On Friday we finished another VEG Chook House and Strawyard install in Coburg.  In addition to our research and experimentation over the last seven years, we have recently had the honour of incorporating some feedback from the lovely Meg Miller, renowned chook expert and editor of the Australiasian Poultry Magazine.

Meg saw one of our small chook houses on display at the royal Melbourne show and, based on her extensive experience and knowledge, her two main suggestions were more ventilation and wider roosts.  We have since added a second ventilation shaft in the rear top of our chook houses, which in conjunction with the mesh floor and the fact that the side door into the strawyard is usually open, allows ample ventilation during those hot summer days and nights.  On real stinkers we’d recommend putting a bucket or basin of water either in the house or underneath it for the cooling effect of the evaporation. We have also increased our roost width from 4 to 6cm.  We have had some wonderful feedback lately from VEG Chook System customers and it is great to find our systems meshing beautifully with both the people and their edible gardens.

This youtube from Friday shows these features, along with our standard double-gate system, chook hatches, and pulley-hatch opener that is appropriate in some cases.  On this job the chooks moved themselves into their new digs before we actually finished building it!

This next clip, also from Friday, is of Rosalie’s system in Northcote, where we are complementing her VEG Chook House & Strawyard with a chook run & gates to keep her dog separate from the chooks.  Rosalie came home recently to find one of the chooks in the dog’s mouth (unharmed) so doesn’t want to take any chances.  Anyways this clip shows how Rosalie is now enjoying collecting snails from her garden and feeding them into her magical contraptions (i.e., chooks) that turn them into eggs & compost (via manure)!  To paraphrase Bill Mollison, no-one ever has a snail or slug problem.  What they have is chook or duck deficiency.  If you are feeling such a deficiency in your life and garden, be in touch and we can set you up with a chook system that will work an absolute treat and last for many, many years.