A Few Changes

We made a few improvements on our hoop house for the second flock. First, we added softball netting to the electric fence to keep the chicks in the fence. The last week before slaughter for the first flock I lost a chicken almost every day, during the day, outside the fence. Something kept killing them one-at-a-time and chewing off the head and neck, which indicates a small mammal. Though one day all we found was a leg thanks to the nature's awesome clean-up crew, black vultures. In order to keep the chickens safe, I put up the softball netting. Unfortunately, the Friday before slaughter we did loose a bird to the fence. *Sigh*, chickens really do look for ways to die.

The new flock more-or-less mind the fence and none have gotten so tangled or panicked to die from it. I have not found any evidence of predation either. The Dark Cornish have found their way out of the fence some and I catch them and toss them back inside, but none seemed to get out this weekend.

 We also added 80 percent knitted shade cloth to the hoop house. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! The chickens lounge inside during the heat of the day and they're cool enough to keep eating. They don't huddle around the ends hoping to catch a breeze under their wings. No, they're spread out, lounging in the grass, walking around some and eating voraciously. I believe the comfort of the hoop house keeps them from wanting to venture outside of the fence too much.