Fashioning the "Fox-proof Fowl Fort" (FpFF)!

Given our panels were designed to be used horizontally, Nick needed to grind off the metal loops on what would become the bottom edge (when the panels were in an upright position).  Sparks flew and it looked quite impressive! 

We had purchased two sizes of cable ties - 150mm and 250mm.  The shorter length ties were used to re-attach the aviary mesh to the frames.  Some panels required many ties around the perimeter while others only needed a few. 

As we had twenty fence panels, Nick planned an enclosure that was six panels long and four panels wide.  The larger cable ties were used to join the panels in place - about five or six ties per junction.

Nick did most of the work but we all helped at different stages. 

Some of the last panels required patching of larger holes or mending of split mesh.  Fortunately we had some small pieces of similar mesh on-site and could use that for these repairs.

I've been researching the recommended space requirements for healthy chickens.  Some information is quite detailed, even giving lengths of perch-space per bird!  Generally though the consensus is that the more space chookies have, the happier they will be.   Five square metres per chook is deemed "adequate" by the Poultry Cooperative Research Centre.  When finished, the area of the Fox-proof Fowl Fort (FpFF) will be a little over 34 square metres, which would be suitable for six or seven chooks - so our four girls should have plenty of room!

The fencing panel!

You might be wondering what kind of gold-plated chook fencing we purchased that tallied nearly $600.00.  Good question!

The day the girls arrived we headed into Bunnings for a 10 metre roll of 120cm chicken wire, four star pickets, some fencing staples (to attach the wire to the pickets) - and a gadget to assist hammering the pickets into the ground.  That lot was $87.01 and probably one of the cheapest setups we could configure at short notice. 


We had previously purchased a small chicken coop from eBay.  (By Nick's reckoning, it features as a cat expense so isn't included in the chicken keeping costs)!  Accounting methods aside, the former cat coop was only intended to house two chickens at most (as a stand-alone unit) and was specifically noted not to be fox-proof.  Our chookies are locked into the top roosting chamber overnight, with the coop door closed.  Although a fox has been sniffing around, we believe they are safe when tucked up for the evening (albeit somewhat cosy).  It is their daytime security that is more of an issue.

We've been looking at fencing options and did some preliminary costings.  It seemed a more convenient alternative was to buy fencing panels, so we set off to acquire some.  Although we initially looked at the large format used around building sites, sense prevailed and we instead chose smaller units that (just) fit on our trailer!

The frames are galvanised with aviary mesh inserts - far superior to chicken wire and star pickets!  Our panels were advertised as being ex-hire with some minor damage, so afterwards we bought a swag of cable ties and some tie-wire to make the necessary repairs.  Cable ties aren't cheap but they are easy to work with and that definitely appealed!

When used as designed, the panels are 2 metres long and 1.2 metres high.  For our purposes they were stood on end (so the measurements are transposed).  Effectively we have 24 metres of 2 metre-high fencing for a little over $480.00. 

Obviously some work is necessary to transform our panels into what has been dubbed the "fox-proof fowl fort" but not nearly as much effort as would be required if building a fence entirely from raw materials.  Some people buy convenience food - we buy convenience fencing!

Free chooks aren't cheep!

We love our chookies - although it is only Vaughan who insists on giving them "cuddle-ups"!  I am not sure that they enjoy the physical affection but they do tend to crowd round when they see the Young Master, probably cos they associate him with crickets!

The girls gifted us 20 eggs in their first week and seem set for a similar effort as their second week draws to a close.  When they arrived we bought some pet hay and a small bag of pellets from one of the local pet supply shops - as an interim measure, cos we hadn't done much preparation beforehand.

Yesterday we bought 20 kilos of organic grain mix from a local farm and a bale of straw from a livestock supply company.  Both should last well over a month, which would equate to around $1.00 a day for our girls' food and bedding, praps less when the actual figures are known.


Keeping them safe is proving far more expensive!  To date the fencing purchases tally $570.00 (and we are not yet done) - that's $142.50 per chook, so far!!  The old cliché of not being able to put a price on happiness does ring very true though.  We are certainly a much happier Hamby family since being gifted the chookies!

Weighing in ...

We're a curious bunch here, in that we like to know about things (though some would argue the term could be applied equally aptly for other reasons)! 

Our chookies laid three eggs on their first full day with us - and another three the day after.  It seemed that one girl was slacking, so Vaughan and I weighed those six eggs to see if there was a pattern in terms of size and weight.  We thought there were some similarities but Nick wasn't convinced of our "proof"!

The girls gifted us four eggs on Good Friday (now eaten) and another four on Easter Monday.  Vaughan is already recording the number of eggs received each day and this week we'll attempt to record all the weights also.  So far the weight range is from 55 to 65 grams, though on their first day one of the girls laid an egg that was a little over 70 grams.  (Something I read recently stated that as chooks aged, they laid larger eggs). 

It's hard work weighing eggs, Vaughan had a huge chunk of chocolate to sustain him during the process - and needed to stuff it into his mouth so both hands were free!

Scat, fox!

Icky, sticky, (disgustingly) stinky fox poo!

When Erin checked the chookies yesterday, she noticed some unusual poo by the wire. Although some people laugh at my "Tracks, Scats and Other Traces" book, it proved very useful on this occasion and we all agree the poo in question belongs to a fox. 

There was more poo this morning (but someone stepped in it before I could take a photo!) - and the odd sounds heard last night were a fox's territorial calls. 

Nick is currently on annual leave and we had already been researching more permanent, fox-proof housing for our girls as a holiday project.  Given the fox scats, we will fast-track our efforts!

Jean-ious!

Disclaimer:  no jeans were harmed in this feeding frenzy!

During our Easter egg hunt on Sunday morning, we found a pair of Nick's jeans that had been blown off the washing line. Many millipedes and slaters had taken refuge beneath. Quite a few remained on the jeans, so Erin raced off to the chicken run and tossed in the denim - and the delicacies!

Another pair of Nick's jeans had fallen off the line yesterday, so the chookies scored again!!

It is interesting to note the girls obviously prefer slaters over millipedes but they are not alone in that!

Easter Eggs!

We've had a lovely Easter.  So many good things happened, including Vaughan's 8th birthday on Easter Sunday.  One of his big sisters arrived on Good Friday for an impromptu Easter/Birthday visit - the same day that we received four eggs from our chookies (for the first time ever)!  They laid another four today (Easter Monday) on the anniversary of their arrival, so there has been speculation that they were getting into the Easter spirit - or that the failed hot cross buns really agreed with them!

Our chookies laid 20 eggs during their first week with us - a very impressive effort, indeed! We ate some of their eggs yesterday for our breakfast - carefully coloured by way of a special morning science experiment in celebration of Easter and Vaughan's birthday.  (You can see how yellow the yolks are in the pic at right).

Vaughan checks for eggs at least several times a day.  He discovered some extra-special eggs yesterday morning - it seems the Easter Bunny has a sense of humour!