I know this basket gets carried out to the chickens…
I’ve started to use a wooden basket to carry out ice packs and frozen gallon jugs to the coop to help keep the chickens cool. The pink plastic basket just wasn’t up to the task. My inside cat has seen the basket go out many times. So she decided to try and hitch a ride (or it was a case of “if I fits I sits”, she is a cat after all). I wasn’t fooled.
She has since regularly settled down for a nap in the basket.
Nap basket
So we have started using a 5-gallon bucket for the ice, and let the cat have her chosen bed. Because we are cat minions.
What a big day! We decided the best way to give the chicks a bigger enclosure was to line the old dog cage with chicken wire. We put pine shavings down inside and moved them in during the morning. They seem to appreciate the larger space. We rigged some scrap 2×4 together and hung it from the rafters and added metal eyes to hang the water and food jars in the new space. We had to adjust the height a bit, but it seems to work without too much swinging.
Larger space for the chicks
The chicks also had their first outside time. They seemed to enjoy running on the dirt and picking at leaves. We did another step for training our dog and had him lay down by the cage while the chicks moved around.
Our dog outside the chick enclosure
He could see them this time, but he did well not freaking out. And we protected the chicks from our outside cat, who thought she was going to get a snack!
I spent most of the day installing hardware cloth around the base of the coop (in the trenches I dug earlier) to keep out digging predators. I checked under the coop with a flashlight to make sure I wasn’t locking anything in, and then Sophie casually sauntered in and refused to come out. Cat. I left the space under the front door open as I completed the rest of the perimeter so she could escape.
Proof of life. I did not trap the cat under the coop, hurray!
Once she did leave, I was able to quickly finish the install, then photographed her outside so the kids would believe me that I didn’t trap her underneath, as much as she wanted to be there! I used staples just to get the wire in place, and tomorrow I will install batten boards, since the staples won’t hold long term. I still need to put the wire around the steps too, but at least the cats shouldn’t be able to get underneath anymore.
The chicks are growing rapidly! We did a weight on everyone tonight, and some have over doubled their weight in less than a week. Tigger put on the most weight, gaining 39g. Schmoo only gained 13g. We have also put one bottle of water with only apple cider vinegar and the other with the electrolyte and probiotic solution (it really helps if I read the directions, sheesh). I raised both brooders to the second level and they seem to be OK with it. Here is a video:
Our adopted outside cat is very good at getting up and down trees. Usually she zooms up the smaller post oaks to show off, but the one in this picture is the largest on the property. She looks so little and high up, yet fierce and focused.
I played with gradients and masks in Photoshop to make the lettering for this meme. I also managed to squeeze some time in during spring break to participate in one of Adobe’s Daily Challenges. If you are interested in the output, it is here.
One of these things is not like the others. Can you spot the anomaly? Yes, I took a picture of my pantry. I cleaned and organized it recently, and although it is not magazine worthy, it is functional. It is the lurker that was picture worthy. Here, let me help you…
Cat in the pantry
Does that help? Silly cat found the stash of paper I’m saving for the chicks. We don’t get the newspaper, so I have been saving bags and packaging paper. Now it all smells like cat. But I’ve read that chickens don’t have a great sense of smell. Probably for the best.
She would get away with it too, but the paper crinkles fiercely when she settles down, so she gets caught and shooed out.
Critters and Craft 