I’ve had the chickens in the house for a few months now, but there was no chicken yard–because up till then, the farm was their yard. But they kept roosting on the deck and the porches, and it just wasn’t pretty. And I’m planning to plant a vegetable garden in the spring. I want my tomatoes for myself, not the chickens! So. The yard has been under construction off and on for a few weeks.
An addition was added to bring the roof over further, to put cover over where I’m keeping the chicken feed.
It’s a pretty good sized yard, going all the way around two sides of the chicken house.
I have to leave room for trucks and trailers to be able to get up to the alleyway, so I couldn’t build out from the front.
All the chickens are in the house right now except for one renegade hen who escaped while the yard was under construction.
She’s been hanging out in the barn, laughing at all the other chickens who are just excited to get out of the house!
In the spring, I’ll be getting new chicks! It’s been almost five years since I got any new chickens. It’s time. My older chickens aren’t laying much anymore, and I’ve lost a number of them over the years. New chicks. I can’t wait!
P.S. I want to put something over the top of the yard, some kind of netting or chicken wire, but for now, I clipped the chickens’ wings before letting them out so they can’t fly over.
cabynfevr says:
Do you still have the crooked little hen?
On February 12, 2015 at 1:34 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
No! Sadly, she died this past fall. Old age is all I could tell. She hadn’t been attacked or anything. It was very sad.
On February 12, 2015 at 4:48 pm
whtelephant says:
they’ve been locked in the chicken house for months??!! I bet they are ready to get out, that’d be pretty cramped living.
On February 13, 2015 at 10:47 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
There aren’t that many of them.
On February 13, 2015 at 1:13 pm
Itsme says:
I haven’t commented on here in a coons age!! Just sharing my experience….I spent a lot of good money on my hen “pasture” in the beginning to eventually use it like…NEVER and instead have fenced in the garden with knee high poultry fencing easily crossed over by human and enough to discourage hens that have tons of extra forage space available to them. Just a thought. :wave: :heart:
On February 13, 2015 at 7:41 pm
holstein woman says:
Your renegade looks just like the hen I found 10 eggs under in a barn today. Boy was I angry. I DON’T need anymore Bantu’s. And if the rooster is Firecracker I’m really gonna be selling them..
I have NO idea what that has to do with your lovely post.
On February 13, 2015 at 10:32 pm
CarrieJ says:
Hahaha..sounds like my household the year we moved to Idaho. We had our chickens roaming our yard and pooping everywhere, including the deck.
First, I demanded a fence to keep them off the deck because I was sick of the chickens pooping on the deck. And peeking at me through the windows and the doors. One kept trying to hang herself on the deck slats. My husband caught her twice and did mouth to mouth. I’m not kidding.
Then, we built the raised garden beds and it was ON!. We sectioned off a large part of our fenced in yard with regular fencing for the chicken run.
Long story short, since then the original tiny coop has been torn down. The original small run was framed in so we made that the new coop and last weekend I made someone put up an awning to give them protection from the elements but still allowed them to be outside. All that for 6 hens and a rooster.
BUT, last weekend we got 6 RIR’s and 6 Buff Orpingtons. Babies! Living in a box in my tub…:). I’ll have a proper flock to live in the chicken condo in a few months.
On February 18, 2015 at 2:36 pm