Neiman Marcus is ringing in the holidays for the 1% with the launch of their 2012 Fantasy Gift Christmas Book – and this year’s edition features a super posh chicken coop for heirloom hens that rings in at a whopping $100k. The Heritage Hen Mini Farm is a two-story luxury abode for egg-laying hens designed by Svetlana Simon of Heritage Hen Farm in Florida. The Versailles-inspired Le Petit Trianon house is way over the top for raising chickens – it comes with a chandelier for starters, and the hefty purchase price includes a selection of heritage-breed hens, and a whole lot of hand-holding to help start your new farm.
Hey, we’re all in favor of animal husbandry and backyard chicken coops, and if raising award-winning hens is a fantasy for the rich – more power to ’em. For a mere $100,000, you can buy yourself a luxury hen house, which is a multilevel dwelling that features a nesting area, a “living room,” a broody room, a library with books (hens read?!), two Heritage Hen Farm pasture grazing trays, a waterer, a feeder, and a chandelier. Paintings and other furnishings are not included, so you’ll need to hire your interior decorator to finish it.
But you don’t just get a hen house – you also get two private consultations with the hen house designer, Svetlana Simon. She’ll also select three to ten heritage-breed hens to suit your region and install two raised herb beds when she brings your hen house. She’ll also teach you all you need to know about raising a flock of chickens. As Simon explains on her Facebook page, “We’ll hold the future farmer’s hand as we teach how to raise a healthy flock, to compost from hen house to garden bed, grow veggies and herbs for their table and flock, sprout legumes, fodder and rotate pasture trays and experience the reward of permaculture.”
For every Heritage Hen Mini Farm sold, Neiman Marcus will also donate $3,000 to The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. Personally, we think your money would be better spent towards making a direct donation to the non-profit and hiring a local carpenter to build you a coop. Skip the chandelier.
Images ©Neiman Marcus
