The Ranch of Questionable Choices

Find a crack in the bedrock at each of the four planned corners of the run. Drive a metal form stake into each crack. If the bedrock is solid with no cracks, wedge the stake against a rock edge or weight it with a heavy block — it just needs to hold tension on the string.

Stakes go outside the corner — 6 to 12 inches beyond where the wall will be. The string represents the outside face of your wall. You need room to work between the stake and the actual block.

Tie string between the stakes. This string represents the top of your block wall — the level plane everything is built to. Use your level on the string: pull it tight and adjust until the bubble is centered. This is your most important reference — everything else is measured from it.

A rectangle that looks square might not be. To check: measure 3 feet along one string from a corner stake. Mark it. Measure 4 feet along the adjacent string from the same corner. Mark it. The diagonal between those two marks should be exactly 5 feet. If it is, the corner is square. Check all four corners.

If a corner is off, move one stake slightly until the diagonal measures exactly 5 feet.

This is your most important wall — it contains the most sand and sets the reference for the short end walls. Use 8×8×16 blocks placed on end (8" face pointing up). Run them continuously for 19.7 feet (about 15 blocks).

As you place each block, hold your level on top. The string line above tells you how high the top of the block should be — the top of the block should just touch or nearly touch the string. Adjust by placing the block on a thin shim of sand if needed.

Each short end wall runs 9.8 feet across the slope. The ground rises 9 inches from one end to the other, so the blocks get progressively shorter as you move uphill. Here's the block order from downhill corner to uphill corner:

• Downhill corner (1–2 blocks): 8×8×16 blocks on end (8" face up) — most height needed here
• Transition (2–3 blocks): 6×8×16 blocks flat — step down in height
• Mid to uphill (2 blocks): 4×8×16 blocks flat — smaller step
• Uphill corner: Barely above grade — pedestal handles the last 2" on its own

Butt the short end walls against the ends of the downhill long wall — no overlap at the corners needed.

The stepping creates gaps between the bottom of the upper blocks and the bedrock below them (the ground has dropped away). Sand will pour through these gaps unless you close them.

Cut strips of hardware cloth about 8 inches wide. Press them against the inside face of each short end wall from the top of the blocks down to the bedrock. Staple or wire-tie to the blocks. The sand you pour in later will press the cloth flat against the wall and hold it in place.

The uphill long side is nearly flush with the grade — only about 2 inches of rise needed across the full 19.7 feet. Use 8×8×16 blocks laid flat (4" face up) for this wall. They don't need to be tall — they just need to close the perimeter and give the 4×4 sill beam a resting surface. The pedestal handles the fine adjustment.

The uphill long side gets 4 individual spot footings (not a continuous wall). Place one 2×8×16 block flat on the bedrock at each pedestal position. Space them evenly across the 19.7 ft length — approximately every 5 feet. These blocks barely poke above grade — their only job is to give the pedestal a flat seat on the uneven bedrock.

Place one pedestal on top of each block position. You have 4 sill beams, 6 pedestals per beam. Twist the pedestal to adjust its height before placing the beam — it's much easier to dial them in now than to shim after the beam is down. Set each pedestal to approximately the right height using your string line as a guide.

You have 6 beams at 10 feet each. Two beams run along each of the two long sides (the 19.7 ft sides). To cover 19.7 feet with 10-foot beams you need to splice them end-to-end.

Critical splice rule: The joint where two beams meet must land directly on top of a pedestal — never between pedestals in mid-air. Plan your pedestal positions so one of them falls at exactly 10 feet (120") from the end of the first beam. Then lay the first beam (10 ft) and butt the second beam against it on top of that same pedestal.

Offset the splice location between the two parallel beams on the same side — don't let both joints land at the same pedestal.

Place your level on each sill beam and check it's level along its length. Then place the level across the two parallel long beams at several points to check they're level side-to-side. Finally, measure the two diagonals of the rectangle — corner to corner in both directions. They must be equal. If they're not, the rectangle is twisted and the Quictent won't sit flat.

Roll the landscape fabric inside the block perimeter, covering the entire bedrock floor. Tuck the edges up against the inside face of the block walls — like tucking a fitted sheet. This cloth prevents weeds from growing up through the sand and keeps the sand layer from migrating into the rock cracks.

