Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Cheap Way to Raise Chickens: Building the Run Part Two

Michael and I worked outside on the run all day long. We both have a nice sunburn to show for it. I totally forgot about sunblock until it was too late. Man it was a scorcher out there today. Well over 90 degrees and no shade to be found.

I figured out quickly that Michael and are not carpenters. We had a horrible time with the chicken wire. I mean horrible. It was so lumpy. No matter how hard we tried we could not get that stuff straight. Oh well. The sides and top of the run are now ready for the chickens, but we need to work some more on the bottom. We may have to use some boards, blocks, or even some logs around the bottom. The wire touches the ground, but the chickens could scratch out or something could dig in the way we have it now.

Any suggestions?

Oh and this pic really doesn't do the lumps justice. It seems to disguise them. As long as the chickens are safe, I guess I am OK with ugly.
Next we cut a hole in the side of the building and put a board going out into the run so the chickens will have easy access during the day. We plan to fix a door of some sort to close at night.  See Sophie sniffing around the outside? She couldn't figure out why she couldn't get in.
As the sun started to go down, Michael and I were covered in blood, sweat and tears. Look at the back of his shirt when he was getting the chickens fresh water.
My fingers tips were blood red from attaching the top of the fence to the sides with fencing wire.

The boys got caught trying to make a "booby trap" out of the extra wood.

Dalton decided that it was hard work making a "booby trap" and he needed a drink.

After I tell him that he really shouldn't drink straight out of the jug, this is the face I got. He proceeded to whine and say "You never let me make booby traps or drink from jugs. I never get to do anything."  Shame on me. I am such a mean Mommy.

He didn't have to whine long. Peaches came to the rescue.

Overall, it was a productive day. Even if the run is ugly, Michael and I have sunburns, and my youngest son thinks I am a mean Mom.
Michael purchased the poles at Lowes for $4.09 each. We bought 6 but only used 5. We will return the unused one the next time we are down that way. The chicken wire was $29.99 for a 48in x 50ft roll at Tractor Supply. We based the size of the run on the amount of extra money we had to spend on building supplies. It ended up being 4 ft by 13 ft. We also purchased a bag of chicken feed for $13 something, but quickly found out that you can get  it for $8 a local vendor. Michael used wire and nails we already had, and borrowed my Dad's saw for to cut the board and hole in the coop.

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