Tag: Chickens

Pimp My Chicken Coop

  Yesterday after visiting my horse at the barn… SHEDDING BLADE WEATHER, YeeeeeHAAA!!!…. I drove down to the shoreline for a little vintage junk hunting because I have a vision for this chicken coop we’re going to have come spring.  I got nothing.

This is the area where the coop  and yard will go – just in front of the garden shed. For those of you who are new to my blog, that window in the garden shed is from the original Chester house, which is in the background. It’s the family room, mancave and loft area dog leg of This Old House.  So, TOH is actually a restoration of two old homes joined at the….hip?    I loved that window but it’s R value is zilch, so Jeff’ (our restoration expert and good friend) made use of it in the shed.

  Have you seen FancyFarmGirl’s chicken coop ?  It’s my dream coop!!  Heck, it’s my dream COTTAGE…  But since our coop is already under way, I can’t change it now.  HOWEVER…. I can certainly tweek it some… and that I will.  I will not have a “front” room, as she does..hence the ability to really go to town with the vintage decor…

 So this is the junk I’m hunting..

Vintage Egg baskets

Vintage Chicken signs
  Cow art – I have always loved cow art….
 Two old milk cans

And now a question for those of you who have kept chickens… What kind of base did you use in your coops – straw in the nesting boxes, and what on the floor? I have seen several recommendations and people rave about each, depending on what they use – Pine shavings or Sand?  Or something else? 

The Coop Scoop…

Well, I’ll tell ya – there are so many options out there…. and so many people who have put a lot of thought and design and aesthetics into their chicken coops.  After much research and listening to other peoples’ trial and error… I have decided on a coop design. It’s more utilitarian than I had first envisioned, but I’ll jazz it up with vintage fresh eggs signs, etc.

 These are some examples of other  fine coop craftsmanship ….

 This one below was designed and built by Heather Bullard and her husband
– just beautiful!..her blog is too…

 This is the one I went with … 
I think it will suit our hens purposes well
and appears easy to clean.
I found it on the same site I ordered the chicks from…

  We will build a large rectangular yard around it… frame and wire mesh with roof.

Chicks ordered!

Ok, peeps – I ordered the PEEPS!!  None of you came forward to say NO NO NO, Karen.. DON’T DO IT!!!…  so I’m blaming YOU if this is a bad idea.   You were all so enthusiastic, you chicken people, and even you  wanna-be chicken people ….. that I decided  perhaps it’s not a crazy idea after all.

 I did some thorough research, found three styles of coop I like and the husband is going to make one that is a combination. I’ve ordered eight chicks and there will be atleast six nesting boxes in the coop, with perches that are comfortably wide and set alittle higher than the nesting boxes. We’re going to make a BIG chicken run, with fence buried beneath the ground (predators) and netting over head (predators or fly aways).  Because of our large dog(s) and abundance of coyotes and foxes, we can’t let ours free roam always, just when we’re working around the yard and garden.

 I ordered my chicks from chickensforbackyards.com because they seem very knowledgeable and are pleasant to speak with, important to this chicken coop novice.  I ordered Green GEL to come with the chicks and I’ll buy other necessary supplies at our local feed store.  I also asked that the chicks be vaccinated – I’m assuming that’s a smart thing.  They give you the option.

 http://www.chickensforbackyards.com/

 And these are the flock I’ve put together…

2 Silver LaceWyandotte

2 Buff Orpington


2 Ameraucana (blue green eggs!)
 1 black Jersey Giant
 1 barred rock

 So, chicken people – how did I do so far?   And.. any hints or suggestions are welcome!  I cannot believe these little peeps will be MAILED to me.. but that seems to be the method of most.  I hope they arrive safely and healthy and ..alive.

 They’ve been ordered for early April delivery – “we” still have to build that coop.  Lord knows when the snow will melt.

Flying the Coop

…oh, how I wish I were… to the British West Indies or  St. John or The Maldives… you know.. someplace where they don’t grow snow.

  But what I’m really blogging about today is chickens and flying the idea around to see what I come up with.  It looks as if the Mr. is in approval of the idea. Now I have had horses and dogs and cats and rabbits and birds and fish and a goat, hamsters, gerbils, mice and even a rat – ever so briefly.  But I have never owned poultry so I’m treading in unfamiliar waters here. 

I’ve been looking at coops…there are a zillion of them online –  and here’s what I like so far in the way of design.

  I’ve researched the hearty egg-laying chicken breeds, and these appeal to me –

Black Australorp (sp?) 

Buff Orpington (SP???)

Rhode Island Red

Brahma
  Skyline Hen  (lays blue eggs!  How cool is that! )

 I researched hearty breeds because of the cold temps here in the winter.  Have I whined enough about the three feet of snow with six foot drifts we have outside?  And did I mention the nor’easter that is threatening to arrive next Tuesday?   Am I crazy to want to shovel out to a chicken coop  on top of the dog bathroom run we already shovel in this kind of weather to chip out frozen water feeders?