Poultry pen progress

Saturday was the hottest day, so far this year. Certainly not the weather to be wood preserving the 'new' chicken house inside and out during the warmest part of the day, but for some bizarre reason I was. We really need to get the house and poultry pen ready for moving the growers next weekend, so carried on regardless of the heat. Yesterday the fumes and heat had taken their toll, I failed to achieve all I had hope to.

The poultry pen however, is now completely fenced. We will run the sheep on the grass for a day to top it and firm the ground and then if we have the rain which is forecast for the end of the week the ground should be ready to move the hens onto. With their old run free we will be able to reseed and rest it before moving the Exchequer Leghorns. The growers are going to occupy Fred's area- yet more fencing!

Each evening I have been letting the 6 week old chicks out of their pen to range with the growers. They have thoroughly enjoyed the freedom, but I'm reluctant to let them free range quite yet as we have so many corvids and buzzards about. Their 'mother' the Indian Game is more than ready to be parted from her chicks. On the first evening of being out rather than roost with her chicks she chose to join the growers in the main house, so tomorrow she will be placed back with her flock.