RUN, BABY, RUN

After the chicks were locked inside the coop for a couple of weeks, it was time to finish the maintenance and repairs on the Run so they could use it.

Oscar reinforced the door into the run. Naturally with 3 years of wet and winter there was some separation of joints and wobbling. Those are now resolved. He also put a plastic cover at the top of the coop – something we knew needed to happen four years ago but never got around to doing.

For as easy as it was, it’s ridiculous how long it took to take care of it!

After we slathered the floor with DE (diatomaceous earth) to sanitize it, we filled the edges of the run with rocks and sand. The big girls had dug trenches all along the edges in their effort to get bugs, sunbathe, etc.

Finally, the run was ready for the chicks to enjoy.

Time to introduce the chicks to the run.

Plan A: “Here chicks! Come here!” – didn’t work.

Plan B: Oscar sat inside the coop and showed the chicks how to go through the chicken door.

Each chick would sit on the edge and decide, “Nope, too scary!” and dash back into the coop. Not to be deterred, Oscar gave them a little shove.

Nope, they were having none of it and would immediately hop back into the coop.

We finally just opened the coop door and left them to figure it out for themselves. Which they did. Apparently, as with humans, chickens want to try new things on their own schedule.

After a couple of hours, we closed the coop door, wondering if they would figure out to go inside through the chicken door at night before it closed.

They did!