PSI’s famous straw bale chook mahal is nearer to completion having had its final render a few weeks ago. Jeanette lead the charge with Ronnie, Libby, Penny and Wolfgang. The result is stunning – you must come and have a look!
Designed by Penny, the chook house is raised so the chooks can perch high and dry securely inside from predators and weather. Being straw bale it is also well insulated from the heat and cold and quite sound proof. “I wanted a house designed to meet their needs” she said. Having lots of predators in the country it is also designed to be snake, fox, goanna and rat proof so a lot of thought has gone into the detail of the design to ensure this. The chooks and ducks are soon to move in – the chooks sleep upstairs and the ducks underneath. The pen is situated at the top of the food forest and above the swales so the animals can roam through the forest freely and be integrated into the system. Their nutrient rich manures in the soil and from raised duck ponds will also flow through the food forest fertigating fruit trees and producing an abundance of food for all.