You know it’s spring when you wake up to the sound of week old chicks in a rubbermaid container sitting on your kitchen table. I bought them last Saturday when they were only two days old. I bought a dozen of them and lost one Monday morning. I wasn’t surprised when one died because being the Saturday before Easter they were being mauled by little kids at the local feed store. I am actually surprised I have only lost one so far! They will have to stay under a brooder light for a few more weeks until they feather out. They kind of resemble that awkward teenage stage when they start to get their big kid feathers. Then they are not so cute to look at and begin the transition into “hen-hood”.
Today was the day to start building my coop!!! I have wanted chickens for a few years now and after begging and a little nagging, I finally talked Kraig into it! We love fresh eggs and have decided that living simply is our new goal so my new little chicken venture was part of it. I had made several drawings of the type of coop I wanted, I was going to make it look like a little playhouse and paint it up all cute etc and decided that I had the perfect coop already built in my backyard. Yes! I can just use part of my old shed! It has a concrete floor to keep the critters from trying to kill my girls and getting the eggs!
Easier said then done! I am a pack rat and I keep the dumbest stuff on earth! So cleaning out the shed was the first step in this little adventure I have decided to undertake! I found stuff I totally forgot I had. And why on earth did I ever have a belly boat??? <shaking my head> I can’t even answer that! Finally after tons of cobwebs, a large cloud of dust and 2 black widow spiders I had it all cleaned out! Our trash guy is going to love me next week!
I am big on using stuff I already have instead of running off to the lumber/hardware store and buying more! So the remodel didn’t cost me but less then $20 after using left over materials from past projects and some hand me down wire and 4x4s from my brother! I made the partition that will divide the huge shed into two equal parts and I even made the gate so that I can go inside and collect my future eggs!! I won’t mention that I had to make the gate two times because one of the 2x4s was crooked as a snake! But the inside is almost done! I used muscles I didn’t know I had when I used the post hole diggers! Where are the kids when you need them??? Child labor was so nice while it lasted! Post are set and tomorrow we will be framing and doing the wire! I will keep you posted and post pics as we move along!
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