So now the chickens
have this cool new coop and also a great chicken run so they can be
outdoors. I have not yet put any sort of
roof on the outdoor run yet and that needs to happen so I can be sure I’m
keeping predators out. Another
reason for fencing the top of the run was that I discovered Mary the Campine
roosting on top of the six foot high fence on a couple different occasions.
Unlike the chickens in the movie "Chicken Run" she fortunately didn't
realize that once she was on top of the fence she could escape into the wild
blue yonder. Mary really can fly REALLY
HIGH!
Last night I discovered the two foot gap between the eight foot
high (8 FEET!) walls of the coop and the ten foot ceiling are also going to be
a problem, again thanks to Mary. When I
built the walls I figured no chicken could fly eight feet in the air, right?
Wrongo! As the chickens were starting to roost for the night, Mary decided it
would be nice to roost on top of the walls of the coop. There she was, sitting
eight feet in the air and pleased as punch.
To scare Mary back in the coop, I picked up a shovel and
frantically waved it in front of her. That mostly confused her. Next plan: I prodded
her with the shovel. That prompted her to hop ONTO the shovel. So then I was
standing there holding a shovel in the air with a chicken perched on the top. I
tried waving and turning the shovel to get her back on top of the wall, but
amazingly she bravely hung on. Too bad there was no video of this because I'm
sure it looked very much like a trained chicken act. Finally, I lowered the
shovel and made a grab for her. That's when she flew off into the shadows of
the greater part of the pole barn. Keep
in mind there are still piles of coop construction material, tools, & other
rubble - so catching a chicken in that mess was definitely an athletic
endeavor. Long story short, I finally nabbed her, and as she and all the other
chickens swore loudly at me, I chucked her back into the coop. Next project: Fencing
in the two foot gap between the coop walls and the ceiling.
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| Mary the Campine with her friend Mary the Campine (Yup - They're Both Mary!) |
