Happier Chickens

The chickens have been in their winter quarters for far too long. We just couldn't decide on the best place to move them. The last two years we rotated the chickens around the pasture, but I want the grazing to be saved for the sheep.  Finally, we ended up moving them to the area occupied by the goat run-in for the past two and a half years. This would allow the chickens to scratch up all the old bedding still there and allow the land to recover from years of goat manure.

The chickens also moved back into their chicken tractor. Alan ended up replacing the trailer underneath the chicken coop. The old trailer had a bad tire (it basically blew out the whole side wall) and the wheels are old military wheels. Eventually we'll find old tires and rims for that trailer, but now the coop has a new trailer that had been floating around here for about a year (my husband collects trailers the way I collect animals.)

We needed the winter chicken coop for the new chicks and ducks. The chicks let me know last week they were growing out of their washtub in the outhouse.

Now they are living in the small coop, but are not very sure about going outside.

The chicks and ducklings are in a fenced off corner of the new chicken run, allowing everyone to get to know each other before co-mingling.