Coop Project: Maken the Plunge & Getting Chickens

[Rock Home Isle]

Finally, everything was leveled, pavers layed in place and it was time to top it off with fresh shavings.

As soon as I started spreading the shavings, in came almost the whole flock. Silly birds.

The little Wellies hit the waterer...

 

[Rock Home Isle]

One last detail...sorry if this is boring you.

I moved the dust bath from its location between the run and the house, and I dug it into a corner of the run. Then I topped it off with fresh peat moss.

Again...it felt so good to get this done.

 

[GardenNut]

Very nice! You'll sleep well tonight! I still need to make a dust bath for my girls. I have DE and ashes, just need the sand. In the meantime, the girls improvise in the dirt in the run.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Very nice! You'll sleep well tonight! I still need to make a dust bath for my girls. I have DE and ashes, just need the sand. In the meantime, the girls improvise in the dirt in the run.

I know what you mean.

I piled all my debris in the garden, and moved their dust bath into the run. At one point I remember looking back across the yard and seeing my 4 layers dust bathing in the garden and spreading all the refuse and leveling the ground.

I thought to myself...Great, something I don't have to do tomorrow.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

We had my daughter's family over for dinner last night. It was a great meal, it's always fun to spend time with family.

During dinner my daughter told my wife to ask my 2 1/2 year old grandson what type of family he lives in...in a clear voice he replied, "We do not live in a Democracy, our family is a Dictatorship...and I don't get a vote."

It nearly killed me...I laughed so hard.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Well here we are...a little over 4 years with chickens, and I still have a green lawn in the backyard. It's not as perfect as it was when we started, I've had to make some concessions when keeping a flock. But I am content with the outcome.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Oh the frustration of it all...have you ever tried to take a two person job and do it with one person...wow.

I'm trying to put together a photo series of how I assess the laying qualities of chickens. I read posts here all the time from people asking "How can you tell if a chicken is laying?" Or better yet, "Given 2chickens that are laying, which one is the better long term layer?"

I'm finding that, without another set of hands, this is challenging...yes, I'll go with "challenging"....to take pictures with one hand while holding a chicken in the other. Chickens don't realy like being examined anyway, mine tolerate it at best. Now try examining a chicken in one hand and TRYING to get good quality images with a cell phone in the other...Arrgh!!!!.

I firmly believe that I could have won "America's Funniest Home Videos", had anyone been there watching me.

Course, let's be honest, if anyone were there watching, they would have been pressed into service.

 

[aart]

Quote: Not sure you're getting what I am saying....
.....this is what I meant, they dug out under the blocks, I put down some pavers and bricks.... and they are on their way to digging out those too:

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Yeah the back side of the waterer...where the drop pan is located...there was a sizable crater, not as sizable as your image, but large none the less.

Gone now...hopefully never to return.

Just curious: are your birds always in a run? Or do they free-range at all?

I only ask because "Run Birds" are almost always diggers.

 

[toofarout]

Not sure you're getting what I am saying....
.....this is what I meant, they dug out under the blocks, I put down some pavers and bricks.... and they are on their way to digging out those too:

Great! Thanks aart, you just gave me an idea on how to get my next outhouse hole excavated! LOL!