I call it the cottage because it's little and has a cute peaked roof. Which I can now show you, because I took some pictures.
Except I kind of cut off the peaked part of the roof in the photo so I could include Cubby for scale. It's peaked though, promise.
It's also a little crooked, because the old concrete barn foundation it was built on isn't level. NOTHING is level on our property, because it all slopes towards the lake. As nature intended.
ANYWAY.
That pallet there Cubby is leaning against is actually a big door, the one we will use to enter the cottage when necessary. The food and water are just inside the door, as the nesting boxes will also be when we put them in, so that we won't actually have to go into the cottage much. That's the plan, anyway.
And here's one with A. for scale.
Somehow he makes it look more like a dollhouse than Cubby did. Funny.
How about a little peek at the inhabitants of the cottage?
Fried chicken dinner in August! Any volunteers?
We're keeping them closed up in the cottage for a few days to get them used to it, then we'll build a small caged run just outside their door so they can get outside but not too far away. This will, we hope, instill in them the habit of returning to the cottage at night.
Soon, though, they will have free run of the ram pasture. And here are their pasture buddies now!
Who have no idea we're about to unleash two dozen chickens into their pastoral paradise.
And that's the latest chicken news from Blackrock. Over and out.
They'll get chased around for a bit until the "woolly boys" get used to them.
ReplyDeleteOr will the wooly boys run from them? Or will they be like other birds to them , that are in the fields with them sometimes? This should be interesting or boring as heck.... :)
ReplyDeleteNo matter, make sure A. will be around the day they are first put in the pastures with the sheep. In case sheep wrangling is in order.
In my experience with chickens...they love having a perch to go home to with a roof. So they should go back to their luxury quarters at night.
I wonder,can you make it so you can access the nest boxes from the outside? Hinges on a cut out board or something like that? Beth
The husband here mentioned weasels,mink,'coons , 'possums all eat chickens,critter proofing the chalet....
ReplyDeleteand chicken proof garden fence....chickens love tomatoes. Beth
I love the chick cottage!! He did an excellent job on it. It really does look like a little cottage. Your chicks are very blessed!
ReplyDelete