Making Changes

My predator proof mobile chicken coop has been working out great. The only problem has been the girls spilling their food. The feed falls through the wire bottom and it is wasted since they cannot get to it. Squirrels and brave pigeons crawl underneath and eat it so it's not completely wasted. Haven't seen evidence of mice.  The old food also attracts flies and the flies attract a toad I have named Simon who enjoys hanging out there and feasting on the insects. I appreciate Simon. Bumblefoot was only a problem resulting from a wire floor with Twinkie and Ducky who were a bit on the heavy side.  For months I wondered if I could replace parts of the wire floor with wood.

This morning I went to Lowes and bought a plank of wood and had it cut to fit between the two by fours on either side of the coop floor. So now the girls have a platform where their food and water sit. I found that I could use the extra cuts of wood just above this area creating a loft likespace for Astrud, our roosting Lakenvelder.

I noticed that Astrud began to roost on one of the beams at night. Elvis would  follow Astrud anywhere and tries to roost with her but can't for long. Silkies just don't roost. This loft area provides a nice space for them both to hang out without having to actually roost.

Watching them gather around while I messed with their coop was funny. Questioning sounds came from Fuzztop and PeeWee while Astrud gave me the stink eye.  I sat and watched them enter their changed coop. They walked around and would stop and stare at the new floor careful not to love it all right away. Astrud immediately flew up to her roost and onto the loft area and sat enjoying the breezes. I had to tell her this area was made with her and Elvis in mind. I watched them for close to thirty minutes to see if there were any design flaws. So far nothing but I am still peeking out my window. If I didn't have a ton of things to do I could watch them all day.

Their fan was removed today as a cool front is coming in. I hope we begin to see more seasonal temperatures. This past summer  didn't seem so bad. The girls love fall. The new floor will really help them out in the winter. According to the Farmer's Almanac it is supposed to be colder than usual.