Building chicken apartments

We recently were able (by God's gracious provision)  to restock the chicken house, this time with 150 laying hens, a 50 hen increase.  Because of this increase in the flock, we now needed more spaces for the hens to lay their eggs.

I call the nesting boxes "chicken apartments" because we have built them in two-story high banks of boxes that look similar to bookcases.

Enter boys with boards, hammers, nails and a desire to build something useful.  Here's their story...

Camilo Castro (l), Arley Rocha (center), and William Cruz (right) nailing a trim board onto the chicken apartments.

They started with some 1"x12" eucalyptus boards that we purchased and cut them into the appropriate lengths, then nailing them together.

The boys found, though, that one of the final boards was so hard, that they kept bending the nails trying to get through it.  So, we pulled out the drill and showed the board who was boss!

The chickens need to feel secure and cozy in their apartments, so we found some old plywood to provide backing for the nests.

left to right, Einer Posada, Anderson Mora, and Fabian Perdomo attaching the plywood to the back of the apartment complex.

Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of the finished product, but the chickens have been very happy with their new apartments, nonetheless, and are laying upwards of 140 eggs per day.