Shed Revamping

Our chickens and ducks need a better home for winter than the trampoline. We want Misty, our dog, to be in with the goats, so our shed needed a revamping. 

First step, fence off an area for the poultry that lets them travel to the front yard for grazing. 

That was harder than it looks, making the fence chicken tight. They kept finding ways across (sometimes by flying over the fence, hence the wing clipping). We got it eventually though! 

Inside, we set up an old office desk topper (formerly headed for the burning pile) as nesting boxes. Plenty of options for the laying hens. 

We cut a hole in the side of the shed so the birds can go in and out easily. Interestingly, the hole is much bigger than it needed to be. We were surprised to turn around and spy Svetlana in the new poultry area. She had walked through the hole! 

Eventually, the chickens and ducks meandered to the front yard. 

G filled up a mini duck pond for them. It's a little cozy for four, but they made it work. 

The chickens were mesmerized by the compost pile. They laid down and cozied up next to the fresh dirt. 

Here's the finalized shed interior: 

Double gates to make it hard for goats/dogs to cross over, but easy for people to get in. We cleaned out all the old straw, put down hydrated lime as a disinfectant and smell remover (leftover from an egg preservation experiment a few years ago), and shook out some new straw. 

Everyone is loving it!