Col. Mustard and Ms. Scarlet save the farm (or Chicken Run Part 1)

We had a good ol' fashioned barn raising this weekend and learned some life lessons on the way. Col. Mustard and his fascinating and fabulous girlfriend, Ms. Scarlet, answered the Farm's call for friends with skills to help out. Having worked with at least one of us in the past, they knew the limitations of our abilities and were aware of the hurdles we would throw in front of them. They arrived early on Saturday armed with a car packed with power tools and acrylic paints.

Col. Mustard is the best; after only a short conversation about the vision for the run, the colonel rattled off a list of supplies. We swiftly jotted down everything he said in crayon. Thanks to Ms. Scarlet and her tactical task mastering, we had an record quick trip to the building supply store and arrived home with all we needed to make our fantasy run come to life.

We shifted the coop so that we can create an access from the side. Then we laid out the supplies.



You may not see it in this shot, but Col. Mustard chiseled out the fittings so the support beams would fit flush into the posts. We'll update later with close ups.



In what seemed like no time at all, the walls were being raised.



A DISCLAIMER: Do not let these photos fool you. We at City Kid Farm had the pleasure of watching Col. Mustard attack and destroy the problems presented by this project. We were on hand to hold things in place if necessary. It was an amazing show, reminding us of how much we don't know how to do.

Next we trenched for the posts and hardware cloth. This time Billy got in on the action.






Then it was time for the roof.



And who could forget the door!



So what life lessons did we learn? If you want to get something done, leave the person who knows how to do it alone. Sometimes helping is a hinderance (at least when time is an issue.) Who can forget, keep your mouth shut and listen to your NCO. Maybe all three are the same in the end.

Lastly, Col. Mustard is so cool, Elvis and MJ are dying to be his back up singers.

We were left with a run that surpassed our imaginings. certainly anything we are capable of. We are thinking of ways to honor the Colonel in our structure so that generations of chickens to come will remember the sacrifices that he made for their safety and comfort.