It's Time to Stand on Our Own (or Chicken Run Part 2)

Colonel Mustard and Ms. Scarlet left us in such great shape that we had to let the momentum take us forward. Following up on the framing, we prepared the run flooring for stink-free chicken fun. If anyone has been near our basement lately, you will realize how important the "stink-free" part is. Chickens confined to small spaces reek.

Creating a stink-free run meant digging, laying gravel for drainage and adding a few inches of sand on top. This is not an easy task for those of us who just got used to watching someone else use power tools to make our rosy visions real.

After attacking the ground with a pick axe, we enlisted Billy and Percy to dig too:



Next was gravel.



Then they left.

Percy tried not to complain too loudly that there were no video games to play while his mother worked. That was a big help. Another run to Home Depot and a slushy stop quieted the rumblings even more.

Eventually we laid down the landscape cloth for the run.



Next we added sand.



And chicken wire.



Lastly, we put down linoleum floors in the coop. We have the walls partially covered too for easier cleaning.



There are tweaks to be made and more wire to be hung, but we have proven a few things to ourselves and those in the know. The first being we really do try to do the best by our animals. Secondly, we are freaking nuts for all the money, time and energy we spend on the damn animals.

We definitely need to do more planting.