The Fowl Play
We knew our chicken wire run was a little short but the chickens have been managing to get back in easily enough, we hadn’t lost any chickens or anything but you could tell the walls were starting to close in for them. Especially since we have the seven new chicks feathering out and ready for the medium coop. Not to mention more eggs incubating and due to hatch in just a few days. So we pulled up our boot straps, loaded up the gator, and enlisted grandpa Herman’s auger this time to build another dadgum fence. We decided it would be best to try to get the farm critters closer together for feeding and water efficiency so Jaken marked out the area near the goat pens into two 30 x 30 pens. They augered the H-brace holes, set the posts, and got the braces tensioned. Then grandpa set the t-posts and jaken got the wire ready for stretching.
While the men were working on fence, Hope and I became chicken wranglers. I figured the best way to move them over would be to load everyone into a large dog kennel we have and then use the tractor to carry them over before coming back for the coops. So I ran around the run like a chicken with its head cut off (pun intended) trying to herd these hens and two roosters into a dog crate. Hope did her best to guide them but, she’s a baby so…you know how it goes. Finally after half an hour we got all the chickens boxed up and ready to roll. I got the coops cleaned out and feeders gathered up before we started the trek to the new pen.
Once everyone was in the new coop and the fencing done to close them in we let them out into their new extra large space. The immediately started working on the new grass and bugs available to them happily. I went and gathered the new flock of chicks we had raised up and moved them into their little coop out there as well to start integrating into the big flock once they are older. It felt so good to have them all squared away and in a more escape proof setting. Just in time for Jaken’s aunt to roll up with the new farm addition. Turkeys.
Jaken’s aunt and cousins raise broad breasted white turkeys for show and once their rodeos are done they send them to process for sale. This year she asked Jaken if he wanted some to add to the ranch and obviously we love to add anything we can to the family so we eagerly said yes. She rolled up and strapped to the trailer in cages were five plump hens and one regal looking tom. They unloaded them and deposited them into the other 30 x 30 pen Jaken had just finished building and the hopped around happily honking in their new home. With that we increased our fowl count to six turkeys and twenty one chickens with seven more on the way.
