Those darn chickens!

So, in the beginning, remember that I promised Jonathan that I had no intention of letting the chickens free range? But then they were so cute. They’d come when you called them and rush to see you when you opened the backdoor. They sing happy little songs as they peck and scratch and rid the garden of all those gooey bugs and earwigs (why are they called that??? Yuck!). The girls love to eat the only bug that makes my boy and I both squeal like girls….the potato bug. They really enjoyed their chicken days clucking around the yard.

They have this great coop with a double-wide nesting box, two roosting perches and a nifty slide out bottom for easy cleaning. The run, however, was small, difficult to move, kinda sad and the chickens didn’t like it. Soon, we had too many chickens for the little run anyway. So there they were, free ranging singing their songs. Turning the garden into moonscape (thanks to urban evolution for the term). There are crater-like pits in the pretty green lawn, and the strawberries are gone. As are the beans, cukes, oregano, thyme, garlic chives, squash, tomatoes, figs, limes, kumquats, you get the drift. They do not like the regular chives or the bell peppers. Those were allowed to live.
I already mentioned the poop. Everywhere. Gross.
So, we tried to corral them. I bought 50 feet of 3 foot high chicken wire and some inexpensive metal poles that look like green bamboo. Why? It was what I could afford. Have I mentioned that I’m a part time waitress? Money is tight. Plus we have priority issues, that cruise to Mexico sure looks like fun. Okay, getting sidetracked. Another day we’ll talk about money and credit and Jonathan’s big plan.
Today, we talk chickens.
New corral, plenty of room. I used the entire 50 foot roll of chicken wire and they should have been happy. Then Indy started to dig under to steal their kitchen treats. A visiting dog, dug under and promptly killed one young chicken. The chickens started digging out and flying over and landing on the wire and bending it over and then even the fat ones could just jump out. They were everywhere again. The Caliwhites were even hopping the picket fence and exploring the neighborhood. Neighbors knocked on our door to tell us a chicken was out. They were eating the corn and the pumpkins on the East side. They were lolling around in the middle of the street. They were out of control.

I want to plant things and see them fruit. I want to eat that fruit. I spent a week or so trying to make everyone happy. I watched the chickens in the garden and discovered their favorite spot. It turned out that they love the Southeast corner of the back yard. We have 2 fruit trees there. One Nectarine and one grafted Apricot and Plum. There’s lots of shade thanks to neighboring trees. The soil is damp and nice for a little dust bath. The more I thought about that spot, the more I liked it. We moved the coop just under and between the 2 fruit trees and off I went to find some fencing.

Again, not a ton of money, also a little afraid of anything too too permanent in case they hated the new spot and wouldn’t stay put. I found some galvanized steel fencing in little rectangles. 5 feet high, 50 foot roll, $50. With that I bought Steel U posts. I began the project and then went back for more wire fencing. All in all, I think I spent close to $200 to reign in the chickens.
I added a temporary little brick pathway to check for aethetics and function. I think I like it. It brings the farm into the back end of the garden. There’s more continuity now. I’ll have my eye on Craig’s List for some more free bricks and I’ll set a proper little path with sand. The girls seem happy back there. They have sun and shade and a bench to sit on and under. There’s a pot to perch on and an umbrella to hang out under. They like it. We like it.
One problem: 3 chickens keep flying out. Miss Mary, our newly laying Ameraucana. And the twin Cali Whites, Pearl and Amelia Redheart. Those Calis are on my list. If we decide we want new chicks next year it’s the CaliWhites who will find themselves living with someone else. Hello internet, grab scissors, catch chicken, clip wing, replace. Problem solved. Nope. Still flying out. Rinse and repeat. The clipping of wings is hard to watch. It’s sad. They lose their long pretty feathers and their liberty all in one little snip. Not to mention their ability to fly away from predators. Sadly, we just can’t have them wandering the yard and the neighborhood anymore and needed to remind ourselves that they are indeed livestock.

They seem to be staying put now. Like I said, if they don’t they’ll be rehomed. Having a local network of chicken lovers is really helpful for us backyard flock owners. It’s nice to be able to get just the right mix by moving one or two around.
Next I need to get some of those cute scalloped shingles for the front of the house. A little solar porch light would be great and Jonathan will build a real gate. We love our new chicken land.