Grandma Moses once said, “If I hadn’t started painting, I would have raised chickens.” I don’t see why she couldn’t have done both…I do.  And, to start off the new year, my chickens flew off of a new roost.

Joel enclosed part of my daddy’s old ‘bus shed’ so that my chickens could have new quarters.

Although this pen is smaller than the other one, it is much better. It’s also closer to the house. As a matter of fact, I can see the chickens from the porch.

After Joel finished putting up the wire, I built a gate

and made a latch

that you can drop a pin into. I also built a roost with a place to catch all the droppings

so they can be collected and added to compost.

Joel put in a water faucet, which is quite convenient.  We hung a feeder

in hopes that less feed will be wasted. Then,

I installed their old nesting boxes.

Ever since the chickens moved in, Gypsy has been hanging out down there. Sometimes she climbs up into the oak tree and just watches.  Yesterday I let her in the pen,

but when a couple of the girls gave her the evil eye, she couldn’t get out quick enough.

I have more things that I want to add to the new ‘poultry palace’,  so give me a few days to do a little construction and I’ll get back to ya.