Mother Hen – Setting up Pen and Run

When the chicks were six weeks old and fully feathered, it was time to get the run step up and move them out of the dining room. Like a Mother Hen, I didn’t want to let them go. My biggest fear was them sleeping outside at night and being vulnerable to predators. In my head, I was screaming, I won’t be there! Who will protect you?!

Prior to the move, we’d been taking them out to the run in the evenings. There was quite a bit more room than the makeshift pen my husband had assembled. Watching them run around and get acquainted with the new area was very entertaining. They explored all the nooks and crannies, chased bugs, and sunbathed.

Setting up the coop, run, and pen

My husband worked tirelessly on the area. It’s like Fort Knox.

We decided to put the coop and run at the back of the yard due to our city ordinance. The fence serves as two walls and the shed makes up a partial wall (fewer materials to purchase).

Originally, he used chicken wire to enclose it. You would think, because of the name, that’s what you should use. However, chicken wire isn’t very strong. It’s great for keeping chickens out of areas you don’t want them in. But when it comes to predators, they can rip right through it.

When building your coop, run or pen know what your predators are and use materials accordingly. The most common concerns in the city are cats, dogs, hawks, opossums, raccoons, and skunks. If you live in the country, you will have much worse to deal with. After reading stories about attacks, even though we are in the city, we upgraded to hardware cloth. I would not recommend chicken wire for your pen or run.

While my husband was putting the finishing touches on the coop, the chicks spent the day in the run.

He built the nest box and ramp, cut an opening for the door, and added the roof (we still need to paint but that will be a project for another weekend). Worried about my babies being outside by themselves, I was in and out of the house checking on them all day.

I felt like I was experiencing empty nest syndrome

similar to when my boys left home for the first time. I say “first time” because so far, they’ve all come back for a short duration. Our two oldest boys, age 26 and 24, moved back home last year to save money to buy a house. Our youngest son, age 23, arrived home last month after spending more than four years in the Army.

Once it was dusk, we had to say goodnight. The girls headed up the ramp. Buttercup was the first. She started poking her head in and out of the doorway. It appeared she was looking around to make sure it was safe. She was squawking. I imagined that she’s telling the other girls “Let’s go. The coast is clear.” They followed her in. Trudy, our leghorn and top chick, was the last one. I think it was her job to verify that everyone was accounted for.

My friends thought I was crazy for having the chicks and the coop in the house. In hindsight, this was a great idea and one would think I knew what I was doing. The girls know the coop is their home and that it’s safe. They’ve been sleeping in it for the last six weeks. I couldn’t have planned it better.

So, after they are tucked in, I went inside tears in my eyes and threatened to get my sleeping bag. My husband laughed at me but he checked on them one more time, I think for his benefit as much as mine.

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