It is soooo hot ourside I think the grass is schriveling before my eyes.
Started at 6:30 am getting the growout pen cleared out so hubby could move it into place with the tractor. Put the grow -out babies on the grass ...They were like kids in the candy store. A few were stunned and just wiggled their toes on the grass for a while before leaping into the air to try out their wings.
Then we put together the dog pen panels and used a t post in a strategic location. Then up with the cattle panels. The arch is supported by 8 feet of an old portable cattle pen panel that BIL suggestd rather than constructing a center support from wood....works great. Released the 4- 5 month olds into this bigger pen while we finished the outside. Up went the cloth to shade the bed. The fabric is from the 80s and has been in my MIL's barn ...it was originally purchased to use as shade cloth on her tomatoes and never got used....I pulled about 25 yards so far and have not made a dent in the bolt!
Anyway...here are a few (understatement)pictures....will finish out the top sides with chicken wire and a PVC pipe for a support to match the curve of the growout pen at the gate. Right now the teens don't know they can fly over the 4 foot fence and we need some cooler temps this evening to work on it. Need to make a suitable coop for the teens that is raised but in the meantime have a large dog cage with a cover until I can get the coop built. Plan on using some of the shutters from the house we saved back when we replaced them last year. We have a big tarp we can put over the top to keep off rain ( what is that?) and to block more sun.
You have to duck to get in the gate
Ice in the water feeder is a cool place to hangout
The babies and Prince Wilhelm (there are Ancona, Blue Cochin, SL Wyandotte, Columbian Wyandotte, too.)
The new 14 x 16 pen that connects the old hen run with the grow out pen and gives a big space for the teens
The East view of the pen
Pen looking north
Started at 6:30 am getting the growout pen cleared out so hubby could move it into place with the tractor. Put the grow -out babies on the grass ...They were like kids in the candy store. A few were stunned and just wiggled their toes on the grass for a while before leaping into the air to try out their wings.
Then we put together the dog pen panels and used a t post in a strategic location. Then up with the cattle panels. The arch is supported by 8 feet of an old portable cattle pen panel that BIL suggestd rather than constructing a center support from wood....works great. Released the 4- 5 month olds into this bigger pen while we finished the outside. Up went the cloth to shade the bed. The fabric is from the 80s and has been in my MIL's barn ...it was originally purchased to use as shade cloth on her tomatoes and never got used....I pulled about 25 yards so far and have not made a dent in the bolt!
Anyway...here are a few (understatement)pictures....will finish out the top sides with chicken wire and a PVC pipe for a support to match the curve of the growout pen at the gate. Right now the teens don't know they can fly over the 4 foot fence and we need some cooler temps this evening to work on it. Need to make a suitable coop for the teens that is raised but in the meantime have a large dog cage with a cover until I can get the coop built. Plan on using some of the shutters from the house we saved back when we replaced them last year. We have a big tarp we can put over the top to keep off rain ( what is that?) and to block more sun.
You have to duck to get in the gate
Ice in the water feeder is a cool place to hangout
The babies and Prince Wilhelm (there are Ancona, Blue Cochin, SL Wyandotte, Columbian Wyandotte, too.)
The new 14 x 16 pen that connects the old hen run with the grow out pen and gives a big space for the teens
The East view of the pen
Pen looking north
