read about it here) we spent part of the weekend and most of Monday working on it too. Having made a start on the new chicken walkway on Friday, () we spent part of the weekend and most of Monday working on it too.









For the first time since we moved here I spotted a ship or perhaps it is a boat, whichever it is, it was a vessel on the River Severn beneath the Second Severn Crossing. Little events like this are important to me, I find a huge amount of pleasure in just enjoying the moment.





Late on Sunday afternoon, after the chickens had been locked safely into their houses, I

strengthened the door to the chicken palace. It is made from three pre-fabricated panels that I have strapped together with cable ties. I've now added 2x1 wood along each side to hold panels rigid and to give me something to which I can attach hinges.

Mr J continued to knock upright posts into the ground and then we fixed cross bars and roof supports to them. The walkway/run measures 8.25m long and 2.25m wide, it's a bit of a beast. We had to work our way around the pallet on the floor as it protects a drain access (man hole type thing) which doesn't have a metal cover on it, just a piece of rotting wood over it and the rotting pallet over that. One of my tasks this week is to find a suitable metal cover for the drain access.

Once we'd got all the posts into the ground and the horizontal bars and roof supports, Mr J cut the excess off the top of the posts.,

While he cut the uprights, I cut two lengths of chicken wire and used cable ties to join them to create one large sheet of chicken wire to cover the roof area.

We wrestled the chicken wire roof into place and secured it with a few strategically placed cable ties. It took a bit of jiggling around and more than several choice phrases, but it is now at least over the roof struts ready to be fully secured into place.





Then I stapled chicken wire around the lower part of the run, it continues across the ground by about 40cms which will help to secure the chicken wire to the ground and hopefully deter any digging predators.

Mr J then put together a door frame and I covered it with 1/4 inch wire mesh.

Today I have continued to secure the roofing wire to the beams, trying to pull the tension across the width as I go. I then attached some clear plastic and windbreak fabric to the upper section of the side. I didn't have enough of either material to complete the job, but that will do until I buy some more windbreak fabric. I will fix chicken wire to the outside of the upper section too, but on a day that is less rainy.





So we still need to hang the door and put the scaffold netting over the top of it, but it's almost completed. The girls have been very curious about what we are doing and I'm looking forward to being able to let them out to play in it.





Of course I have overdone it this week and Mr J is back to work tomorrow after his first well-earned week of holiday from work since he began his job at the start of August. Finishing the walkway may have to wait a few days while I rest and recuperate.





I'll start that process by putting the kettle on and making a cuppa!





- - - - -

If you'd like to receive my blog posts direct to your inbox just enter your email address in the box below and follow the instructions. You'll probably need to confirm by clicking a link in your email inbox and then you will receive my blog each time a new entry is published. You can, of course, cancel your subscription at any time.

Enter your email address:





Delivered by FeedBurner