New This Season: Up-to-code Chicken Coop and a Veggie Washer!

As part of our organic certification, we needed to re-build our chicken housing (our previous coop was too small with not enough perch space or laying boxes for the number of chickens we have). Luckily for us, a friend’s father came for an unexpected visit. A carpenter by trade, he put his skills to use and built a luxury chicken coop during his week here.

Built with insulated panels, it should help to keep the chickens a bit warmer in the winter months. Other features include windows and a skylight, a wider door so that the chickens have free movement in and out of the coop, and a full size door for the humans to go in and collect eggs (complete with screened window panel for air flow). Paul, Sam and Tristan mounted the coop on a hay trailer so that it can be moved to new spaces with a tractor or three people. This coop will comfortably house 45 laying hens.

Our friend’s father came to the farm for a week of ‘rest’ after doing the Great Divide trek. Only a mere 1,300 km journey. He then gave himself one day of actual rest after finishing the coop before carrying on with his travels.  After leaving the farm, he was on his way to do the West Coast Trail with his wife! Thank you, Mike, for helping us out with this project.

The other construction project that has been so helpful this season is a new veggie washer. Sam finished it in August and has been fine-tuning it ever since. After adding bike tires to the inside to provide a ‘track’ for the veggies, lifting the apparatus and tilting it, it seems to be functioning efficiently enough for Sam’s liking. It has helped immensely with our market preparation -- washing the carrots and potatoes now takes half the time that it used to. Great work, Sam!