As the interesting project for today, Phil wanted to move the chicken pen. It’s made of about six shipping pallets, and designed as temporary dwelling for our laying hens; not meant to move. Over the last several months, the hens soil their bedding, and Phil adds more wood chips or sawdust. Repeat. By this point, the bedding is deep enough, Phil feared that adding more bedding would prevent the chickens from using their door.
We tried to move the house, but the six or so inches of compacted bedding inside, along with six or so inches of compacted spoiled hay mixed with mammal manure and ice outside, forced us to reconsider. Instead, we shoveled out the contents through the small entrance. I went inside with a small shovel and pushed it out the door, and Phil stood outside and moved it to where we’ll put our compost pile sooner or later. We were pleasantly surprised at how rich the bottom layer or muck appears already: rich, dark brown. Sadly, also terribly smelly, so we need to figure out a better chicken litter policy one of these days.
For today, though, we were grateful to work together, to be outside in the sunshine, helping our animals. The 39 chickens (or thereabouts) look healthy and beautiful. Below you can see them around their freshly cleaned house, with friendly visitor BB, born on the second of January.
Both lambs, too, look healthy. And big. I think they are taller than the Babydolls born last May, though the yearlings outweigh them, I expect.
Late this afternoon, our chipper/shredder finally arrived. It reached Virginia at the end of January, but between Phil’s travel and the snow storms (and the shipping company’s miscommunication two days ago, when Butch drove over in his skid steer and hung out for half an hour for the delivery guy who didn’t show—argh!), we’ve not seen this fancy, heavy piece of equipment. But we have it now, and I hope it will offer us many years of sturdy service.
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