Erin, Nat, and I spent all day yesterday building the outdoor run (permanent, not portable) to the hen house! Bambi and Holly had given some great design ideas, and Erin knew what supplies to get, thank goodness. Also, we used some of Mark's wood for the frame base (thank you!!) We are VERY pleased with the results....the run seems very secure, sturdy, and yet pleasing to the eye:) At about 5pm last eve, we moved the chickens into their new home, and it was so much fun watching them explore!
Upon returning from dinner, they still hadn't moved up the ladder and into their coop for the night, and so I hunkered down (the run part is 3 ft or so tall) and caught each hen, managed to get them all in the coop on my hands and knees, and closed the doors for the night. It was very humbling. I kept thinking, "good grief, if any of our neighbors are watching me right now, they must be laughing their heads off." Hopefully the hens will learn to tuck themselves in, and this won't become a nightly ritual for me :)
Erin opened up the doors this morn, and all the hens are fine and have been happily moving about in grass, fresh air, shade, sunshine....they are able to watch nature all around them...it's been a lot of fun to sit here and watch them from the family room window. And the temps will reach 80 degrees for the next several days, so the warmth is in good timing!!
Also, as soon as we put the hens in their coop, we noticed that Ash (the herding dog) sat beside their pen as if he was guarding them...when he barked, it was at something else and seemed reluctant to come back inside the house. Not that we would trust him with loose chickens, but his guarding the coop is an added bonus!!
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