Another step nearer

Today we laid the flooring of the permanent run and Himself manufactured a secure raised platform for the hen house. This gives the chickens a sheltered place to feed and I can hang their feeder from the rafters so the food is at beak height and is less likely to be kicked onto the floor or pooped in. First task, though, was to level and fasten down the gravel boards and bolt them to the run uprights.

While the platform was under construction I was levelling the floor of the run and covering it with landscape membrane. The logic behind this is that the gravel won't sink into the soil and disappear. The run will be covered with wood chips for scratching around purposes then the flagstones and gravel can be hosed down when the whole thing needs a good cleaning out. We brought the flags through from the front garden (delivery point) to the back using my trusty wheelbarrow, then laid them in the run. It would have been an easier task if we had made the run an even number of flags wide and deep but then we would have lost valuable run space. The extra area is made up with gravel. This means also that I can cut through the membrane here and there to knock in supports for perches and the like.

Tomorrow (or later if it's raining) I will paint the supporting structure with a weatherproof brown paint. Then we need to make a ramp (with added claw-holds) to the pop-hole, a door for the run and then to rig the run with weldmesh, sides and roof. Then it's chickens for us!

Just to set the scene I've put two of my stone chickens in to try it all for size.