The Hen House

Our hens live in the open air. They scratch on a large area of Mediterranean scrub and shelter in an airy aviary made of wood stone and steel.
We designed and built a hen house for 250 free range laying hens at the foot of the north side of the hill. The aviary is 280 m2 and the grazing area is 1400 m2 of Mediterranean scrub, although the hens can go wherever they want because there is no fence.

The aviary is made of steel and stone to resist the appetites of numerous predators, without using any cement. It is divided into three areas: two of which are partially covered and house the multifunctional nests, the third is used for entry and sorting and houses the ramp and drawbridge that opens onto the foraging area.

The multifunctional nests are designed to make egg collection easy. Thanks to the slope of the laying surface the eggs roll into the collection tray without getting dirty. They also act as perches and have an ash tub at the base to allow the hens to groom themselves.

We have white leghorn chickens, red and black laying hens and a few (lucky!) cockerels.