Chicken yard – Dust Bunnies and Dog Toys

Purdy-ing Up the Chicken Yard – Again

Published on August 10, 2017 by JennaLeave a comment

Remember when I decided to make the chicken yard pretty last year? Well I’m at it again. This time I went with planters that are up high and out of ‘chicken reach’ so they should be pretty safe.

I didn’t want to spend a lot for this little project since it is just a chicken yard and I am a self-proclaimed bargainista, but I still wanted it to be cute. I’d seen wall planters made of various materials and realized they were just simple pockets of fabric. I’m not a sewer so I brainstormed what might provide an inexpensive, already sewn fabric pocket. Then the light bulb went off – a fabric shoe organizer!

I snagged this one at Fred Meyer for around $10. I only needed 4 pockets but I figured it the idea panned out I could always make more for other spots too. It was an added bonus that it was a cool grey fabric rather than the typical canvas ones I’ve seen that would show dirt immediately.

Luckily each row was exactly 4 pockets! I cut off one row, leaving the seam and trim at the bottom. From there I cut down the center of the stitching on the trim between each pocket to create 4 individual pockets.

I filled each with dirt and a plant while on skype with my mom on a sunny afternoon and then recruited the Hubs to help me hang them. We folded over the top section of fabric for a bit more strength and just screwed them into the post using deck screws.

Although the screws are noticeable from the side angle, they blend in when you look at the planters from the front of the yard which is the typical way they will be seen. Plus as the plants grow they should help hide them even more. Hopefully they will have enough time to really fill in and start to trail over before the season wraps.

I also decided to give the block planters at the bottom of the posts another try. The canvas curtains I made last summer didn’t survive well so this time we used scrap clear panels left over from building the green house. It keeps the sight lines open for both the cluckers and the dogs, but prevents the chickens from decimating the plants.

The chickens were not to pleased with this innovation and kept trying to peck at the leaves through the plastic! They eventually gave up and went on about their clucking business elsewhere in the yard. This time around I filled the blocks with mint, transplanted from the rain garden where it ended up after being in the herb container 2 summers ago. Those who have grown mint, know it is super hardy so it can take some tough love, will return year after year and should spread to fill in a bit more. I will have to watch that it doesn’t spread out from the blocks but it’s easy enough to remove if I catch it early so I’m not to worried. Plus it will help keep things smelling pretty – because this is a chicken yard and there is always a constant supply of “fertilizer”!

Because we used scrap panels each is a bit different size so the panels don’t all line up with each other. It doesn’t really bother me in person but looking at this image I really notice it. If it still bugs me in a few weeks I’ll have the hubs cut the two larger ones down to match.

I put another clear panel on the front of the yard and added marigolds there for a bit of color. Now if I could just get that darn walkway covered with gravel like I’ve been planning this space might start to really look complete. Hopefully that will happen before the end of the season, but if not it will be on the list again next summer. 🙂

A New Roof for the Chicken Yard

Published on December 28, 2016December 28, 2016 by JennaLeave a comment

Hi everyone! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. Now that we’re through the big holiday I thought I’d catch you up on several projects that happened around the house in the past few months as we prepared for winter. The first was replacing the netting over the chicken yard with something sturdier. The netting had started to tear in several spots and had actually come loose from where it was attached to the wall of the house, leaving our flock vulnerable to attack from above. The Hubs wanted something more permanent that would stand up to snow, so he found these metal fencing panels at a local fence company.

First he removed the old netting (note the large ball of it on the roost to the right in the photo above). Then he cut the panels to fit the space and zip tied them together where there were seams. He also used zip ties to secure the panels to the support beams of the run.

Over by the run door he had to get creative to make enough room for the door to open but still work against the laundry room window. He decided to create an angled panel for this section and it works pretty well.

He had to trim down the hen house doors so they open underneath the support beam on the front of the run. It’s so much nicer being able to open these doors all the way without worrying about the edges catching the netting overhead!

He also added a small metal flashing to act as a gutter along the roof of the run. This keeps the large amount of water that comes off the run’s roof from flooding the chicken yard, which was a constant problem this summer. Now it drains right over the blocks I placed around the yard. This might be too much water for the plants in the blocks next summer, so I’ll have to watch it and decide if I need to set up a water barrel to collect the water and reuse it for the chickens or watering the garden.

We may eventually cover the panels with clear plastic roofing panels, like those used on greenhouses, to help reduce water pooling more but for now the upgrade is the perfect protection for our cluckers and blends in well with the panels we used for the sides of the yard.

And it’s been holding up to the snow very well, even when it gets a bit thick. Looks like another great job by the Hubs! It’s a good thing he found me so he has reasons to use all those mad skills he’s got. 😉

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Purdy-ing Up the Chicken Yard

Published on June 8, 2016June 18, 2016 by Jenna8 Comments

Part of my plans for the yard this year included adding flowers around the new chicken yard. I placed cinderblocks around both sides of the yard so I’d have a built in row of planting spots and picked up a couple flats of lobelia at the nursery just for this area.

