City chicken run nears finish line!

Bottom wire completed Dec. 25, 2012

The bottom wire of the backyard chicken run was completed on Christmas morning. It was a beautiful day and I had some time before I went to family for dinner. This part of the project was challenging but I am confident that it will be secure. I am not so confident about the upper portion. I was not careful and picked up 2" x 5' x 50' chicken wire. I really needed 1"! The holes are very large and the wire a bit flimsy. I didn't realize my error until I had unrolled the wire and it was too late to return it.

I finished the frame for the chicken run today and started to install the chicken wire. I will use this wire and at a later date I will add a heavier layer over the bottom section. I am disappointed I didn't look closely at the size but it will be fine, just a little more work later. I am excited that the coop and run are just about finished but I am also a little sad that the building part is coming to an end as I have really enjoyed the mental and physical challenges of this project. It is far from perfect but I feel satisfied that it will stand up to the elements and provide a good home for the "girls".

Speaking of the "girls" I have made contact with a local (small) farm that may provide me with the hens I am looking for. I plan to visit in the next week or so to perhaps place my order for 2 day old chicks. You may check out the farm at www.sumner-byrdfarm.com . I know that I would like one of the breeds they carry, that being Ameraucana, I need to research the others.
The journey continues!

Chicks' Play Pen Part 3

Today's work on the city chicken coop run was some of the most challenging work to date. As noted in the previous post, I had the trench finished so I thought the fence would go quickly.

As it turned out the trench was not deep enough all the way around and I also needed to set the three remaining corner posts and attach the rail that would secure the fence. Working alone and trying to get the post straight was a challenge but with a little extra effort it was done. I still need to close the two ends and then I will begin the challenge of the chicken wire that will complete the enclosure.

After the enclosure is complete I will need to make the door to enter it (the run) and decide on the front door of the coop. I still need to add the roost bars inside, make a ramp into the run and fix the doors that open into the run from the coop. When these items are finished I think I will have what is needed for the "Ladies". With that done I can begin to have some fun and add pieces of "rick-rack" here and there.

The journey is good!

December 18,2012

Chicks' Play Pen Part 2

Backyard city chicken run update. This week I finished digging the needed trench to bury the hardware cloth the appropriate 12". Who would think so much dirt would come from such a small opening in "Mother Earth"! As you can see I got a little wiser this time and put a tarp down so it will be easier to put all that dirt back! When I did the shorter piece of fencing in the front I did not think to do this. It was not only more difficult to move the dirt back into the trench but I came up short! Some of the dirt of course became fixed where I placed it. Lesson learned; use a tarp.
Today is to be another beautiful day in Raleigh, NC so I hope to finish the bottom hardware cloth project. Once again I bought a 50 foot roll of 1/2" by 3'h hardware cloth. I'm fairly certain it will be enough to complete the bottom part of the fencing. The upper portion of the chicken run will be a heavy gauge chicken wire, that will be part 4.
The above picture was taken Dec. 16,2012 and shows the back of the chicken run.



Chicks' Play Pen part 1

It was a beautiful day in Raleigh, North Carolina today. The temp was 54 degrees and the sun was shining!

Great day to get a little more done on the City Chicken Cottage. I set the fence and attached it to the post and the bottom of the coop. It looks like this part of the fencing will be very secure, may the rest go so well!

Just a note, took time to total my expenses thus far and was very surprised and happy to see I am coming in under budget!

The journey continues!

City Chicken Coop Safety Net

All the walls of the city chicken coop are up! The front door is still in the planning stages. I am not sure what
I want it to look like and how I want it to function. It will probably be one of the last pieces of this puzzle to be put in!
I have left all the odds and ends still to be completed in the coop for a later date and started working on the "play pen". I have done a lot of research and am probably going a little bit over the top with safety but I have a saying "not on my watch"! Meaning I want to be sure the hens are not only happy but safe!
I am using 1/2 inch by 3 feet by 50 feet hardware cloth for the bottom section of the enclosure. I am burying it 12" deep, well as close to 12" as I can manage! I am not sure if I will leave it at 6' long as shown here or add another 3' as I planned. I am trying not to be cheap at this stage but as the material adds up and the project seems not to want to end it is difficult not to want to take a short cut and save some time and money.
I try to remember that chickens can live a long time and a job well done now will pay off with less headaches latter. I am enjoying the challenge of this project but I can't help think, all of this for 4 chickens?
Perhaps the answer will be to up the number of ladies in the house! Watch out!
The City Chicken Cottage continues to grow!