We have a very nice chicken run for our 10 chickens. By the way, I like having 10 chickens, but it means we get more than 2 dozen eggs a week. We eat a lot of eggs. I give away a lot of eggs.
I went out to let the chickens out of the enclosed portion of the run to the merely fenced run and discovered a very large limb had fallen on it.
The enclosed portion has netting placed over arched sprinkler lines. This helps to prevent predation by hawks, raccoons, coyotes, etc. It probably helped to keep the whole weight of the limb from breaking the chicken coop.
The limb broke a lot of the arches. We removed it a piece at a time.
We are left with a giant broken limb. It needs a bigger chain saw than we currently own. And a bigger ladder. We have better and bigger ladders, but they are in the storage unit. We need to build a new shop to have room for all the tools in storage.
Actually, what it needs is a tree company to come in and remove the whole branch. I don't trust the rest of it to heal and be strong enough that it won't break off in the next big wind.
I'm not sure free range, antibiotic-free, hormone-free eggs are worth all this work.
This goes with owning land. Something is always happening. It doesn't matter if it is related to chickens or not. Trees are problematic as they age. I hope you found a good solution.
ReplyDeleteWe have a lot of HUGE beautiful trees. I'm afraid this will be an ongoing problem. And the best solution is probably the name of a good tree service!
DeleteOur property has a lot of old pine and cedar trees that have been sick, and many just fall during storms due to having shallow root systems. We had so many messy tree limbs and tree trunks that we have more than made up for the price of the chainsaw and wood chipper we bought. There is always lots of work around here. I'm so glad your chicken coop survived and that you still have 10 chickens. Poor things must have been scared to death when that branch fell on their safe harbor. We did have a tree service come and take down two very large Ash trees for us that were sick. They were quite expensive but did a great job.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of a chipper. You can't burn a wood pile here all summer and the previous owner already left a giant pile. And we have been adding to it on a regular basis! So we have a lot to burn! I need to look up a decent chipper.
DeleteI was worried about what the chickens were thinking, too! But as they are birds with teeny brains I assume they forgot about it until the walked out in the morning and wondered WHAT THE HECK?
Glad the chickens were OK, but sadly you do have a mess to clear away. As Michelle and Pepper noted, property with trees does come with issues for homeowners. The trees are great for their shade and beauty but when strong winds come they soon become a concern. Cutting some of the remaining limbs may also prevent future problems, hopefully. Yes, you will need a storage shed one day.
ReplyDeleteI could also use full time help. Full time help with a chainsaw and a penchant for weeding. And trimming. One who likes skim the leaves from the pool. And vacuum the house. Romance novels never have those guys for the romantic lead, but that would really work for me!!!
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