Unauthorized entry

On October 20, 2019October 16, 2019 By CarynIn Coop

Sophie trying to get access to the chickens

We have had unauthorized access to the chicken runs. Our outside/inside cat Sophie has figured out how to get on the roof, then she crawls onto the sunshade over the runs, and her weight bends the hardware cloth down enough for her to look in.

Recently we came back home from being gone all day, and when I went to check the chickens I heard a pitiful meowing. Sophie had climbed on top of one of the closed doors to the runs, her entry point had closed up, and she could neither get down nor go back up. I have no idea how long she was stuck there, but she was very grateful for the help down. It didn’t stop her from getting right back up on the roof, though.

To stop the cat from getting to the chickens and/or getting stuck again, first I took down the sunshade (since our temperatures are dropping, it was time anyway). Then I put up 2×4 supports under the gutter so that the hardware cloth could not bend down, even with a cat standing on it.

To be safe, I also tied down the hardware cloth with a loop of steel wire in the middle of each support. I don’t think the cat would have been very happy if she actually made it inside the coop. The chickens don’t seem to be afraid of her at all, and outnumber her 12:1.

More curtains

On October 16, 2019October 12, 2019 By CarynIn Coop

The chickens have not seemed interested in the metal nest boxes, so I added a couple of curtains in the same fabric as on the nest boxes under the work bench. The curtains make it look nice a dark, we’ll see if it entices any hens!

Metal nest boxes in a new location with new curtains

Grit and calcium dispensers

On October 10, 2019October 10, 2019 By CarynIn Coop, Craft

I modified this idea from Lisa of Fresh Eggs Daily. I used the cut-off bottom of an old water bottle for the cup (because I didn’t have tuna cans), and I made a twine net to hold the wine bottle. I cut four long pieces of twine (about 8 feet each), and made a loop in the middle. I stacked four loops together, then used half-hitches to secure the circle (this is where the neck of the bottle will go).

I put the twine circle on the bottle and made square knots using pairs of twine, then alternated the pairs to make the next row of knots. There are four knots in each row.

I knotted 13 rounds, which nearly covered the bottle (the netting will stretch, so I didn’t want it too long). I attached the netting and cups to pieces of oak board, attached screw eyes to secure the top of the nets, and anchored the bottom of the net with a screw.

Finished netting attached to oak boards with plastic cups

I secured the oak boards to the legs of the work table with screws at the top and bottom.

I put a cork in the bottle before inserting the bottle into the net

Putting a bottle full of grit upside down is a recipe for disaster, so I put a cork in until I had the bottle in place, then took out the cork so the grit could pour into the cup. Then, yay! The dispensing stopped when the cup was full. Phew!

It is nice to have a DIY project appreciated by the recipients.

Coop clean out

On October 7, 2019 By CarynIn chickens, Coop

We decided to clean out the coop because we haven’t since the chickens took over the whole space.

Carrying of pine shavings by the bucketful

At first the chickens were wary, but as we progressed, carrying more and more things out of the coop, they freaked.

Tigger did something to hurt her feet, probably when she was flying wildly about, so we locked them all in the run so they couldn’t cause themselves more damage. Next time, we will start with them locked in a run! Live and learn.

We swept up all the pine shavings and dust and feathers, put some down as mulch where I am trying to suppress weeds, and the rest went into the compost pile. We then had to do a little rearranging. The metal nest boxes needed to be moved so the back door opened properly (my math missed the perch, sigh). Then we moved the washed and sanitized roost back in. Everything got a good dust of diatomaceous earth, then we put down four bags of pine shavings. Yikes. The chickens eventually calmed down. My youngest made an egg foray into the coop, only to find no eggs. Darn it.

Tigger was struggling still, and just sitting in the back of the coop, so we tried wrapping her right leg. She did not like that at all, but can’t get to the bandage, so we’ll leave it on a bit to see if it helps. We could not identify any obviously broken bones, so we hope rest will help. I put her in the cleaned out isolation ward with the food and water lowered so she could drink and eat while laying down.

In happy news, Navi has gained weight, but her crop is large and squishy again. Sigh.

Teaser apology

On September 20, 2019 By CarynIn chickens, Coop

Here is the video of the chickens actually leaving the coop. At least I hope it is. I’ve trimmed and uploaded it five times, messed with it with four different apps, and finally went back to the original and only used the YouTube trim option. Interesting that a video trimmed in iMovie, then trimmed again in YouTube gives a completely different 40 second clip. Did I say interesting? I think I meant frustrating. So sorry for that little teaser in my previous post!

Critters and Craft

Category: Coop