A whole lot of very good news!!!

tom123 · September 18, 2009

Well, first we looked at a small field for rent but decided against it due to security issues etc. Then we looked at keeping a few hens in my friends large garden. Now, instead of me getting a new horse and renting some land for more hens, I have everything for free ...

I have a friend who lives a few miles away who owns a small stable yard and keeps Arabs on there. She breeds these every couple of years. My school friend goes down there every night and helps out mucking out, grooming and gets to ride them at shows etc.

So I got chatting to the stable owner and she had just bought a large piggery next door to her yard. This will be turned into indoor stables however it has a very large outbuilding on one side of it. This measures about 110ft x 19ft and about 7ft high. This is split into about 10 individual stys. These will not be used except a couple for hay etc. So she has said I can use 1 or 2 for free to keep hens in There is also running water, lighting and electricity throughout! OK very good, so that means more hens yey! But it gets better...

She then showed me around her lovely yard and then the fields. In one of the fields was a small orchard fenced off. This orchard has a large pond in and about 5 apple trees. It is enclosed with post and rail fencing. Her husband has been wanting ducks for a long time however he has not had the time to get them. So she said "do you want to use it for ducks?".

So, a week later and I have spent every night down there helping with the horses and adding chicken wire to the post and rail. We will be having 5-6 ducks up there. At the moment, I am borrowing a small coop and run which is housing Willow & Lucy until I can buy a bigger ark and get them some more friends. This coop is inside the paddock. I have put some photos of the area, chickens and pond below and some of the 10 horses...

The whole of the area looking from the gate, it goes back to the hedge.