Developments at Ruby Lane

by Rebecca

Ruby Lane is a real place. It's in Cut & Shoot, TX, and consists of 2.89 rented acres and a lovely brick home.

At Ruby Lane we grow gardens, organic and wholesome, raise chickens and basically try to become not simply self-sufficient but also more healthy.  By working the land we promote health, and by eating what we raise we allow our bodies to function more healthfully.

And as many of us know, gardening is one of the better forms of therapy out there! (Thank goodness cuz I'm 'bout as nutty as they come!)

Here's a pictorial introduction of the building of the chicken coop at Ruby Lane.

View from the front of the house, looking down the lane: 
(You can see my truck, Lurch, and just beyond it the chicken pen area.)






This is what the chicken coop looked like as I first began working on it.

Then I added some stuff (notice I am RARELY without my coffee):



Then I built a door out of discarded cedar fence boards.  It is big and heavy and probably overkill but I wanted to be able to contain goats at some point.

I still haven't shored up all the small cracks and crevices that racoons and possums could come through to get to the chooks, but I have bought chickens and so far they've survived inside this pen. I open it in the day and block the entrance with boards so they have to stay in and so the dogs (who killed my earlier flock of babies) can't get in. This will work till they get a little larger