A Fence For A Friend

The last few weeks I don't seem to have stopped! This last week I was out every evening doing something (two talks as well!). 

My mate Neil, who has been mentioned on here before when he went with me to collect my second larger greenhouse, needed a hand with his fence. So I gathered up my tools and went to give him a hand. 

As you can see the old fence wasn't in a great way. Luckily he'd cleared a space for us to work and dig the holes, he'd even dug the one already. I brought my graft ( a heavy hole digging spade) and we made short work of the rest of the holes. 

 

Luckily it was a lovely sunny morning for most of it, and in all honesty it didn't take long once we were going. 

Turned out to be one of those jobs where it was lovely to take a step back at and look at what we'd done in a morning. 

It's also nice that he can get that area planted up now. I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with it in the coming year. 

What's your favourite thing to grow against a fence?

Lawn Edging From Logs - Part 2

 So after my first posts about the lawn edging I then needed to peg them in place and fill the bed with compost.

To do this I used some of the cleft sweet chestnut I had left from building my rose arch. Putting a point on with a side axe is a job that only takes a few seconds. 

A Spot Of Fencing On A Sunny Sunday

Yesterday turned out to be a perfect Autumn day, with crisp sunshine. 

I decided to take advantage of how wet it was under foot and finish putting in some fence posts I've been meaning to do all year.

 This finishes off the bottom area of the coppice around some old larch trees. Because of where these are I had to put them in by hand - never a fun job! 

I also added the bracing so I'm now ready to install all the wire. Another few weekends and about 8 rolls of wire and I should have the whole place fenced ready for some stock. 

I've also got about 6 gates to hang. I'll have to do these with an old fashioned brace and bit (believe it or not I was taught to fit locks with one when I was an apprentice) as the power won't stretch that far. Hanging gates on your own isn't easy but I'm sure by the end of them I will have found an easy way to do it!

How does everyone elses fences look at time of year? Many repairs needed?

A Poultry Investment

The Ex caged chickens have done there job in the garden and eaten all the weeds and grass off.
The trouble is I now want to get tidying up and planting in there but the nine chickens somewhat stop this. I even tried to keep them out of the fruit section of the garden with a fence but everyday they get through (or over despite having their wings clipped).

Fencing them in

They need to be moved.

So I need to do two things: build a new coop (their current one is an old shed which will fall over if I look at it funny), and put up a fence.

For a while I've liked the idea of having some movable netting so every few weeks I can move the chickens onto a fresh bit of grass. Today, armed with a 15% off voucher, my daughter and I went down to countrywide and brought a 50m roll of poultry netting complete with posts. I've already got a fencer unit (well dad has but he's not using it) so that makes it a little cheaper, although at well over a hundred pounds we've got a few eggs to sell to make our money back!

It'll be nice to be able to move the chickens onto fresh grass and I'm sure the eggs will benefit, the trouble is I've now got to build a coop fairly quickly.

Any ideas for a quick build coop?

Also does anyone use this netting and if they do is it any good?

A Rather Large Chicken Run

A productive weekend. Managed to do some stuff to the house yesterday and today I finished the chicken wire! As well as this I back filled all the soil for the whole garden fence, a horrible job and one I've been putting off.


Nice sized chicken pen

Whilst fixing the wire round the chicken pen I've been whistling the tune to Jurassic park, I think I may have made this pen too big! Still I've got the space and I'd rather it was to big than too small.



a waste pile of soil in the middle will give them something to dig through

I now need to make a gate and build a coop before I can get any chicken. Still not sure what type to get, it's a toss up between hybrids that will lay well all year (ish) or rare breeds with the possibility of selling any birds that I can rear but slightly less in the egg production department.
Which way do you think I should go?

Rabbit Proof Fence

Although I'm worried my veg garden might be a little large its better to have too much space than not enough, despite some of the problems, like weeds, that will come with it.

Rabbit poo or "bumbles" as my wife calls them

One problem I'm hoping not to have to deal with too much is rabbit damage. Although I've not seen that many about yet (I've shot a couple with the air rifle) I know they're around, I can see the signs. I will try to keep their numbers down but the best solution is a good fence.

Staples holding the straining wire which in turn holds up the rabbit wire

 Every night over the last week or so I've been putting up a section of wire. I managed to finish it this week, but I've still got three gates to make and fit before its "rabbit proof" and then I need to add a top rail to make sure its stock (sheep) proof.

The fence finished - need to make some gates and maybe add a top rail to stock proof it

Then I can finish the chicken pen and start the pig pen!