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.

Chicken wire ghosts

On October 8, 2019October 3, 2019 By CarynIn Craft

The idea started as a simple desire to put up a scarecrow for fall. I even picked up a hat, shirt, and pants last year, but never got around to assembling it all. Apparently the idea had not fully ripened. This year I realized that I could flesh out my scarecrow with chicken wire. And if I did that, did I really need straw? Or a pumpkin head? Wouldn’t it look creepier if the hat “floated”? The chicken wire is more sculptable than straw. I could give the scarecrow motion. He could be running. Oh! What if he was running from another ghost deeper in the woods? That is amusing and make it creepier. I had plenty of chicken wire and even an extra white sheet. The idea was ripe.

Filling clothes with rolls of chicken wire

I cut lengths of chicken wire to be just shorter than the legs and arms, folded in the sharp ends, rolled them up individually, and slid each roll into a pant leg or sleeve. I used a larger piece for the torso, forming the neck and head by squeezing the mesh together. To connect everything I bent the cut ends around adjacent mesh, and used some aluminum wire. I roughly formed the scarecrow into a running shape, then set a tall fence stake in the meadow. I did have to make a hole in the pants to slide the sculpture onto the stake (good thing it is cloth and wire, ouch). I refined the shape and attached the hat with wire.

For the ghost I set another fence stake back farther in the woods. I shaped a head and shoulders from chicken wire and draped the sheet over the top. I secured the sheet at the crown of the head and the tops of the shoulders.

Our cat trying to ascertain the threat level

She is pretending to be ice

On July 12, 2019July 10, 2019 By CarynIn meme

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.

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.

Outside!

On April 23, 2019 By CarynIn chickens

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.

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.

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!

Proof of life

On April 13, 2019April 11, 2019 By CarynIn chickens, Coop

Installing hardware cloth around the coop

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:

Critters and Craft

Tag: cat