Raising the Roof

I'm 5'9" and with my usual topknot, too tall to stand up straight if I run netting straight across the 6' kennel panels that make up our three 30' chicken/duck runs. Our more adventurous chickens have taken to exploring during the day which doesn't' really bother me.  My better half however is not a fan of the unsupervised free-ranging.  So my super sweet hubbie re-designed the netting system for my birthday and it's awesome.  

The original idea was to use a kennel roof and cover kit in the center of the run to keep the netting raised up above the rest of the frames.  I need would need three, one for each sectioned run which would be over $300 without the netting and wind could be an issue.  

The second idea was to use fence clamps to bend 12' lengths of PVC over each of the three sections to achieve a "hoop" (similar to this) that I could then drape a garden netting over. The longest length of PVC my local Lowe's carries is 10'.   The garden netting that I intended on reusing was too narrow and inflexible to stretch across the 10' length between kennel panels.  Without an arch in the horizontal PVC pieces, the heavier weight caused the netting to sag below the 6' panels.

Our final solution was a more substantial, husband-designed PVC frame with a lighter weight netting. The framing cost us around $80.  The new netting brought the project total up to $110, almost a third of what the original idea would have cost. 

This is how we constructed the frame:

1. Connected the fence clamps to the kennel frame and installed 1' PVC pieces vertically.
2. Joined a PVC elbow to the vertical 1' pieces and ran 10' PVC pieces horizontally across the sectioned run to another elbow and 1' vertical piece of PVC installed with a fence clamp.
3. Stretched new 7' x 100' netting/rolle fencing over the entire frame running the 30' length of each section, We overlapped in the netting in center and used zip ties to secure the netting to the PVC frame. Around the edges of the kennel panels, we attached the netting directly to the chain link fencing.    

Not only is this new framing system more sturdy than my hoop idea, it adds over a foot in height to the runs. We used three instead of four frames because we didn't need the height over the lower coop and the larger coop is taller than the frames anyway.  We ran the netting over both coops and connected it directly to the chain link fence.  The new system contains the chickens, deters predators but most importantly, I can stand up in the run!  It doesn't hurt that keeps my messy bun from becoming a complete nightmare. 

Update:  We recently had an ice storm and although the lightweight netting sagged under the pressure of all the ice, the frames held strong and the netting bounced back into place after all the ice melted.  We have one more section to complete and then it's time to make sew some grass and make some upgrades to the coops! 

Boys

The boys are causing headaches again.  We are back up to three drakes because everyone couldn't place nice at the new home.  The roosters are becoming overly protective of the ladies and now I have to literally watch my back when I collect eggs.  And, I'm struggling with the idea of actually having to butcher my birds.
  

As beautiful as the roosters are, no one in our area is interested in feeding a chicken that doesn't lay. The recipe for duck that I've been given is "cook them on a cedar plank, throw away the duck, eat the plank".  So now, as a meat eater, there is the hypocrisy of having animals that I refuse to eat but buying their counterparts in the meat department of my local grocery store.

How do you justify feeding a farm animal that doesn't serve a purpose other than being really cute when they swim in the water trough or having beautiful feathers? More importantly, how can you justify not butchering an animal when it may cause a threat to you or your children if it gets more aggressive?      

Falling Behind and Catching Up

A lot has been going on in our little world so here's an update:

We managed moved our little farm over onto a newly graded 1/2 acre of land as mentioned in the Carolina Red Clay post from July.   Thanks to the torrential rains this fall and early winter, the red clay is still winning.

After the craziness of moving a 10' x 20' building, two coops and a dog house, all the runs are set up and really working out well.  Our goal this winter is to upgrade the coops, add some ramps, a more permanent pond and renovate the building into a cute little barn.

Four little ducklings all ended up being drakes. At least they were consistent, right?  We are down to two, Edward Gray (formerly Anna Gray) and Sunki.  The two other huge Pekins went to a happy home down the way to keep a single drake company.

The new chicks from a local hatchery have been a learning experience.  We lost one chicken early on, and then two of the three pullets left ended up being roosters.  The roosters are both beautiful birds and mild mannered, but roosters none-the-less.  We paid a premium  because of the breed, a premium in hindsight which was too much to pay even for a pullet.  Needless to say we will be returning to our local farm store for future chicks.
 

As for the rabbits, they received their own portion of the run partitioned off with fresh grass and an open hutch.  They dug out.  So they were given another portion with a wire bottom.  They figured out how to open the door.  Now we have three free range rabbits who live under the barn and sometimes in their hutch.  They seem quite happy to come and go as they please and I no longer have neighbors enjoying the antics of me capturing rabbits with a fishing net.  We decided we either have the smartest rabbits in the county or the dumbest coyotes.

With the new year upon us, we hope and pray that our family continues to be healthy and happy and our little farm continues to grow.  Happy New Year!

Carolina Red Clay

It's been a busy year, so busy that my last blog post was in March.  About that time, our family started an exciting project that has surrounded us with red clay since.

In the fall of last year a timber company came through and harvested 100+ acres of pine trees behind our property.  They cleared almost an acre of pines for us at the same time.  After clearing the underbrush we finally had a grader come in, dig up over 40 stumps and cut in a new gravel drive. The plan was to move all the animals out in the newly graded area and create a little farm.

We decided to stick with the housing we had but it would have to move.  So much easier said than done.  Our grader assured us he could move our existing 10' x 20' building.  It ended up on it's side.

After many calls, signed releases and outright pleading, a company that specializes in moving buildings managed to the building across the culvert. 

Mom and I decided that we could move the large coop with "runners".  That didn't turn out so well either. Thankfully a local contractor came to the rescue along with his Skid Steer. Oh, what I could do with one of those beauties!  Dad stepped in with a tractor to move the other coop and doghouse. With fence panels in place we have a little farm taking shape.  The building needs repairs but things are starting to pull together.  We have four lots within a 30' x 30' area, one each for the ducks, rabbits, chickens and dogs.

The hens spread mulch and worked up straw in their pen.  It was necessary to even up the baked ground and cut some of the heat.  

The ducklings were not nearly as helpful but were too adorable to fuss at.  

Shade has been an issue but an old 10' x 10' canopy is standing in for future fruit trees. Grass is slowly replacing the red clay everywhere but inside the pens, of course.  There is still a lot to work to do to reach our dream farm model but I love the new setup and will hopefully share more updates soon!