Last week was full of the usual chaos and busy paced. I worked at the Project House Tuesday after getting off an 8 hour shift and before going back to work. Wednesday found me running around and picking up more parts for the rabbitry and chicken coop/run, both of which I should have finished weeks ago. Thursday, I made time to actually work on the coop/run and rabbitry.
The rabbitry itself is finished but I still have to add a roof over the chicken wire top. A while before I had moved, someone lost a large box spring along our road and it landed on the property near the driveway. I moved it to the edge of the driveway and left it for 3 days in case the owner came looking for it. After the 3 days, I brought it down to the house and removed the fabric covering and found a great frame, which became the bones of the rabbitry. I enclosed the bottom and sides in hardware cloth and the top in chicken wire. When I installed it here, I set it on the pallet frame of the compost pit inside the chicken run.
Applying Permaculture Principles having the compost bin under the rabbit hutch allows for the droppings to fall directly into the pit. Having the compost bin in the chicken run also allows for easier cleaning of the coop and less traveling to compost the manure and top layer of straw from the deep litter. It also allows the girls to forage through the compost pile for worms, bugs and veggie scraps.
Applying Permaculture Principles having the compost bin under the rabbit hutch allows for the droppings to fall directly into the pit. Having the compost bin in the chicken run also allows for easier cleaning of the coop and less traveling to compost the manure and top layer of straw from the deep litter. It also allows the girls to forage through the compost pile for worms, bugs and veggie scraps.
The coop is buttoned up but I still have to finish installing chicken wire over the top of the run to prevent predation, install the water nipples and plumbing, the gutter feed troughs, shade cloth and the misting system. It was 103 on Friday and Saturday and then dropped to 76 today. The warm weather is definitely on it's way. So for now, the girls are being locked in the coop.
Unfortunately, on Friday after moving the girls into the coop, a major weakness was revealed when two of Courtney's dogs got into the coop and we lost 3 of the hens, one I had to end it's suffering. Since I caught them in the act when I heard the squawking, they were severely reprimanded and they learned not to go near the coop. They had knocked over the sheet of plywood covering the entrance to the run and pried up the corner of the coop door. Saturday, I took one of the frozen carcasses and put it in front of the offenders and they tucked their tails without me saying a word.
On Friday, I got the call I had been waiting for from the Post Office! My order of 50 pullets from Ideal Poultry in Texas arrived. We picked up the batch of 53 pullets and upon arriving home discovered one had died in transit. We quickly set up a brooder box in the shed where the hens had been, dipped their beaks in water and the feed and let them get acclimated after checking for Pasty Butt, signs of broken wings or legs. We were extremely happy to see them all in good health despite tight quarters and our high temps.
Unfortunately, on Friday after moving the girls into the coop, a major weakness was revealed when two of Courtney's dogs got into the coop and we lost 3 of the hens, one I had to end it's suffering. Since I caught them in the act when I heard the squawking, they were severely reprimanded and they learned not to go near the coop. They had knocked over the sheet of plywood covering the entrance to the run and pried up the corner of the coop door. Saturday, I took one of the frozen carcasses and put it in front of the offenders and they tucked their tails without me saying a word.
On Friday, I got the call I had been waiting for from the Post Office! My order of 50 pullets from Ideal Poultry in Texas arrived. We picked up the batch of 53 pullets and upon arriving home discovered one had died in transit. We quickly set up a brooder box in the shed where the hens had been, dipped their beaks in water and the feed and let them get acclimated after checking for Pasty Butt, signs of broken wings or legs. We were extremely happy to see them all in good health despite tight quarters and our high temps.
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The rest of the weekend has been spent potting the 6 Purple Dragon Fruit cuttings I got from Igardenstore on Ebay, repotting the Concord Grapes, setting up the potting station and moving the plastic pots and trays into the shed, cleaning up the orange tree and the fallen oranges and planning the completion of the run.
We don't expect things to slow down for a couple of weeks as the pullets require attention a couple of times a day, we still have to remove the orange tree suckers which are now large enough to root, finish the run, the raised beds in the front yard and our "day jobs" which we aren't quitting.
Thanks for dropping by and catching up on our activities. We truly appreciate it!!
We don't expect things to slow down for a couple of weeks as the pullets require attention a couple of times a day, we still have to remove the orange tree suckers which are now large enough to root, finish the run, the raised beds in the front yard and our "day jobs" which we aren't quitting.
Thanks for dropping by and catching up on our activities. We truly appreciate it!!
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