We bought a chicken coop four years ago. The plan was to have a chicken run built within a few months of that purchase and to have chickens to put in the run.
Well, I’m older and wiser now and I know that things never go the way you plan. But! Finally, there’s a chicken run and it’s almost finished! We just need to put something solid for shade over the last four feet on the top instead of just chicken wire but — other than that — we’re ready to put some egg-laying-ladies in there!
Here’s the process:
Now we just need some pullets and (I hate to say it!) a couple of guinea hens. Guineas are serious Tick Terminators. And here’s why we need them now when I seriously don’t want them:
The land around us used to be owned by someone who mowed and took beautiful care of the grassy areas while letting the forest up to the top of the mountain stay completely untouched. That was perfect for us.
Unfortunately, the land was recently purchased by a well-intentioned environmentalist who is letting everything go back to the wild. That’s great for him but it’s not very considerate to his neighbors. Now we have ticks, ground hogs, foxes, raccoons, rabbits, skunks and opossums in abundance and they threaten not only my livelihood of growing organic produce to sell, but they endanger me, my husband and our own animals. And the wild grasses and weeds which now grow happily on the neighbor’s land are generously sharing their unwanted seed with my garden beds. Grrrrrrr. Anyway, back to the guinea hens.
I love the way guineas eat ticks and other unwanted bugs. Since the land around us is growing in, I’m finding them in abundance so in one way the guineas will be quite welcome. But I hate the way they scream at anyone (including the humans who feed them) any time someone comes near. I guess we need to look on the bright side and remember that no one can come on the property without us knowing about it. They are certainly excellent watchfowl. I would rather have the well maintained land from the new neighbor though. He better hope we never meet in person cause I will certainly give him an earful!!! Oh well.
Now — what kind of chickens? I wanted Domineckers or Barred Rock just cuz they’re good layers and their black and white speckles are so cute! Also, a few Golden Comets because they are great layers and they tend to lay for a few more years than other breeds. Well, after some research, I may just get whatever I can find locally. The big companies only ship in minimums of 25. Holy chicken! That’s way too many birds for my small run.
Although the “girls” will free range quite a bit, I’m planning on using the deep litter method in their run to generate some much needed soil building compost. Basically, you just keep adding layer upon layer of bedding in the run to keep the hens from walking in their own mess and then, when you’re ready, you fork all that lovely nutrient dense hen poop and sawdust into a pile somewhere for a few months before adding to your garden beds. Excellent compost!
However bitter I may sound about the time it takes to get things accomplished, I do realize and accept that everything happens in the time that God plans it. I am grateful for the lifestyle we have here and we certainly are loving it. The North Carolina mountains are a beautiful place to live and we’re enjoying every day.
