Poultry Palace

Last weekend we gained four birds for the backyard. On Friday we got two ducks from Freecycle. Someone had far too many critters in her backyard and her husband wanted rid of some so he could reclaim his yard. I originally thought that we would get one, but our next-door-neighbour who is a vet nurse conviced me to go for two so that they could keep each other company and gang up on ND (Naughty Dog). So we picked up two quacky brown ducks, and we hope that they are both girls.

Our Alpha Male worked hard to complete some ducky accommodation before the sun went down. Unfortunately a rusty nail through the sandal put a crimp on his ambitions and we had an exciting evening exploring the intricacies of the late-night health system at this end of town.

Saturday morning saw us at the brand new Temple of Hardware that has opened up close to us. Too close to us... We bought up enough stuff to make a secure and comfy Poultry Palace. Or so we thought.

So by now the Poultry Palace consisted of a wooden house with mesh, a large side access hatch and a smaller chook/duck door, and a Poultry Patio which was made from reclaimed shop shelves and covered with wire, with a wire skirt on the bottom and a birdnet cover to prevent escapees or unwelcome visitors.

On Sunday morning our chooky girls were delivered to us, complete with a refugee package of grains, pellets and grits (Howdy, chickens!). We tipped them into the Poultry Palace complete with secure and scenic chook courtyard.

Everybody happy!

Unfortunately the younger of the chickens must have found that the ground was uneven enough for her to slip under the wire and go for a walk. She must also have found that the dog at our house is not as gentle with chickens as the dog at her old house. RIP little chicken. We rapidly gained some knowledge in chicken forensics, and also increased our security measures. A harsh introduction to poultry farming at Number 7, especially for the little chicken.