Unroll or unfold the grid on top of the cloth, cutting to fit at the edges. The grid's honeycomb cells hold the sand in place under load so it doesn't shift or rut when the birds walk on it. The cloth, grid, and sand work together as a three-layer floor system.

Spread the sand across the grid in an even layer. The 4×4 sill beams and block walls contain it. The sand should sit below the top of the sill beams — not mounding over them. Rake level.

The Quictent assembles with button-style pole connections — you'll hear a click when they seat. Follow their sequence with one important change: leave the greenhouse-facing wall panel uninstalled. That wall will be replaced by the breezeway tunnel (Project 2). It's far easier to leave it out now than to cut it out after the frame is assembled.

Identify which wall faces the greenhouse before you start and set those panels aside.

The Quictent base rail sits on top of the 4×4 sill beams. Assemble the frame with at least one other person — the poles are light but unwieldy alone. Start with the four corner uprights, then connect the base rail, then work upward.

Once assembled, secure the base rail to the 4×4 sills with screws or brackets. Central Texas wind will move an unsecured frame.

Drape the 2-inch aviary netting over the peaked roof. Starting at the ridge, zip-tie the netting to every single pole rib — not just the outer edges. Use a zip tie every 12 inches along each rib. Pull the netting snug before each zip tie so there are no sag points.

A sagging roof net is a bird trap. A peafowl that panics at night will flush straight up. If the net has a sag, the bird's head goes through and it can't get back out.

The Quictent kit includes an extended predator apron. Lay it outward from the base of the three block walls, flat on the ground, extending at least 18 inches beyond the wall. On bedrock you cannot bury it, so weight it instead: lay flat pavers or spare concrete blocks on top of the apron along the outer edge. A predator will try to dig at the base of the wall, hit the apron, and give up rather than walk out 18 inches and dig there.

The uphill side has spot footings, not a continuous wall, so the kit's apron is the primary defense here. Lay hardware cloth flat outward from the frame base, extending 18 inches. Weight the outer edge with pavers. This is the bedrock method — no burying, just weighting.

Aviary netting alone provides no shade or rain protection. Add a tarp, polycarbonate panel, or solid cover over one quadrant of the roof — the quadrant that will be in afternoon shade if possible. Attach with zip ties or clips. This gives the birds a weather break on 95° June afternoons.

Peafowl will stand on anything elevated. Give them a sanctioned option or they'll pick something less ideal. A natural log or a 4×4 offcut on two short post supports works well. No need for anything fancy — they just need something to step up onto.

Place the water station and feed station at opposite corners of the run — not adjacent. Peafowl will stand in both containers simultaneously if you give them the opportunity. Separate corners also means less cross-contamination between feed and water.

Position a camera where you can see most of the interior from the app. During nesting season and any time a bird seems off, you want to check without having to go out. Run power or confirm battery life before the run goes live.

The Quictent kit latch works for chickens. Add a secondary carabiner or a slide bolt above or below the primary latch. Morpheus has studied the primary latch. She will find out about the secondary one too, but it will buy time.

Get down to knee height and walk the entire perimeter slowly. Look for any gap larger than 1 inch between the hardware cloth and the block wall, or where the apron doesn't sit flush. Raccoon paws fit through 1×1 inch mesh. Pay special attention to the short end walls where the hardware cloth steps down — make sure it's pressed flat against the block faces with no daylight showing.

Walk the outside of the run in the dark with a flashlight. You are looking for what a raccoon sees at night: low gaps, loose apron corners, any cloth not sitting flush. Anything that lets light through from inside is a gap worth fixing.

Let the birds discover the run on their own terms. Open the breezeway on the first day and let them walk through at their own pace. Don't herd them in. Morpheus especially — she will enter when she decides to, not when you decide for her.

Find Pole #4 (Back Pole 1) and Pole #14 (Back Pole 2). Slide them together at their connection point. Thread one F4 screw (M6×60) through the hole at that joint. Do NOT attach the nut yet. Just leave the screw sitting in the hole so it's ready.

Find Pole #1 (Long Front Pole) and Pole #8 (Short Front Pole). Slide them together at their connection point. Thread one F3 screw (M6×35) through the hole at that joint. Do NOT attach the nut yet.

