I had been thinking we'd need to be wary of coyotes, and cougars, and bears. Oh my! And while those are all real threats living where we do, the bigger threats are skunks, foxes, and birds of prey. Varmints!
Since our coop sits on the ground, we decided to run hardware cloth along the underside to keep any digging varmints from getting into the coop.
Remember, it's July. Not terribly hot, but the ground is terribly solid. And, also remember that I Hate. Hate. LOATHE... the pick axe!
After Mr. Man and the kids helped me to dig down a bit (dratted pick axe again!) we stretched the cloth under the coop frame.
So that they wouldn't form a breach in the high tech security system, the panels needed to be attached to one another.
Somehow, this became my job...
I took the 3' wide panels of wire and "stitched" them together using wire and needle nose pliers. I didn't like the lack of dexterity when I was using gloves, and so I did this bare handed. After a couple hours, my fingertips were screaming!
I was certain that if I didn't get the panels snugged together and practically air tight that something would find the hole and eat my girls.
After the wire was secured, we piled all the dirt back on.
The guys started piling before I was even fished "sewing" the pieces together!
It was a big project, but one that we felt was essential.
And, with everyone pitching in and doing their part (!), the job was a great accomplishment!
As you can see, the coop still had lots more work before we could get some hens in there.
We'll get to that next...
The Poultry Palace, Part Three: It. Is. Finished.
And, if you missed Part One, you can catch up here: Let It Begin!
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