1. Building a fence. 2. Goat's creative ways.

Here is a quick report about building a fence for chickens' (and goat's) new outdoor run.
It's a really simple fence.

Step 1: Drive wooden stakes into the ground.
Hammering stakes into the ground is a good substitute for a workout in the gym. It's also quite fun.

In addition to wooden stakes, we also took advantage of the original metal poles of the power plant to support the fence.

Nobuo, a hammer, and a stake.

Step 2: Attach wire mesh around the stakes. 
This takes some time because you have to attach the mesh to each stake at at least 3 points, one by one.
But we were lucky that one of our semi-god neighbours, Mrs. Yagishita, took the lead and essentially built the fence all by herself. Nobuo and I helpfully pretended to be contributing (but I think she noticed).

Yagishita-san doing the work and Nobuo being helpful.

Yagishita-san doing the work and I being helpful.

Thanks to our neighbor, steps 1 and 2 are now completed and we're working on step 3.

Step 3: Make a door. 
There must be an entrance for humans somewhere in the fence, and it preferably should be wide enough for a car to drive inside (there might be times when we need to transport something bulky). So the door should be very wide, openable and closable, and should not fall apart after the first use - a huge construction challenge for us.

Meanwhile, Natchan the Goat was grazing around and discovered The Flying CD.
The original purpose of The Flying CD was to scare birds off the nearby soybean plants.
As Natchan the Goat managed to eat most of the soybean plants, the CD was rendered useless. Fortunately, Natchan soon found it a new purpose.

This is what you should do with The Flying CD:

Chickens' deluxe home

(日本語の記事　[内容は微妙に違う箇所があります])

Chickens' new home is ready!

Chickens' new home.

New coop sits right next to the old one.

Next to the old coop (center), you can see the new one (right). 

The interior (read "perches")  and the fence around chickens' new pasture are not finished yet, so they have to stay in their old coop for a few more days.

If the two coops were likened to human dwellings, the old coop would be a tattered one-room apartment while the new coop  a brand new luxury home designed by a distinguished architect.

In reality, the old coop was built DIY by two amateurs (Nobuo and me) and the new one was built by a professional carpenter specializing in Japanese-style homes.

The difference between the two in terms of appearance, functionality and strength is huge.

Carpenter at work.

I fully understand some people's reaction: Isn't it a bit too much?
The old coop was good enough, wasn't it? Why do you waste resources on an overly luxurious new one?

Here's why: The old coop is indeed doing a good job right now, but when thinking about the future, we arrived at conclusion that it's wise to build a proper coop. For example, now in the summer when it's hot outside, a coop with all four walls made of metal mesh is fine, but when winter arrives in a few months and temperatures drop, the coop will be unusable (= too cold). Another example, chickens will start laying eggs in 2 months, but the old coop has no nesting boxes.

The original plan was to refurbish the old coop on the way （make wooden walls, build nests etc.）, but we stumbled on a offer to have a coop built by a professional, so we jumped at the chance. The result is a chicken coop that far surpassed all our expectations.

Inside the new coop.

What is so special about it?

The new coop has several super useful features that will be appreciated by both chickens and their people.

＊＊＊  Space　＊＊＊

More floor space and higher roof means more space for chickens to run and fly around. (During the day they will also use outdoor playground, but it's still good to have spacious coop.)

＊＊＊　Roof insulation　＊＊＊

Roof is made of corrugated iron sheets with thermal insulation material attached under.

Corrugated iron is famous for becoming frypan-hot under the summer sun. When the roof gets hot, temperature inside the coop rises as well. This causes great inconvenience to heat-vulnerable chickens. The old coop was quite like that.

But! The new coop has thermal insulation sheets under the roof and upper walls to keep it cool. When you step inside on a hot summer day, you can feel it's cooler than its surroundings. The effect of thermal insulation is astounding.

Thermal insulation material under the roof and upper walls.