Two Pole #1 (Long Front Poles) form the two long sides of the base (18 ft each). Pole #8 (Short Front Pole) spans the front (9 ft, door side). Pole #4 + #14 (pre-assembled back poles from Step 1) span the back (9 ft).

At each corner and mid-wall junction, use the 3-Way Connectors (G) and 4-Way Connectors (F) to join the poles. The connectors accept the pole ends — push until they click or seat fully.

Insert Side Standing Poles (#12) vertically into the connectors at the short end walls — these are the uprights that give the walls height. Add Side Pole 2 (#15) and Side Pole 3 (#16) as horizontal mid-height rails on the end walls to connect the uprights and stiffen them.

Attach the first Roof Poles (#5) to form the peaked gable on the front and back walls. Each gable is two #5 poles meeting at a peak, with a 3-Way Connector (G) at the top.

Secure all joints with F4 screws where the manual diagram shows them — these are the longer M6×60 bolts. Tighten the nuts on the pre-installed screws from Step 1 now.

Locate the door opening on the front wall — the gap between two uprights in the center. Install Pole #10 (Short Inner Door Pole) and Pole #3 (Short Inner Door Pole with 2 holes) as the inner vertical frame. These attach to the base rail and the horizontal mid-rail. Install Pole #7 (Door Top Cross Pole) horizontally across the top of the door opening.

Build the door panel: Pole #9 ×2 (Long Outer Door Poles) are the vertical sides. Pole #6 (Long Outer Door Pole with 2 holes) connects between them. Pole #11 (Inner Door Bend Pole) creates the hinge attachment point.

Hang the assembled door onto the frame using the two L bolts (M8×50). These big bolts act as hinge pins — they go through the holes in the door poles and into the frame poles. Use the M8 wrench (T2) to tighten.

Attach the two Door Switches (J) — one near the top, one near the bottom. Secure them with F5 screws (M6×20). Install 2× Pipe Clamps (C1) to reinforce the door frame connection.

Walk the perimeter and check that the base rail contacts the 4×4 all the way around. Shim any gaps with thin plywood or composite shims.

At every upright location and at least every 3 feet in between. Use 3" exterior screws. Pre-drill to avoid splitting the 4×4.

Measure the two diagonals (corner to corner, both directions). They should be equal. If they're off by more than an inch, loosen some screws and rack the frame gently until the diagonals match, then re-tighten.

Push firmly on one corner at shoulder height. The frame should resist without significant flex. If it sways, add diagonal bracing with scrap lumber or a few temporary zip-tied poles.

Start with one short end wall (front or back — NOT the one with the door). Position the mesh against the outside of the frame. The top should align with the top horizontal rail (3.4 ft up). The bottom folds outward along the ground as the apron.

Secure one side first — zip-tie the left edge to the corner upright at 6–8 inch intervals. Then pull the mesh taut and secure the opposite side. If the mesh sags, predators will push through the slack. Zip-tie along every horizontal pole the mesh crosses: 6–8 inches apart along the base (tighter = more secure), 8+ inches apart along the top and mid-height.

Where two panels meet, zip-tie through both layers at the overlap.

Attach the mesh from the left corner up to the first pole marking your breezeway gap. Stop. Cut. Skip the ~3 ft breezeway opening. Resume attaching mesh from the second pole marking to the far corner. Triple the zip ties at the free edges on both sides of the gap — these are free edges that will want to curl and that a predator could peel back.

Fold the raw mesh edges back on themselves by about 1 inch and zip-tie the fold — this prevents sharp wire ends from poking out where birds could catch a foot.

Fold the bottom 1–1.3 ft of mesh outward flat on the rock surface. Lay flat pavers or concrete blocks on the apron every 2 feet. The weight prevents predators from flipping or pushing the apron aside.

Walk the full perimeter and check every bolted joint. Tighten any that have loosened during assembly.

Install Screw Caps (X) on all exposed screw/bolt ends. You have 46 caps. These prevent sharp bolt ends from catching on mesh, covers, or birds.

Recheck all bungee balls on the roof covers. Test the door — both latches (J) should engage cleanly. Add your secondary carabiner/slide bolt now. Check all mesh overlaps — run your hand along every seam. Lay final pavers/blocks on the predator apron.