Homestead Happenings at Mountain Meadow. (part 1)

Chicks, a trapped deer, potatoes and berries, and fresh paint all figure into recent Life around here!

I mentioned to @walkerland that I got "creative" with fashioning a pen for our chicks, and she said she couldn't wait to read about it, so here is my latest DIY creation! 100% thoughtfully designed and lovingly, skillfully handcrafted by me...okay, not really, I scavenged materials left behind the barn by the previous owner, and totally winged it to create this, inside the coop:

Yay for repurposing stuff! Joking aside, I'm kind of proud that it's working.

I have no idea why the previous owner fashioned wire fencing into sort-of "boxes" that are missing a side and bottom--maybe to protect plants? There are several behind the barn, and I pulled a bunch of them out of the woods by the house when we moved in. Anyway, the chicks were outgrowing their bin in the garage, so I shoved 2 of the wire boxes together to create one big pen, and then the kids had a wonderful time helping me brace it (and plug holes) with bricks. The Husband came along later and contributed the heavy board to cover the hole in the top.

This makes it so easy to reach in and grab them!

Last year we'd used Big Guy's dog crate to introduce younger chickens to the coop, but the Husband vetoed that this year, therefore I got creative. I stored the heavy duty chick bin underneath the nesting box platform, and at night I've been pulling it out and putting the chicks to bed in it. We have rats and I don't know if they'd really kill the chicks, but I'm not taking chances.

The big chickens had gone to bed already when I was taking these pictures tonight, and clucked curiously at their crazy chicken momma who was frittering around taking photos instead of just buttoning up the coop like usual.

Elsa seems to have permanent rights to the window seat

That concludes my latest redneck renovations in the chicken coop. In other news, I got kicked by a deer this past Monday...don't worry, my battle scars are superficial:

Now how on earth did I get kicked by a deer? Well, I was driving home around 7 pm, when about 50 yards in front of me I watched a deer scramble up a steep embankment and sail over the fence at the top. I slowed down, because the first thing the Husband taught me about country driving is that if you see one deer, slow down because there's most likely others with it!

Sure enough, a second deer ran along the embankment, scrambled up, and then hesitated. He vacillated back and forth, and then made a tentative leap, catching his hind legs on the top strands of the fence and kicking wildly as he swung, off-balance, toward the ground. Somehow, he managed to kick one hoof through the multiple strands, and got them tightly cinched around his leg.

Not quite believing my eyes, I stopped the car, got out, and snapped a closer picture of the loudly bleating deer, before I pocketed the phone and climbed the bank to see if I could get the wires loose.

No luck--my hands weren't strong enough, especially with the weight of the deer pulling on the fence. A man came along and joined me in my efforts; he even climbed over the fence and lifted the deer off the ground, to try to take the tension off the wire. Ugh, I still couldn't budge it! And I've got fairly large and strong hands for a woman! Finally, another truck drove along and that man had wire cutters in his toolbox--but in the end he was able to bend the wire enough to release the deer's leg, without having to cut the fence :)

The deer (which had been lustily yelling and flailing this entire time) scrambled to his feet and bolted into the brush. Poor fellow, he was quite scared, but at least he's free! And I found it heartwarming that both the trucks to come upon the scene stopped to assist a helpless animal, even though getting kicked and liberally covered with smelly deer fur was the payoff. Those guys probably go hunt deer in the fall, but they wouldn't let one suffer upside down in a fence.

Since I don't want to make this too long, I'll save the gardening and house updates for tomorrow! :)

All photos in this post are my own