A New Home for Gertie

After Gertie spent the weekend with Geoff, we collected her and put her back into her temporary inside run. How Geoff works his magic on chickens I shall never know! I left her on Saturday morning lethargic and not interested in food. Thirty-six hours later, she was bright, alert and eating like never before! I am so pleased because Gertie is a real sweetie with such a lovely temperament.

But as much as we love her, she couldn’t stay in the kitchen much longer. As she struggled in the Omlets with the Topknot Gang, I decided to create a little coop for her. Searching online, I found a fantastic (like new!) guinea pig cage. This would be big enough for a perch, her food and water bowls as well as space to walk about. It’s a balance between giving her enough space and making sure she doesn’t get lost – the perils of a blind chicken are not to be underestimated!

I arranged to collect the cage this evening from the seller, who fortunately lives nearby. When the door opened, I was astonished to see just how big the cage was. I had thought that it was the same size as Quail Mansions. But no. It was massive, at least twice as long! Getting it into the car was a challenge and not for the first time was I glad we have a large car. I don’t know what we would do without it!

Back at home, I set it up next to Quail Mansions. I had hoped to fit it underneath which would protect Gertie from the worst of the weather. However, due to its monstrous size, I had to have it to the left of the quails. Using the plastic sheet and a side of the tarpaulin from Quail Mansions, I made the run waterproof and ensured that the coop wouldn’t have a through draft. The wet washout summer seems set to continue so I added a towel over one end to make Gertie a space which was darker and warmer. It’s a temporary fix while I make a little nest box for her.

In a matter of minutes, I had put in fresh bedding, refilled the food and water bowls and put her inside. Leaving her to explore, I thought about how I would make her a perch. All chickens like to perch and Gertie is no exception. During the last week, she’s been sleeping on an old mop handle in the kitchen. The mop handle is too long and I worried about sharp ends if I cut it. Casting a look around the garden, I spotted the old patio table. Half broken with the table top used to keep the plastic sheeting on Quail Mansions, I remembered how much Coco liked perching on the crossbeam at the bottom of the table legs. Gertie is about the same size as Coco so I decided to test it out.

I placed it in one corner of Gertie’s coop and put her on it. She seemed to approve and after some wobbling, found her balance and settled down contentedly. As the darkness closed in, I went back outside to check on her. I found her asleep on the mezzanine sitting in the built in bowl. Rolling my eyes but secretly rather impressed with her getting up there, I put her back on the perch.

It will take her a few days to work out her new home and I may take out the mezzanine as it takes up quite a lot of space. But at least she is safe, warm and happy in her new home.