The wonderful engineering skills handed down to me by my late Grandfather AJ Whitaker were utilised to good effect recently, enabling me to develop a chicken coop! Items used were all abandoned or aquired from friends. Like all the best things in life, it cost absolutely nothing! My trusty partner in production was Niko - an incredibly enthusiastic and knowledgable 6 year-old who lives next door. His range of expertise and power tools enabled us to get the job done in a coupke of afternoons - a profile on him to follow!
Bizarrely, getting hold of chickens was the hard part. There were a few adverts in the paper and in local supermarkets, but they had either sold out, or wanted $35-50 per chicken which was completely at odds with my strict policy of free or no frikin way! Alas, I rang around several people selling eggs direct from their farms - nobody wnated to part with there golden beauties!
Dejected, I had to see my new coop, empty and alone in the garage, day after day, until a surpise phone call. One of the people who I phoned and bought eggs off (in an attempt to secure chickens) had been watching Hugh on River Cottage on his UKTV channel and felt a sudden gesture of goodwill. He agreed to lend me 4 of his prime layers if we visited him on his farm!
Berns and I made our way to his 22 acre land and over a coffee managed to secure the 4 chickens, as well as promise of some chicks early next year, a load of chicken feed and a dozen eggs to get us started - all for sweet FA!
Further to this, the chickens have had their diet protein enriched by the mutilated hearts left over from school dissections!
We know enjoy a helathy 2 to 4 eggs per day and the joy of watching them mince around all day in chicken-heaven!
Cock a doodle do!
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