Henpen

When we had our first daughter, we wanted to spend less time moving fences, and more time with her. We needed to streamline our production and not end the day frustrated by the perpetual chores of fence-moving. But we still wanted to move our 2800 hens every day. So we designed, refined, and simplified a fence system until we were completely happy with the final system. Basically, we decided to use electric netting to create a “yard” that slides along with the coop, held upright and taut with a slick system of bracing and lightweight pipes. All said and done, this gives the flock 800 square feet of shade in the 20x40 Schooner and an additional 2200 square feet of fenced-in yard space. This design makes the 20-foot wide Schooner into a 40-foot wide unit. The best part of it is that you never have to roll your fence up or unroll it. Never handle your netting again. Just move the coop and the fence slides right along with it. After a few moves, you will see that you can move the entire system in under five minutes with a single person, which makes daily moves a no-brainer. We were also able to increase our flock to 700 hens per coop instead of investing in additional coops. We now have our second daughter and we are able to relax together without dreading the next day’s fence chores, even with 2800 hens and four coops.