Chicken Palace

Hello! I know it has been a couple weeks since I last posted, but we were too tired after work and kids that we didn't get much done. This weekend though we accomplished a lot! Thanks to my dad!! Seriously a girl could not have better parents than I do!

First lets do a chicken update. We are currently down to 5 of last years chickens. What happened, you may be asking? Well Tuesday we had 7, by Thursday we were down to 6. James worked from home and saw a coyote in the yard. It was mid morning, not early or late. It was chasing the chickens. James managed to scare it off. Well, he or she must not have been alone because when I got home we could only find 5. Maybe number 6 was hiding in the trees though! No, she was not. She was gone. Friday we managed to not lose any chickens! Which brings us to Saturday!

Saturday morning, before my dad arrived, I was outside doing some fall clean up and prepping some stuff to work on the chicken coop when I heard the dogs barking. Odin was standing on the deck freaking out and we could hear answering yips that were not Thor. Turns out we had to coyotes right outside the back fence barking and trying to get the dogs across the fence. Odin is too afraid of getting shocked to cross the invisible fence around the main yard, thankfully. Thor however just ignores his collar. He started to chase the coyotes so I went to call him back and ran into the pasture. Thor chased one a good distance into the field while number two stayed behind and stared at me across the creek. Number two then went after Thor and soon the two of them got the upper hand. Thor thankfully realised that he was out numbered and booked it back to the yard. At this point James came out with the gun and shot at them to scare them! That worked and thus ended the coyote drama!

Now for my dad's arrival! He got here just before ten in the. morning. Which is very impressive considering he had a almost four hour drive. He was coming solely to help us build our chicken coop. Last week we realised. we were in over our head. We didn't have the energy or enough hands to be able to do all of it alone. Papa Vern to the rescue! He dived right in and we began assembling the coop. We had got the frame up but nothing else.

What we started the weekend with!

What we ended Saturday with! We had finished the fencing on the roof of the structure, I just didn't get a photo!

We framed two sides of the actual house part, put the horrible wire fencing (recycled from our fencing weekend) along the top half, then also over the very top! Many hours after he arrived, we stopped for a dinner (yes, we fed everyone lunch) of chicken wings, fries and veggies (provided by Barb, who also joined us for supper). Then, papa Vern was off the a hotel for the evening and we began the process of getting the kids to bed and cleaning up the kitchen. I was very happy to collapse into bed.

Wake up time came early at 5:30 with the rooster crowing. No I did not plan on being up that early and it really was a rooster crowing... This oddly beautiful, angry looking thing has found his voice. I am very much looking forward to having him for dinner!

I got up, put the dogs out, and got about getting ready for the day. Just after 8, my dad arrived and so began the day of building again. We let James sleep a little longer, while we got started on putting some more of the fencing up (James did a run to the store on Saturday and got ply wood, insulation, and fencing). When James got up he began cutting the plywood for the bottom of the coop! We finished up the fencing and got the plywood on bottom part, filled the middle with insulation, and then we got the top plywood on. At this point we ended. I went and got groceries, my dad headed home and James got some much needed rest. Here are some photos, I will make the last photo the end of Sunday's work.

Framing!

Framing!

Fencing!

Plywood measuring and chopping!

More fencing!

Plywood placed!

The current stopping place. We sandwiched the fencing in boards so that it is very unlikely that it will come apart. Everything is stapled, screwed and should hold up.

And that is that. We still have to finish the house part, build the door and finish fencing the front. Now rest, hahahaha, yeah no. I spent the rest of the afternoon packing, cleaning, packing food, forcing the kids to do their chores, etc. James and I are off to Edmonton Monday after work and then will be back later on Thursday. I will be writing a blog about that of course, as I am sure you all remember this is the final assessment for his liver transplant before he is listed. Now I am sitting here writing this blog wishing I was a sleep instead. I think that means I need to end this here. Talk to you all next week! We hope you have a fantastic week!