New Brooder: Now a Two Day Project

Whew! We had a full day today constructing most of the new brooder. Perhaps we could have finished today had I gotten up sooner and if we did not have the current flock to tend. One problem still may have stymied us: the lack of a trailer or another strong person.

Nicholas and I moved our basic frame near the cabin in order to use the new air-compressor and pneumatic staple gun (Nicholas' new favorite store: Harbor Freight). Sadly, after adding to the frame, I could not help move it back to the area we want to set it. I know, fail.

So, flatbed trailer just moved up the list of things the farm needs.

The Hawk Buffet is Closed

After being greeted by clumps of feather and bits of bird every day the last couple of weeks, Nicholas and I built a Salatin Box. Well, a modified version. I owe many thanks to Rachel Prickett's A Daring Adventure blog and Troubador Farm's flickr. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experiences!

A normal Salatin Box is two feet tall. We made ours three feet tall to allow more air flow because it is hot here in the Southeast. Sure, we get snow and frost some, but most of the year we worry about keeping animals and ourselves cool and hydrated. When I get around to making another one, I may try to contrive a way to pitch the roof to allow even more airflow.

We lost several chickens recently to both kites, hawks, and yes, even the fence and the chicken's own self-destructive tendency to panic. In fact, while building the Salatin Box we chased off a kite before s/he could kill one of our Dark Cornish.


Below is a photo journal of this past weekend.