Welcome Home Chickies!

We finally had a break in the rain today and worked like crazy to get the chickens' run wired and secured - it's rough, but finished enough to move the chickens in!  The poor things were starting to become very cramped in their box and it was time for them to get out into their permanent home.  Just as we were finishing up the rain started, phew!

They went straight away to pecking and scratching.  It was like Christmas chicken style!  One of them found a gigantic fat worm and was running around the pen with it.  She couldn't stop to eat it because every time she did one of the other chickens would chase her, talk about funny.

Henrietta was a bit hyper at first, darting around like a wild thing, but she's finding her groove now.

We got the run secured enough for now, it's rough, but it will keep the chickens in at least!  We still need to finish up the trim, add shingles over the nesting boxes, and paint the coop.  Slow and steady wins the race, as they say.  I talked Ron into not adding panels to the right hand lower part of the run, so we can see the chickens from a distance in the run.  I like seeing them through the chicken wire;  I admit it, I'm in love with these little ladies.

Here is the chicken door and ramp.  Ron added a string to the door which can be pulled from the outside of the coop.  The door is then barred shut with a long piece of wood that is accessible from outside of the run.  Pretty smart, eh?  I like how he put shingles on their ramp.  They're nice and "grippy" so it will be easy for them to climb it.

We put this rooster bell up on the coop because every hen house needs a rooster, don't ya think? :)  I also have a smaller one I'll add as well.

Derby cat wasn't very happy that he had been evicted from his nesting box house, poor kitty.  He managed to  jump on the roof of the run and was trying to squeeze through the area Ron was closing off, crafty cat.

Here's to many years of cooptastic happiness!  Welcome home ladies!