onths ago, I had tried to add some more hens to
my dwindling flock by getting some chicks for my broody hen (Olive) to raise, remember? Well, that was a disaster!-- but that ill conceived attempt did give me the confidence to raise baby chicks instead of buying pullets. That is when I also decided to expand the chicken run to give the newly acquired hens more leg room. I also decided to get a few more chicks a few week later. So I was going to introduce eight new girls to the two that remained, Olive, and Blossom. I have also decided not to name the new girls, it's just too hard to keep them straight since I ordered multiples, so it's like trying to tell identical twins apart. I got two Rhode Island Reds, two Plymouth Barred Rocks, two Golden Laced Wyandottes, and two Amerucanas. That makes ten hens in all, from here on out to be known as: "The West Side Girls."
The little hole in the side of the old run is where the small bump out was. At some point, I may do something whimsical with it, but I don't know yet. | The door from the dividing fence I had made fit perfectly in this spot on the long alley side of the run. I secured it in place with a scrap piece of fence board. |
I placed some concrete chunks that I scored from the rail road tracks near our home to make a boarder for a planting bed in front of the new run. They kinda look like blue stone. Bricks are lined up under the fencing to keep the girls from digging their way out. We don't have any major predators, so no need for overkill. | I wanted to plant chicken friendly plants here, but first that soil needed some amending. So we put a compost pile here for quite some time until the soil was nice and soft. Then hollyhocks, basil, strawberries, borage, calendula, thyme, lemon and bee balm, and a cute daisy on the front corner were planted. |