Have I told you lately how brilliant my Mr. Fix-It is? This is how brilliant…
I’ve had these pesky, egg-hiding chickens free-ranging hither and yon all over the farm this summer, for various reasons. But having chickens and no eggs is not a winning equation for a farm, so we knew we were going to have to update our chicken house and pen and get them back in there.
But free-ranging chickens are just so much healthier then penned chickens! We haven’t had a sick chicken since everyone started free-ranging months ago. They’re all bright-eyed and perky and full-feathered.
Plus, we have this whole farm worth of bugs and grass and seeds and other chicken delicacies just waiting to be pecked up. Not to mention all the cow patties waiting to be scratched through!
However; the chicken house wasn’t exactly “mobile.” It was move-able. But only with a lot of sweat, tears, and horsepower. We were looking for mobile.
Mr. Fix-It to the rescue!
He and the Cowboy dis-assembled an old pop-up camper and reinforced the trailer frame and then we lifted and hauled and shoved and dragged and levered and wobbled the chicken house up onto it.
Then we debated flooring back and forth for two days.
We wanted something kind of open to let fresh air through and make cleaning it out easier. But we needed something that could be covered with bedding for the winter, and be decently secure for little egg-gatherers and little chicken feet.
Then something picked off 4 of my busy little free-rangers right by the wood line. (I suppose it was inevitable. We’d been getting lucky for months now.)
Mr. Fix-It concluded the flooring debate and had it installed before the kiddos and I got home from soccer practice last night and we installed the ladies ASAP.
We’ve still got to finish filling the nesting boxes and bedding the floor. We’ve decided to deepen the boxes since the floor is not as solid as sitting on the ground was, and we don’t want eggs falling out or anyone roosting or nesting on the floor. We’re also probably adding most roosting bars and maybe a way to hang the feeder and water. But we wanted to get everyone in, snug and tight, so we didn’t lose anymore.
They’re also on the far side of the house and yard from the site of the…incident…the other night, so hopefully whatever it was can’t find them easily.
You know, since it’s so easy to move them now!
