Well, we have completed the GREAT COOP MOVE of 2018. It only took three days… ONLY~
We moved seven 500 lb. breeding coops UPhill on Saturday morning. Then we rested; exhausted.
Why Did We Move Them?
We built the Family Coops in the summer/fall of 2017. We put them in what had been our garden plot, because we haven’t had a lot of success gardening, and I wanted to be able to keep an eye on my flocks. It was one of those “it seemed like a good idea at the time” things.
It actually was a great location for us, and worked really well. That is, until late January 2018, when we had snow, followed by a brief thaw, followed by torrents of rain. The rain washed all that chicken poo on top of the slick, frozen snow and right into our spring water. Luckily, we have two wells; we were able to switch to the less good, but not contaminated, well.
But we realized that we were going to have to relocate seven heavy coops (made heavier by the recent addition of wooden floors) UPhill.
Our Wonderful Church Family
We live in a rural area where folks still “do” for one another, and where mud is an accepted fact of life. Most people here are farmers. So, when we put out the call, we had three strong guys show up to help lug the coops up the hill. We could not have done it without them literally helping us to carry these burdens, and are so grateful!
How the Move Went Down
So, on Saturday morning at 9 AM, the men showed up and they moved seven 500 lb. breeding coops UPhill on Saturday morning. We decided to move the birds in their coops. The birds had already been shut in all of Friday because we had 70 mph winds here and had to keep them safe.
The men started by carrying the first two coops all the way up. Then, I got out there and saw how much they were struggling. I suggested that we use our truck for the rest of the move.
It proved a welcome suggestion! At that point, the men began carrying them each of the remaining five coops up from the garden (just about 100 feet) and then hoisting them onto the truck. Then we drove each one up the hill (pictured) in the truck, and they unloaded them at the top of the hill. We then drove back down, and moved the next one.
They were all moved by about 11 AM. Then the men had to pound in legs and level them in their new locations. That took until about 12:30 PM. At that point, most of our help had to leave.
Then we rested; exhausted but grateful that the heaviest part of the business was done.
But Wait—There Was More!
On Sunday afternoon, we decided that getting the runs built for our birds (so that they could get out of their coops after this, their 3rd day locked in) was critical enough to qualify as a “work of mercy and necessity. All we got done in the afternoon, however, was the ticklish job of relocating the pop door for our layer flock, and building a chicken tunnel out to their run, so that we could later erect the new runs around them.
On Monday, we had a slow start. We had first to clean up the area where the coops had been, taking down all the wire for seven separate runs (and their stakes, hooks, and gates). That took awhile. Then, we started to erect the new runs on sloping land, some of it with rocks jutting out. We felt pressured by the fact that the birds had been “cooped up” since Thursday night… so this was going on Day 4. But, as hard as we tried, we were able to build 4 of 7 runs, and let those birds out.
Cock Fight!
In the process of building the runs and moving the coops, we relocated some of the birds’ relative positions. As they were let out into new runs, our best Light Sussex cock and our best Silver Penciled Rock cock found themselves separated by only a wire fence, and they did not like it, not one little bit! As I worked on more runs on Monday evening, I watched these two cocks get into a massive fight through the wire that left them both bleeeding.
I broke up the fight, knowing that freezing temperatures were coming overnight, and not wanting them to get frostbite from their wounds.
When I came out on Tuesdaymorning, I found that our Light Sussex cock, Buddy, kept his left eye shut, and was hoping that he hadn’t lost it! I kept my eye on him as I finished building the last of the runs. He seemed okay, except for not opening that eye.
In the afternoon, we found time to apply warm compresses and antibiotic ointment to Buddy’s eye. We are grateful that he opened this injured eye (see picture) and it seems that it was the lid that was injured. You can see how battered he got in the fight: all the black areas are wounds!
Finishing Up
We finished all 7 runs, and new ramps, on Tuesday morning, just ahead of a new Northeaster coming through. We were so grateful to have this chore behind us, and now face cleaning up our well so we can use it again this summer.