An easier life

After one particularly painful day,   before we let them stay out overnight,  I decided that I had to so something. We had a day where, apart from putting them out in the morning, I hadn't been able to get down to pick them up at all.

So, I started looking for a walk in run (WIR). I wanted one that could be easily dismantled and stored when the chicks have, well, flown the coop; one that would be easy to put up again next year.   I tried all the usual places. A couple had already sold by the time I saw them,  a couple on Ebay went for significantly more than I wanted to pay (given the travelling distance).   Eventually,  I found one, we collected it the next day and put it up.

I sold the GoUp extensions immediately, to someone who had been advertising for a set.    I sorted out all the other run extensions we had, putting them together in bundles,  trying to find the instructions to make sure that all the bits were there.   I then started advertising to sell them.  .I had a busy few days fielding questions  of all sorts. 3 of the 4 bundles sold and were collected over a few more days. 


The WIR works really, really well.  The GoUp is currently on the outside still, connected.  I can't get to the chicks when they are in that part. There are doors to the run, but it's just too painful. So I lure them in to the WIR section with some food,  shut the connecting doorm and then I can catch them from an upright position.  There's room for me to kneel down and play, if my leg allows,.

We also put an old garden seat in there, which provides them with some additional shade,  plenty of perching opportunity, and something to jump on and off. They use it all the time.  I can sit in that too if necessary.

Later I hung the swing in there.  The 3 Barnevelder girls will sit on the swing and eat from my hand. The Barny biys won't, and the Leghorns won't.  Yet.


I wish we'd bought a WIR weeks ago.  When I checked on ebay, we'd missed several real bargains!