Silly me!

I am so impatient that without thinking ahead I planted the runner beans and chard seedlings in the strip of veg plot that will be alongside the chicken run extension.

The guys are going to make a start tomorrow at eight o’clock in the morning but yesterday they called in to drop off the weld mesh. When our guy saw my beans his face fell. He asked how he was supposed to get weld mesh in place without damaging the beans.

I felt such an idiot. I told him not to worry because I would move them. I went to our nearest D.I.Y. store and bought a grow bag to plant them in as a temporary measure. They won’t have much space but it doesn’t matter because as soon as the run is in place I will replant them again.

A grow bag for the beans and chard

My vegetables are getting moved around rather a lot but I am sure they will be fine.

Next I cleared the veg plot ready for the guys. I took out the row of bricks that edged it at the chicken run end and the damp soil with loads of worms in went into the run for the girls.

I have cleared the veg plot

I have removed the bricks and my rusty chicken which forms the header for my blog. I will have to find a new home for it once the run is complete. The roll of weld mesh is on the veg plot ready to be put in place.

For the two separate areas we have decided to divide the veg plot length ways with wire and a gate. We will then put in a gap like a gateway but without a gate on what is the right hand side of this photo. This will give the big girls the patio area and the right half of the veg plot area.

We will make a chicken sized gap on the left side of the veg plot so that the little girls get the sheltered area with the big bush and the left half of the veg plot.

I intend to let the girls sleep together at night but separate them in the morning. It will be trial and error but I thought I could throw their morning treat in the little girls area to get them all in and close the gate. Then I will open it and try to steer the big girls into their area. My thinking is that it will be easier to move two big girls than four little girls. I can see some fun and games may take place with this!

I will then let all the girls mix together when I am with them to make sure there is no feather plucking. This way they will remain one flock and the mixing time will be a change of scene a bit like free ranging.

We will plant our tall shrubs in the run and reinstate the big girls ladder. We will put up perches and put in logs and anything we can find to keep them entertained. The space should be better for the all the girls and I think they will be happy with the separation. The little girls won’t be getting plucked and the big girls won’t have Topaz bossing them around.

The big girls are such a tightly bonded pair that I know they will be quite happy with just each others company. They will have no pecking order issues and will be relaxed together. They have never ever pecked each other and at bedtime they flutter their heads underneath each other strengthening their bond.

If I can break the feather pulling habit they can mix again but if not I will keep them separate. The new run layout also means that if we need to integrate new girls in the future we can block off the gap joining the area with the bush to the veg plot and create three separate areas.

We are going to put clear plastic sheeting under the roof like we have in the existing runs garden area to keep it dry as this is the quickest, easiest and cheapest option for now. Later when we have more time my husband will make some more plastic sliding panels so that they can be opened and closed according to the weather. At least this time we have a rectangular shape which will be easier to work with.

Since Amber laid the egg with the streak of blood on it I have stopped giving protein to see if this would help her. Amber had been laying every other day and since I stopped the protein she went four days before laying her next egg.

The good news is she laid it with no problem and without looking unwell before she laid. The egg also had no blood on it. When we had the egg for breakfast the shell was still very thin though which is what I think her problem is.

No matter how much limestone flour and crushed egg shells I feed them it makes no difference to Amber’s eggs. I think she is unable to absorb the calcium. I have read that cod liver oil helps them absorb the calcium better but have been unable to find any anywhere.

Amber hasn’t laid again for four days now and hasn’t looked unwell either so I am hopeful that the break in laying has helped her. It does mean egg laying is down a bit in general but it’s worth that to help Amber and once the girls are separated I could give the big girls some protein treats and the little girls corn instead.

I think this run extension is going to be better all round and I can’t wait for it to be completed.