Small wins

We've been sorting things out so that we have a covered "outside" area for the Girls to go into for a few hours each day.  We're a bit behind, and didn't get it copleted in time for today (which is the start of Flockdown).

DH found all the old fruit cage netting frame, and re made it into a frame to fit a particular area of the back garden.    We trimmed the shrubs right down so that the frame fits over the top.   DH also went to the allotment and retrieved the scaffold netting.   He also fitted a new auto opener so that the Girls can go out without having to use the main door (which won't be in the netted area).

Hopefully we'll get it up tomorrow, or Wednesday.     

In the meantime, I "ran up" a hanger to suspend veggies.   Previously I've just used string (which is unsightly and wasteful) or chains (which are unsightly and a bit dangerous to have dangling down).   I used some ripstop fabric and used one of my new acessories to fold the edges over and stitch down the middle in one go.   I then used many kam snaps to create a loop at the bottom, and an adjustable loop at the top to suspend it from the mesh roof. 

I suspended it in one side of the big Run, to see whether it would withstand hens playing swingball. 

It did.

It worked a treat!   I'll make some more tomorrow, so that I can suspend more items in other areas of the inside run.

The Girls are lucky that they have 3 garden chairs, which make fab perches,  plus 3 long perches at different heights.  And they have wooden nestboxes that they can sit on.

That part of the Run is currently divided in two, with floor to ceiling mesh.  We did this when we had two flocks sharing the same inside space,  and kept it when we added the Allotment Girls into the mix.

We may look at changing it around a bit.  The Girls are sort of getting on, at least a truce seems to have been called.  But having the two sections provodes more interest, and enables them to keep out of each others ways.

I'd like to keep that ability, but maybe reduce the height of the divider; perhaps put a perch along there or something.  

I've suggested we wait and do it in a few weeks when the Girls are even more bored of being inside than they are now.