Yesterday the avian flu
restrictions ended. Thank goodness. Time to take down all the netting and infrastructure that
has been prison for our HenSafe chickens so they can take their first steps outside into
fresh grass. Beginning to think this could be an annual event.
It’s time to sow seeds and I
need the polytunnel back. No alternative but to move the chickens under cover
outside. It’s still within the DEFRA rules so we are OK. Luckily the fruit cage
netting isn’t in use so we draped it over an old tent frame and weighted it
down with bricks. That combined with the lamb hurdles and some old scaffold
netting saw the job done. They’re definitely not happy birds though – being able
to see the grass and not get to all of it must be really frustrating.
Now to clean up the
polytunnel. It took a good day’s work to move all the extra equipment out, put
the soil back into the beds and hose it all down before moving all the horticultural
gear back in. What a mess...you wouldn’t believe the dust! No slugs though haha!
We had to sort out a
temporary home for our chickens because of the avian flu outbreak - DEFRA rules. They had
been outside under a small net but it’s just so muddy and the net wasn’t big
enough to give them room to live properly. Good job the polytunnel was empty,
apart from the odd lettuce or two overwintering – now eaten! Let’s hope the
lockdown doesn’t last too long as the heat and humidity which comes with longer
and warmer days won’t do them any good.