Tequila stood chicken watch while I planted. Things were looking so pretty that even the hubs commented on the new flowers and I was feeling pretty happy with the project. That is until those fluffy cluckers attacked said flowers and had picked them down to the base before I finished planting the other side! I quickly placed boards against the fence so the chickens couldn’t see or reach the plants anymore in a desperate attempt to save those that had been hacked.

But this was NOT the look I was going for. The hodge podge of boards constantly got knocked over and landed on the plants themselves which was just as damaging as the chickens pecking them. So what’s a chicken momma to do?

Well a crafty chicken momma makes protective curtains! I dug out some thick sail cloth material I had in my fabric stash and cut it to size to fit between each of the posts. A couple of simple slits along the top gave me a spot to use a zip tie to attach it to the panel and keep things taunt.

It’s not the fanciest option, but it looks and works better than the piled high boards. And it didn’t cost me a cent!

The curtains are just low enough that the chickens can still see out when standing on the ground and just high enough that Brinley can’t see in unless she stands on the blocks. She can still see through the door so that’s become her new viewing spot, which keeps her out of the plants as well.

I did have to replace a few of the plants, but now things are looking pretty good. I didn’t make a curtain for the small panel at the back, since those two blocks will hold grass that I’ll let grow just for the hens. They are temporarily blocked with two small boards, but once they establish I’ll take them down periodically so they can enjoy fresh greens.

I also got the walkway along the chicken yard cleared of the rock piles that had been there (hint, those are being used for another project that I’ll share soon). We’d like to put down pavers or some other permanent pathway from the deck to the gate, but that’s probably a project that will happen next season. For now having a clear established walkway functions just fine.

I’m sure the chickens don’t appreciate my crafty genius solution, but that’s ok. I plan to take the curtains down at the end of the season and let the cluckers have at the remains of the plants since they are annuals anyway. Then I’ll wash the fabric and store it away for next year.

I’d love to hear what you think of my little project to pretty up this utilitarian space in our yard, so leave a comment below!

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The New Chicken Yard

Published on April 20, 2016April 20, 2016 by Jenna2 Comments

Today is the 3rd anniversary of the blog! It’s amazing to think of how far we’ve come since this journey began, but I’m glad you’re here to share it. To celebrate I’m sharing a big project that the hubs recently did, the new chicken yard! Although their coop was pretty big we spoil our critters and wanted them to have lots of room to spread their wings and do their little chicky thing. Plus happy chicks = constant egg production so we’re all about keeping these ladies happy.

To get things started the hubs rented this mini excavator to dig a trench around the perimeter of the space. Although I’m practicing no-spend April he isn’t and since it was his idea and project it doesn’t impact my no-spend goal. He did have costs for the equipment rental, posts and concrete but the main panels were freebies from Craigslist last fall and we had a gate building kit left over from installing the yard fence so he did save where he could.

The dogs were pretty interested in this new contraption and wanted to hop on for a ride. When they realized that wasn’t going to happen they decided to hop into the side by side which was parked nearby with supplies in the back. Apparently Stoli thought he was going to drive Tequila and his expression when I told him he couldn’t reach the pedals was priceless!

Here’s how things looked once the trenches were dug. Like with any project it always looks worse before it looks better. The chickens were pretty interested in what was going on and watched from inside the coop run, hoping we’d let them out to investigate.

Next came installing the posts and panels. The hubs cut a groove in the sides of each post so the panels would nest in the groove for added stability. I felt bad that I wasn’t able to help much with the install due to photography sessions but I will say he did an amazing job for putting this together almost 100% on his own.

Above is what things looked like when I left for sessions and below is what I saw when I got home that evening! All of the posts and panels were installed and concreted in which makes the entire thing SUPER sturdy and predator proof.

A few days later I helped install this thin bird netting over the top so that eagles and owls can’t attack from above.

And here’s the finished project with the gate installed. I’ve started lining both sides of the yard with cinderblocks, which I’ll plant with simple flowers to make things pretty and attract flying insects the chicks might enjoy catching. It will also help keep the digs a foot back from the fence when they come to visit, which I’m sure the chicks appreciate.

Now that they have more space I moved their outdoor roost and dirt bath tub from the run out into the yard. The hubs also plans to build a new storage area for the chicken supplies to replace the plastic one we currently have and I’m planning a few aesthetic improvements such as a coop sign, pavers next to the coop door and planting a rose bush to help keep the area smelling pretty too.

I don’t think the chicks will notice most of those things but I’ll appreciate them. They are just happy to have more freedom and room to run around but they are still creatures of habit and all gather back in the hen house each evening to roost, which makes this momma happy. 🙂