Jem's Little Gems

[jemberelli]

As some of you know, I lost my 8 girls to Mr Fox a couple of weeks ago. Since then we have moved to a new area and now have the challenge of starting from scratch as my original girls were meant to make the trip with us.

We have been measuring up the area, pricing up wood, testing hubby's DIY skills (in which he has more confidence than I have!) and searching the interweb. We had a lovely wooden structure planned and priced up but hubby has now found a metal run on the web that will be easier to put up, more price effective and better to deconstruct when we move on from here eventually. I have had to get my head round the fact that the run will be more efficient than pretty but I can't have it all ways I suppose.

I remembered Ace's posts of her new run which is similar or identical to the one we have ordered so have some idea of what it will look like. It will be going onto existing hardstanding so Mr Fox won't be able to burrow under. A bike shed will be their new home, inside the run.
We are hoping that next weekend will be run-building time with the sheds arriving maybe the week after. I am getting impatient already about finding somewhere to get my new girls from - the great thing about Shropshire is that there are so many places that sell chooks. It will be a bittersweet day though and at the same time!

This is the hardstanding that the run will sit on (on a wooden plinth):



This is the view that the girls will have (and where they will have supervised free-ranging)



This is the run that we have ordered:



None of the grass had been cut ready for us moving in so there is a lot of outside work to be done but the large patch is a paddock without any fencing so I am not going to touch that - let the girls do their worst!

[Kuikentje]

It all looks great, best wishes for a happy and trouble-free move and construction.

[jemberelli]

Thank you

[MissEllie]

Looks great Jemma. sorry to read you lost your girls but you're right to look forward rather than back.
I hadn't realised your move to Shropshire was possibly temporary, hope you're settling in well and looking forward to hearing about your new additions soon

[jemberelli]

Thanks Miss Ellie. The move itself is permanent depending on hubby's job and if they decide to move him elsewhere, it's the house that might not be as long-term as we had hoped. We are renting and were hoping that this would be a long-term rent but there are many things not quite right, maybe once we have lived with the house for a while things might settle down but we might be looking for somewhere else in a year or so.

[sandy]

Jem, I wish you luck with your future family

[jemberelli]

Ooh I am getting impatient now - not liking this having to buy eggs lark!! The shed, timber and run have been delivered but still need constructing. Hubby was in Sweden last week and Scotland this week and I haven't been too well this week so nothing has been done yet...hoping that this weekend's weather will allow us to get out and get cracking

[jemberelli]

Spent most of Friday in A&E with hubby (all fine) and then yesterday we managed to get some run-building time in. We have the timber base built and the bottom half of the run firmly attached. We were hoping to get the roof structure attached but there is a lump of molten metal that has cooled inside one of the junctions so we cannot get the tube into it. I have spent hours trying to get through it with a hacksaw blade but still a way to go! This has put everything on hold. I could get the company to send another bit but this will hold things up by a week and we want to take advantage of the weather and get as much done this weekend as possible.

This is the run so far (looks tiny in this piccie, starting to worry!)



The run with the roof ready to go on.



Need to make a decision once and for all what to put on the floor, then need to start buying all of the necessary items, find some branches etc. Once it is all sorted I can finally get some more girlies So excited... I still get upset about my first girls but as I said yesterday to hubby, we need to remember the good/funny times we had with them and not dwell on what happened. If the new girls give us half as much pleasure as them, we will be very, very lucky!

[KarenE]

Your new girls are sure to give you as much pleasure, and I think you're right about trying to remember all the good times and smiles you had with your old girls.

The run looks fantastic, with plenty of space. Are you going to fix the wooden base to the concrete there or will the weight of the structure hold it down enough? The free range area looks like chicken paradise as well.

With your lump of metal - have you tried drilling through it?

[jemberelli]

Hi Karen, we have finally managed to sort out the lump of metal and the metal frame is now built. However, we have just tried to put the shed together and the base is too big so once again we are at an impasse! You just couldn't make it up! Will ring the helpline and see if we can get it sorted

We are hoping that the weight of the structure will be enough to keep it stable without having to drill into the concrete - time will tell on that one!

[jemberelli]

Well, so much for the dodgy shed - hubby was trying to fix the wall panels to the roof. The two bits of ply that we thought were the roof are actually the floor... Hoping to get it done tomorrow now that we know what it what!

This must be the longest diary thread that doesn't actually have any chooks in it!

[sandy]

Ah but the anticipation is exciting. I was put up a flatpacked chicken cottage, took me nearly all day, the air was totallyblue I am really enjoying watching the development Jem

[jemberelli]

Another chickenless update! Spent a few hours building the shed today - it was very difficult in the nasty, strong winds and we still need to felt the roof before we can start on wiring the run. Doesn't look like we will be getting the girls this side of Christmas but hopefully it won't be too far off.

Me screwing in the last screw that willl hopefully keep it still standing there after a night of gale force winds!

[KarenE]

It looks fantastic Jem, how on earth can you bring yourself to wait until getting any girls in?? The coop looks lovely and the space is fabulous, I bet your lucky new ladies absolutely love it.

[aishakali]

Great space for your chicks to be