Homesteading Chicken Coop Build, Chickens, Pond, Garden & Projects

We spent the three day weekend finishing the garden. It has an 8' fence to keep the deer out and a snake fence at the bottom to keep out the rattlesnakes. I installed drip irrigation throughout. The raised beds have hardware cloth underneath to keep out the moles. We planted a variety of veggies, berries and dwarf fruit trees. We will see how it goes, I'm sure we will change things every year. It sure feels good to get this done!

 

I like your raised beds. Custom made?

 

My wife bought them online, I don't know where. They went together well. I have seen similar, I think at tractor supply?

 

AFAIK, they eat bugs, so that makes sense - just some protein. Always cracks me up in the stores when the eggs are marked as "vegetarian". I mean unless they are raised in an airtight, lab, there are bugs in there and the chickens are eating them.

Almost no animal is a complete vegetarian as some people like to think. Chipmunks, squirrels, horses and cows can, and will kill other animals to eat them. It may not be very often, and probably more likely in a food shortage, but they ain't shying away from it.

 

If they are anything like the birds I've had, as long as they aren't bleeding they are fine. If bleeding, then some flour put on the quick opening will help slow down bleeding so it can clot. There are also commercial powders available to aid clotting.

 

So many people are unaware that livestock, and poultry will eat meat. My SIL didn't believe me that my chickens will eat pretty much any type of meat. So I showed her by feeding some left over grilled chicken to them. Then I was cruel and screwed up for feeding them chicken.
Lol.

 

Finally got the run roof on. Not my best work, but this is a case of function before form.
Had a rather large horse chestnut limb hanging over the run and coop. That's going into the stacks.
Still need to clean up the area of the branches and clean out the run itself.