A Sleepy Office Worker and a Maggie's Dozen

It was "suggested" this week, that I leave the comfort of my drowse inducing reclining chair, put down my cup of coffee and go down to the workshop where the FSF carpenter's (with three Gypsy Caravan's and numerous hen houses on order) were quickly turning our Scandinavian redwood timber into sawdust faster than a family of beavers working against both budgetary and time constraints.

Wandering around and looking at the sturdy protection pen panels being made by Andy, strolling past Toby constructing our ever popular Hobby Hen houses, I settled by Mark the foreman's bench as he worked on one of the paramount hen houses here at Flyte so Fancy, the Maggie's Dozen.

For those requiring plenty of space for their flock, the Maggie's Dozen is a residence for twelve very lucky laying hens. Built with the due care and attention that you'd expect, it has copious features perfect for the modern poultry keeper. The large back access door makes accessing the inside of the house easy and hassle free. The large ventilation grille window on the side means you can control air flow into the keep, meaning warm nights can be cool, and cool nights warm. The removable dirt tray, a must if your hens are as messy as mine, easily slides out of the side panel, making giving the coop the occasional quick clean during the week perfectly simple. Inside the coop are three perches, artfully racked to make use of the large interior of the coop, but also providing a pecking order.

The nest box is a great feature of the hen house too. Externally fitted, the morning egg collection is
uncomplicated and quick. The hook on the roof is there to stop the lid falling on your head also, which I unfortunately found out the hard way, while trying to juggle, a chicken, three eggs and the lid, but came up one hand short.

Shocked to discover what I had been sat on for the last twenty minutes was not a conveniently located bench for tired office workers, but in fact a long legged floor option for the Maggie's Dozen hen house, I tried to sneak out of the workshop with all the dignity and poise I could muster. Elevated on 24 inch legs, the Long Legged Maggie's Dozen rises stately over the garden. While it means that there is slightly less bending down involved in egg collection, their are also myriad benefits for the hens too. It provides an excellent sheltered place to put a feeder and drinker, to save them from the elements, or just as importantly a shady spot for a snooze on a sunny day.

The Maggie's Dozen has long been our most popular house, with good reason. Its mix of carefully implemented design, gorgeous aesthetics and chicken comfort, makes it beautifully proportioned for any feathered flock. The option of adding on a roomy run, gives you complete peace of mind. A vast palace of wood and weldmesh, it provides total security to your girls, allowing them to get on with the busy work of being a chicken.