What is Olympic record for nest box making?...

Yesterday was one of those epic ones where even though we were all moving slowly because of the Equatorial temperatures we got absolutely loads done and then some.  We set off pretty much at the crack of dawn heading to the auctions and had a superb time dipping in and out of the bidding finally coming away with 4 beautiful new ladies.

They are crested cream legbars and are about 12 weeks old. So looking forward to their first blue eggs, yes they lay blue eggs, we chatted over the options on the way home for how we introduce them to the rest of our flock.  Health wise they look great and are fully vaccinated so no need to quarantine them so we decided best foot forward was to let our 3 old girls out for the afternoon, pop these new pretty ones into their large coop and then wait for the evening bed time ritual before we see how they are going to measure up to living together.

Well Plan A went well...Not.

Within minutes of being together the old girls just went for them full on grabbing at their feathers and dragging them out from under the main coop.  Not the best meet and greet ever.

So we separated the large run down the middle with a wire frame and that way they settled reasonably well but still a bit fractious in close proximity. But there was nothing more for it they would have to spend the night apart and see what joys the morning brought.  However we had a nagging worry about the old girls laying their eggs on the run floor in the early hours and then getting inquisitive and having a little taste of their bounty.  As any discerning chicken keeper will tell you once you have an egg eater in the flock you have trouble.  So determined to avoid this we decided what they needed was a quick spare nest box so out came the work bench, hammer, nails and saw at 7.08pm and this is what happened next....

7.08pm
Scavenged floorboards from Freegle and 4 blocks from an old pallet are nailed together to make the base.
















7.14pm
One new 2m piece of baton from the garage is cut to lengths to form side struts, more boards as walls nailed to batons and in turn locked into place as back and sides.















7.23pm
With sides and back firmly joined a front bar/perch is added

7.26pm
Roof is cut to length and nailed in place
















7.42pm Some bedding is added and the temporary nest box looks more like a solid permanent structure ready for advertising on laterooms.com















Now that is what I call speedy DIY, 34 mins from beginning to end with plans developed in our heads as we went, but more to the point it will also be a really useful broody box for next spring once we get all our birds acquainted and living in harmony in their coops.

NEWSFLASH:
This morning we woke with a moment of inspiration which cannot be claimed by the Olympic movement, we have moved the big old girls into the smaller Bantam coop, which was theirs way back in the day and they have laid their eggs in there very happily this morning, and now we have the 4 new ladies in with Dr Horatio, his girls and the little Lady Hoshi...we will see how this new found friendship works out...