The droppings left by the chickens have greatly improved the fertility of the ground in the pen and raised the ground level by several inches. One consequence is that the fallow season, unintentionally created by our choice to leave the pen unused last summer, allowed for the proliferation of many rose bushes and weedy plants within the pen and nearby.
Removing the fence from the ground resulted in a broken shovel handle when some rose bush roots mounted an unexpectedly effective resistance to my prying. I turned to my mattock as the means for their defeat. Unfortunately, the mattock is a far less precise tool than a shovel and some sections were greatly distorted during their liberation.
Once the fence and broken post stumps were dealt with, I made repeated passes over the area with a lawnmower to chop away the weeds and wild roses. It took quite a number of passes, but the result was worth the effort. We can now build the new pen on a relatively clear patch of ground.
In the pictures you can see the hen shelter we had in the pen. In contrast to the posts, which rotted away in the top 4-6” of soil, the shelter, made only of scrap plywood, sitting above ground, would probably still be usable if it had not suffered so much deformation under the winter snow load. It is only two years younger than the posts and the plywood only delaminated where it was pulled free from the frame by the weight of the snow.
Because the new pen will be a few feet longer than its predecessor, our water tower and some honeyberry bushes needed to be relocated. The main image shows the water tower drum, the top of which is approximately 6’ above the ground. Transplanting the honeyberry bushes has been on my to-do list for too long. So, I was glad to have extra motivation applied to the task.
Once separated, the six bushes nicely filled the bank to the south of the pen site. I added some stakes to encourage their future profile. Other than some light trimming to remove damaged branches, I left them alone. They had already begun to develop this summer’s berries and I am hoping the shock of transplantation does not impact the harvest.
Before relocating the water tower I had to cut down the rose bush that had grown up through the frame. It was a shame to do that because the rose had grown to nearly 8’ in height and had numerous flowers. However, Sitka roses sprout everywhere and can reach such heights in only a few years. So, there is every likelihood that the tower will have a new rose bush adorning it shortly after it reaches its final destination.
