*This post does devolve somewhat into chicken poop management, so if you are squeamish you have been warned!
What a fun experience it has been to see a vision come to life! From a Pinterest photo adapted for our needs, a gifted carpenter worked for almost a month to build a predator-proof, one-of-a-kind, beautiful chapel to house our six girls! Here it is, before the decorations were added…
I put the final touches on today and am so thrilled with how it turned out. Apparently the chickens are, too, because they are laying eggs faster than we can eat them! I blessed my sweet neighbor with a dozen just this afternoon!
So, without further adieu…I present Fluffingham Chapel!
Now for the poop talk…
I have had a steep learning curve with this little endeavor. First of all, chicken poop mixed with mud stinks, and we have had a TON of rain. I found a solution last week, though, thanks to a friend. I lined the floor of the run with gravel, then topped with a thick layer of sand.
It solved the stink problem and has also kept their water much cleaner. (They kept splashing mud in it…and Lord only knows what else.) I have also learned I need more pine shavings in the coop than I would have thought (they really only go in there to lay their eggs and roost at night) because they poop when they sleep and it is not easy to scrape off the floor.
And it stinks. Have I mentioned how much chicken poop stinks? Much less, how much they actually poop?
Y’all.
In other news, the cats are curious, and have only slightly traumatized the chickens!
Rosa (who is pregnant and due any day!) has for the most part watched from afar. Ashton? Well, he thinks they are fun.
Ashton hunkers down in the tall grass or on the edge of the Shadow Wood, waiting for the perfect moment to jump out and chase them, which send them into a flapping, feathery tizzy. Poor things. (I have ordered a portable fence system to help alleviate that problem! Plus, it will allow them more freedom to roam unsupervised during the day.)
All this rambling to say, things are moving right along here at Arundelle Green. Our little farm is bustling with activity and I am just so happy. Mini-farming has brought our family closer together and created a beautiful space where stress falls away as we interact with and care for the animals all around us. Dogs, cats, goats, and chickens…it’s a rich life full of antics, snuggles, and surprises that I wouldn’t trade for the world.
Arundelle Green 