A New Footpath in the Silkie Chicken Yard
Dozens of pressed red clay bricks that used to surround my pool at my former East Hampton home now have new purpose at my Bedford, New York farm.
Recently, I decided to use the bricks to edge a new footpath in a bird enclosure outside my stable. This yard and its coop are currently being used for my Silkie chicks. The bricks run from the entrance of the pen all the way to the coop and around the back. The area now looks entirely different. This project took a couple of days to complete, but my crew did a great job and it looks wonderful.
Enjoy these photos.
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- This pen had large stone pavers leading from the entrance to the coop door ahead; however, the stones were far apart, and after a rain, the area would be very muddy and difficult to walk through. I decided it would function better with some good draining gravel and a proper footpath. Earlier this week, Pete and Fernando went to work.
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- Many of our outdoor projects start with a nail and some twine.
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- Pete secures the line from one end to the other, to ensure the finished path is completely straight.
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- I have thousands of these bricks. “Pressed red” is the general term given to solid red bricks traditionally manufactured from clay, pressed into individual molds by hand, and then heated at very high temperatures.
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- This photo shows some of the bricks when they surrounded my pool in East Hampton. I am glad I saved them so they could be repurposed here at the farm – they are perfect for the Silkie chicken yard.
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- Then, using the twine as a guide, Pete removes the grass and some soil along the line, creating a narrow trench just wide enough for the bricks and about five inches deep.
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- And then one by one, he angles the bricks and positions them in a sawtooth style, laying one on another at a 45-degree angle.
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- Here is a view from the side. Each brick is carefully placed and pounded securely into the trench. The string also helps to make sure the points are at the same level.
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- Fernando follows behind and uses a scrap piece of wood on top of the bricks to pound them securely in place. The wood protects the bricks from getting damaged in the process.
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- Then, using the same piece of wood, Fernando makes sure the edge of the bricks is completely straight.
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- Pete and Fernando do this along the entire path.
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- And then Fernando rakes the path of any loose dirt and grass.
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- Here is the path once all the bricks are in place. Path edging helps to keep the structure of the path defined and the gravel contained. It looks markedly different already.
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- Next, Fernando and Pete put down a strip of industrial strength weed cloth along the entire space.
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- Fernando uses sod staples every few feet to keep it secure.
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- Next, is the gravel. I chose quarter-inch native washed stone. Each stone is about the size of a pea. This same gravel stone is also used to line the paths in my flower cutting garden. It s nice to keep everything uniform when possible.
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- Fernando uses our trusted Scenic Road wheelbarrow to transport the gravel from the truck to the path.
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- The gravel is spread evenly with a hard rake.
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- And then pressed down with a gravel tamper. A tamper is a tool with a long handle and a heavy, square base used for leveling and firmly packing gravel, dirt, clay, sand, and other similar materials.
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- Closer to the coop, Pete turned the bricks slightly to round the corners. Here he is spreading more gravel in front of the coop door.
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- Here is the side of the coop all done and looking great. The geese and peafowl pens are next door to this one.
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- Here is the rear of the coop – also with a leveled layer of gravel. The ramp connects to a little chicken door for rear access and egress.
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- And here is the front – it looks fantastic. It will be so nice to walk in here and visit the birds this spring. Next, Pete works on laying bricks outside this enclosure and around the garden beds. Just a couple of days and some good elbow grease and this entire bird yard is transformed. Another great project completed at my farm – nice job,Pete and Fernando!
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