Still going strong

I’ve been trying to find the time to build a couple of new hen houses so that we can better house our breeding cockerels and hens.

But with a long list of other important jobs to do, the completion date keeps slipping and we really need to get two more cockerels into their own accommodation.

Then the Other Half found an advertisement in the local free ad newspaper for a “small hen house”, priced at £65.

That’s a very good price - so much so that we thought it was second-hand as the cost of new materials for my own ones would have been only a fiver or so less than that. (Not that I was using new timber!)

The OH rang the phone number and spot to an elderly sounding chap who told her it was a new hen house and that he builds them himself. He also had two larger houses for sale as well.

We decided it was worth having a look at the smaller hen house because, while we’re a bit strapped for cash, it did sound like good value although I suspected it would be a bit of rubbish at that price. Similar-sized houses for four to six hens usually cost upwards of £120-130.

So we all piled into the Land Rover today and drove down to Kirkton-on-Tough (pronounced Two-k), where we found the elderly gentleman waiting outside a large workshop for us.

We introduced ourselves and had a look at the hen house, which was just the right size for a cockerel and three hens.

It was built from salvaged timber and scrap, and while a little rough in places was very solidly put together, had a nest box, window, perch, sliding pophole and access door.

When I mentioned to the old chap that I was actually looking for two, he said he had another one in his workshop that he had been building for himself, but that we could have it too.

Looking at the second one, it was clear that he was from the belt-and-braces school of building - everything was doubled up and nailed with what looked like the contents of two large boxes of galvanised nails.

At £65 each, buying the two would be a big financial stretch for us but it would solve our housing problem immediately.

We also liked the fact that they were built from salvaged timber, and that it was an old boy making them as a sideline to his retirement.

Then, when I said I’d like to buy both, he dropped the price to £55 each. Done!

We gave him the cash, took one home with us and will drop back next Sunday to collect the second one.

What really made our day - and made it worth buying the houses instead of building them - was after the old chap had helped me carry the quite heavy house out to our trailer.

He’d put his stick down, grabbed hold of his side and lifted, then easily helped walk the hen house to the trailer.

Then, job done, he announced that he probably wouldn’t make many more houses after ours as he was getting a bit old and might not have much time left to make any more.

“Oh,” said the Other Half, “How old are you?”. (She later told me she thought he was late 70s or so.)

“I’m 91″ was the proud response!