＊＊＊　Waterer　＊＊＊

We installed a water faucet in the new coop.
Digging a trench to install new water line required some superhuman qualities. Obviously some of our neighbors are semi-gods.
Water comes from our 60 m deep well.

The faucet will be slightly open and water trickling all the time so chickens can take a sip of fresh water any time they want.
Chickens drink a lot of water, especially (quite unsurprisingly) on hot days and they also (quite naturally) prefer fresh and clean water. In the old coop we had to change water in their waterer twice a day and it would still get tepid and dirty.
So the new faucet will kill two birds with one stone (this seems somewhat inappropriate metaphor for this blog): Chickens will have permanent access to fresh and clean water and we will save time.

Faucet and the water tray

Water runs down to the drainage ditch outside the coop.

＊＊＊　Feed storage & work space　＊＊＊

On the northern side of new coop is feed storage and work space, under the same roof but separate from chickens' area. This is extremely convenient as the tiny shed we've been using so far for storing feed was always crammed to bursting. Finally there's more space!

View from the north. You can see the passage behind the open door. 

View from inside of the coop. You can see the passage behind the open door. 

＊＊＊　Nesting boxes　＊＊＊

Looking from the front, they look like standard nesting boxes：

Nesting boxes: 12 separate rooms. Hens like to have privacy.

Looking from the back, you can see doors attached.

Door on the back side of nesting boxes.

This means we can collect eggs from the back, without stepping into chickens' quarters. Chickens won't be disturbed by humans and humans will have easier job collecting eggs. Another win-win solution.

＊＊＊　Leaf mold carpet　＊＊＊

In free range farming it's important that the floor of the coop is dirt floor. Reason: chickens' poop falls directly on the ground where it quickly gets dry, decomposes and returns to the soil. So it won't become smelly. (Of course the density of birds must be low.) However, there are times when the poop won't dry so easily (e.g. streak of rainy days), and then you have to be prepared for some smell. But we got an advice how to prevent this: leaf mold carpet.
The poop will decompose by the power of fermentation.

What we made is not a real leaf mold (which is made of actual leaves), but as far as I know there's no other name for the fermented mix of rice husk and rice bran, so I call it leaf mold.
Recipe: Pile up layer of rice husk and rice bran (we got these from a nearby rice farmer who we got to know via our semi-god neighbor). Sprinkle a lot of water over the mass so that it's well soaked. Tread it well with your feet. (It feels good!) Let it ferment for a few weeks.
When ready, we'll move the mass to the new coop and spread it over the floor.

Making the leaf mold: Nobuo sprinkling water and treading on the mass of rice bran and husk. 

Leaf mold (rice bran and husk) in the midst of fermentation process.

These were some of the new coop super useful features. They are based on the ideas of our semi-god neighbour and chicken advisor Mr. Kojima.

The last step: paint the walls and the coop is ready. Paint is necessary to preserve the wood.

Nobuo painting, part 1.

Nobuo painting, part 2.

Now we're rushing to finish the outdoor playground fence so that chickens can move to the new coop soon.

ニワトリの高級住宅

(English article [There are slight differences in the content] )

ニワトリの新居ができました！

ニワトリの新居！

新しい鳥小屋は古い小屋のすぐ隣です。

古い鳥小屋（真ん中）のとなりに新しい小屋が見えます。

ただし、内装（＝止まり木など）と運動場のフェンスがまだ完成していないので、ニワトリは後数日間、古い小屋にいます。

二つの小屋を人間の住まいに例えるなら、古い鳥小屋は築20年の１ＲＯＯＭアパート、新しい鳥小屋はプロのデザイナーによる新築の高級住宅です。

実際は、古い小屋は素人（＝信夫と私）がＤＩＹで作ったものですが、新しい小屋は日本建築が専門の大工さんがオーダーメイドで作ってくださいました。
その違いは見た目・機能性・強度とあらゆる面で歴然としています。

