by my mother and Mr. Hadji's wife and placed above the front of the installation. The frieze depicts a procession of a variety of chickens, a reference to the frieze on the Parthenon which displays a procession of all different Athenians.
The chickens will eagerly devour nearly anything fed to them, and enjoy fruits, leaves, grass, vegetables, meat, eggs, insects and seed. Fruits need to be broken into smaller pieces so that the chickens can get at the insides. They enjoy apples, berries and groundcherries. They will pick at and eat nearly any vegetation they come across, including the grass and dandelion leaves, although burdock leaves seem to be a favorite. They are impartial to cauliflower and broccoli, so long as they are presented in miniscule chunks.
Mr. Hadji, being disposed to innovation, saw his sister-in-laws unused dog kennel and asked her if he could repurpose it and put it to use, as her dog did not use it. He placed the kennel near the coop, and we relocated the chickens into it, as it gave them vastly superior room to run around and scratch in. At first they had to be carried into the kennel, but after repositioning the door to face West they have started entering on their own volition. Mr. Hadji, with his unending innovative wisdom, installed chicken wire over the top of the kennel, an effective method by which to protect the hens from aerial predators. A bale of straw was spread over the bottom and feed scattered across it, giving the chickens endless hours of entertainment and cranial stimulation. A tarp was applied over the chicken wire, creating shade and shelter.