Oct. 29, 2009 our long awaited custom-built chicken hen house arrived! It had been raining for several days and the ground was good and mushy 
. But when a long awaited product is finally delivered, you take it when you can, so we decided to make the best of the situation. I had a sinking feeling this hen house was extremely heavy when I saw it on the trailer....it just had this "built-to-last" & "heavier than lead" look to it. The guys weren't able to bring a fork lifter, so Ted hooked up his old reliable Ford 9N tractor.
Here it is, starting to come off the trailer. This was the best pulling the tractor was able to do....after this it hit mud...BIG TIME!
Here the hen house sat for several months. See the mud ruts...
The builder, Jimmy, is the guy on the right. He is part of a Mennonite group that is relocating from Tennessee to our part of Texas. We are very glad to have them. I can't imagine how hard it is to sell your animals and uproot your family to start over in another part of the country, looking to the good of future generations.
Here's the inside. Nesting boxes are on the left and the fold-up roost is on the right. The roost area was made to fold out of the way for easier cleaning 
. Below and to the right of the window is the door hatch the hens use. The camera person is standing in the people door. Notice how nice and clean it is! Obviously not being used yet!
Here's the roosting area folding out and in place. We estimate this hen house can hold almost 100 hens. We only have about 30 in there now.
Here's a sunset picture of the hen house in operation with the hens in the pasture. They are one happy bunch of girls. We finally got the hen house moved into this pasture, late Dec. with the assistance of a bigger tractor that was able to pull it in...and of course with drier soil.
A farmer OUTstanding in his field....one happy guy! 
.
Of course, no farm is complete without their guard dogs. Here is our precious Tara, a Great Pyrenees. She is learning her role as chicken protector very well, instinctively.