仕事中の大工さん

ちょっとやり過ぎじゃないか？と疑問に思う方も多いでしょう。
古い小屋でも十分だったのに、どうしてわざわざ贅沢な鶏舎を建てるのか、と。


確かに今は自作の古い小屋でも十分機能を果たしていますが、将来のことを考えると、ちゃんとした鶏舎を作っておいたほうがいいと判断しました。例えば、今はまだ夏で暖かいので、壁が4方面とも網でできている古い小屋でも問題ないのですが、今から２～３ヵ月後に寒くなると、このままでは小屋が寒すぎて使えなくなります。また、ニワトリは後2ヶ月で卵を産み始めますが、古い小屋には産卵箱が付いていません。
元々の予定では、古い小屋をその都度改造（板を張ったり産卵箱を付けたり）する予定でしたが、縁があってちゃんとした小屋をプロに建ててもらえる機会があったので、その機会を逃がすまいと、早速作ってもらいました。結果、予想以上に立派な鶏舎ができました。

新しい鳥小屋の中の様子

何が特別か

新しい鳥小屋はいろいろと工夫が施されていて、ニワトリからしても、ニワトリの世話をする私たちからしても、とても使いやすい小屋です。

その工夫を紹介します。

＊＊＊　空間　＊＊＊

新しい小屋は前の小屋より面積が大きめで屋根も高いので、古い小屋に比べるとニワトリが立体的に使える空間はかなり広くなります。（もちろん昼間は外の運動場も使えますが、寝る時や食事の時に使う鶏舎自体も広いほうがいいです。）

＊＊＊　屋根の断熱　＊＊＊

小屋の屋根はトタンで出来ていますが、トタンの下に断熱材が張ってあります。

トタンの特徴は夏の日差しでフライパンのように暑くなることです。トタンの屋根が暑くなると、小屋の中まで気温が上がります。暑さに弱い鳥には迷惑です。古い鳥小屋はまさにそうでした。

新しい鶏舎は屋根と上部の壁に断熱材が貼ってあるおかげで、夏の暑い日でも、中に入ると涼しいです。断熱材の驚異的な効果に私も驚きました。

屋根と上部の壁の断熱材

＊＊＊　水飲み場　＊＊＊

新しい鶏舎まで井戸水の水道管を引いて、蛇口を設けました。蛇口を常に少し出しっぱなしにして、ニワトリがいつでも新鮮な水が飲めるようにしました。ニワトリは特に暑いときは水をたくさん飲みます。そして（当然ですが）新鮮できれいな水を飲みたがります。古い鶏舎では水をプラスチックの容器に入れて、一日2回換えていました。それでも水が汚れるしぬるくなります。
新しい鶏舎では、ニワトリが常に新鮮な水が飲める上に、私が毎日水を替える手間が省けられるという、一石二鳥の工夫です。

蛇口と水の受け皿

水が鶏舎の外の排水溝に流れ落ちます。

＊＊＊　えさ置き場／作業場　＊＊＊

新しい鶏舎の北側には1メーター幅の通路が設けられています。飼料置き場と作業場です。
これまで使っていた小さい物置は常にパンク状態だったので、新しい収納スペースができてありがたいです。それに、エサを混ぜる作業や卵を集める作業のスペースとしても使えるのでとても便利です。

北側からのビュー。開いたドアから通路（置き場／作業場）が見えます。

新しい鳥小屋の中からのビュー。開いたドアから通路が見えます。

＊＊＊　産卵箱　＊＊＊

正面から見ると普通の産卵箱です：

産卵箱：個室を12個設けました。

後ろ(通路側)　から見ると、扉が付いているのが分ります。

産卵箱の後ろの扉

卵を集める時は、ニワトリの空間に入らずに後ろの通路側からできます。ニワトリが人間に邪魔されずに済みます。ニワトリも私たちも嬉しい工夫です。

＊＊＊　腐葉土のカーペット　＊＊＊

平飼い／放し飼いのニワトリは、鶏舎が土間になっていることが大事です。土の上の糞をすると、糞が腐ることなく乾燥して土に戻るので、鶏舎は臭くなりません。しかし雨の日が続く時など糞が乾燥しにくい時は、やはり少しは臭くなります。そこで、教えてもらった一工夫は腐葉土のカーペットです。というのは、鶏舎の中の土の上に、籾殻と米ぬかを混ぜて醗酵させた「腐葉土」を敷くのです。醗酵の力でニワトリの糞もきれいに分解されるそうです。
近くの農家さんから籾殻と米ぬかをたくさんいただいて、それに場所もお借りして、腐葉土を作りました。今醗酵中で、後ほど新しい鳥小屋に運ぶ予定です。

