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You may recall that a little over a year ago we added a lean-to to the chicken coop. We used some old fiberglass panels that we found in the old shed that was here when we bought this place. It seemed rather brittle at the time, and we knew eventually we’d have to replace it. Well, today was “eventually”.

It was in pretty bad shape. So we rolled back the netting and Bernie pulled off the old roof.

Did I mention it was in pretty bad shape?

We bought four panels of tin roofing to replace it. The roof is 10 feet long, and naturally Lowe’s only had them in 8 or 12 foot lengths. We bought the 12 foot lengths and Bernie cut them down to size.

Then he hammered them in place.

And now the chickens have a nice roof to stand under and listen to the rain as it falls.

I don’t think they even noticed the new roof. Spoiled little chickens.

Bernie has his “to-do” list during the week, and heaven knows my requests never make it very high on his list. That’s probably because my requests usually have to do with my chickens. Bernie’s to-do list usually has to do with providing things that result in a more comfortable life on the homestead – like wood for the wood burner, buildings to house equipment, food for the table, and blah, blah, blah. So, when the weekends roll around, Bernie will usually ask me what is on “my” to-do list and do what ever it is I want to do. And what I usually want to do is make MY life easier concerning the chickens.

If you’ve been reading my Facebook posts, you know that my sister, Debra, visited us last weekend. We were tickled to see her and, because Bernie and I have very little social skills, we took advantage of the free labor. I wanted to build a lean-to off the side of the chicken coop. You may recall the “Big Top” we ended up with in the front yard this year.

Well, I was tired of it. But I still wanted to provide a little shade for broody moms and their babies, and I wanted to have an area that would allow the chicken feed to remain somewhat dry during the wet weather. So….. this is the weekend we planned to build the lean-to off of the chicken coop. And, as our luck would have it, this is the very weekend that my sister planned her visit.

Debra is a real sport. She never complained one single time. She even acted a little excited about it. My family is very odd.

I realize you don’t see Debra on a ladder swinging a hammer in those pictures. It’s not that she didn’t want to. The first time that I got up on the ladder to hammer a nail, I fell. And it was not pretty.

And Bernie was not happy. As a result, NO ONE but Bernie was allowed on the ladder for the remainder of the day. He can be such a buzz kill sometimes.

But Debra remained at his side, and in the end, we had the chicken coop lean-to framed in.

Isn’t she a cutey? Heifer.

We didn’t get the roof on before she left, but Bernie and I managed to get it finished this afternoon. Naturally, Bernie did the vast majority of it, but he did tolerate me getting up on the ladder two whole times. And I am quite please with the results.

My chickens seem to like it too.

Debra is a wonderful sister. I’m sure I couldn’t ask for a better one. She’s pretty, fun, sweet, and a good worker. And she keeps coming back, so I’m guessing she doesn’t mind that we take advantage of her visits too terribly much.

Feel free to drop in on us anytime. You may want to pack some work clothes……