The Coop Poles are In

My amazing husband is building our new coop from plans "in his head". I'm in awe. He has the posts sunk into the group so I can now see the general shape.  It's going to measure about 12' x 18' and will have an enclosed space for the girls to get out of the rain.

Want more info on our chickens? Search all "backyard poultry" posts.

Beginning a New Coop

The boys are building a much larger coop for the hens so there is enough room for the ten of them to have their own space (you know how we females need our own space). They have started by clearing the spot in the yard, moving plants and leveling the ground. 

Coffee Filter Flowers

What a lovely Mother's Day present. Banana Girl made these cute flowers from coffee filters and pipe cleaners. The kids just painted with watercolor on the filters and it all bled together perfectly. The pipe cleaner pops through the middle of the flower and then just curled into a knot to keep it in place. I loved it.

To see more in detail how we replicated these at home, check out the Flower Birthday Party we threw.

The Chicks Must Go Out

The chicks are getting crowded in their plastic home now. Pretty soon they will be fully feathered (around 8-10 weeks) and we can put them outside in the coop with the big hens. Until then we have moved them to our glassed in porch to get them used to cooler nights and the outside sounds. We even take them outside in the grass and let them run around from time to time. We gave them a worm, but they had no idea what to do with it. A fly, on the other hand was fiercely fought over. They all wanted the dead fly, gross I know.

In this photo, you can see the window screen we used as their top. You can also see how they eat out of your hand, which makes them much easier to round up when you have them outside for playtime. They are still peeping their sweet little sounds, but it seems to have gotten deeper, guess they are going through puberty.

If you have any questions about owning chickens, please don't hesitate to contact me. It's been an adventure I didn't expect to have, but one I wouldn't change. You can also visit http://www.youtube.com/user/BackyardPoultryVideo to watch Andy, the Chicken Whisperer, (a good friend of ours) show you how to raise and care for chickens. He's a great guy that lives up the road and he has a nationally broadcast radio show all about chickens. I also loved a recent article in USA Today about backyard poultry. Apparently having chickens is becoming a nationwide phenomenon. I still can't believe my husband is trendy - yeesh.