教えていただいた腐葉土の作り方：籾殻と米ぬかの層を重ねて、
水をたっぷりかけて足でたくさん踏んで、数週間そのままにします。

発行中の腐葉土。

以上、新しい鳥小屋の工夫の紹介でした。これらの工夫を経験に基づいて考えたのは、近くにお住まいの、うちらの養鶏アドバイザーの小島さんです。いつもありがとうございます！

最後はペンキを塗って新しい小屋は完成です。ペンキは防腐剤としての役割です。

ペンキ塗りに夢中の信夫、その１

ペンキ塗りに夢中の信夫、その２

鳥が速く引っ越せるように、今は運動場のフェンス作りを急いでいます。

沢登の旅行とニワトリの特別な朝食

(English article is here.)

ここ5日間、青森県の白神山地に沢登の旅行に行ってきました。最高の仲間と一緒に過ごした最高の旅でした。その上骨は一本も折れてないので大成功です。

(写真をクリックすると拡大します。.)

探検隊リーダーのマーティンが撮影した写真です。

5日後にニワトリに再会すると、ニワトリが明らかに大きくなっていました。5日間だけでこんなに成長するものかと、驚きました。
特に雄鶏は体が大きくてびっくりです。

不思議なことにニワトリは大きくなっているのに、食べる量が減っています。その原因は間違いなく暑さですが、私はもう一つの理由があるのではないかと思います：ニワトリはいつもの餌に飽きてしまったのです。いつもの餌とは市販の配合飼料とくず米と米ぬかを混ぜたものです。

ニワトリは人間と同じく雑食で、雑食の動物はいろんなものを食べたいのです。.

そこで今朝のニワトリの朝ご飯はいつもとは違うものを用意しました：軽くゆでたくず米、おから、かぼちゃ、きゅうり（近所の人のお庭のあまり）を混ぜたものです。
ニワトリはこの朝食が好評でした。動画からも伝わります：

それに久しぶりに空が曇ってきて雨が振り、気温も少し下がりました。（29度はまだまだ涼しいとはいえませんが、先週の35度に比べたら随分楽です。）

以上、簡単なアップデートでした。ニワトリの食べ物（なるべく地産地消） はもっと研究すべき課題です。

River trekking trip & Chickens' special breakfast

（日本語の記事はこちら。）

I went on a 5-day sawanobori (= river trekking) trip to Shirakami Sanchi in Aomori prefecture, northern Japan. It was an awesome trip with awesome people, and we even didn't break any bone!

(Click on picture for enlargement.)

Pictures by our expedition leader Martin

Seeing the chickens after 5 days of absence, I was surprised to realize that they were clearly bigger than when I left - and it was only 5 days!
Especially the roosters are huge:

The strange thing is that chickens are growing bigger but eating less. The main culprit to blame for their loss of appetite is of course heat, but I suspect there's another reason: chickens simply got fed up of their usual food (= chicken feed mixed with raw brown rice and rice bran).

Chickens, like humans, are omnivores, and omnivores want to eat various things.

So I prepared something different for them this morning (boiled brown rice, okara, pumpkin and cucumbers - leftovers from neighbor's garden).
Chickens liked it, as you can see in the video:

We also finally got some clouds and rain and slightly cooler temperatures (29°C is not really cool, but it's a welcome improvement from 35 °C).

That was a quick update. Chickens' cuisine (locally sourced when possible) is a topic worth more research.