Poultry Area

Poultry Corner

From another view

And another view....

Yesterday the sun was blazing and we were out making preparations for when the chicks will want to move outta the basement and into their outdoor living quarters. We are going to try and make use of a hilly corner of the yard for their domaine.  The white netting from the pictures is electric poultry netting from Premier1 to keep the birds in and the predators out.  We don't have it hooked up to the energizer yet, we just laid it out yesterday to see how it would work in the space.

The pallet contraption is a shade, dusting, get-away-from hawks area and there is some compost and a little log wall in the center to slow erosion.  I have some blackberries and currants planted along the fence line and will add more shrubby things for them to hide from hawks and get some shade, as the afternoon sun really heats up this area in the summer.  I transplanted some hops we had in Wilkinsburg that a friend had given us in there as well since they grow fast and we can hopefully train them up to offer aother vine/shade area.

Until they are full-sized chickens, they will live in a smaller, covered area within this bigger area since the many hawks I have seen around would love a bite-sized "chick snack" I am sure.  Once they are full grown, I hope we will have a good enough coverage of vines overhead and bushes to hide under for them to avoid any hawk attacks on their own.  I know owls can land and walk around on the ground looking for eats at night though, so that coverage won't help in that regard if we have owls around.  Ah, the constant "try to think like a predator" thoughts.  They have a right to a good meal, I'd just prefer that meal was not a chicken.