It seemed simple at first. Take a class, bring home some chickens, build a coop, wait for eggs. But of course it had to get complicated. And time consuming. And expensive.
Tyler decided almost immediately that we should invest in a premade, predator proof coop ($$) rather than spending a lot of time and money on supplies and tools. So we had a coop delivered, I picked a flamboyant paint color, Tyler bought paint ($), and he got to work leveling a spot in the side yard for the stand. Awesome.
Then we realized that the oak tree in the middle of the yard was nearly dead and was quite rotten at the base. Since it was so close to the house and surrounded by redwood trees, we decided it needed to be cut down. By a professional ($$$). So today a crew of three guys came out, climbed a nearby redwood, rigged up some ropes, and took out the dead oak tree. It was pretty impressive watching the guy maneuver a chainsaw while dangling in midair in a climbing harness. Upsides: we now have a ton of firewood for the woodstove and the chickens will have an awesome stump to roost on and to search for bugs in.
The last major thing (we hope) that has to happen is building a run around the coop. Tyler wants to do it right and make sure it's secure, so yesterday he got a truckload of fence posts and cement ($). He still has to go back and get the wire ($). And install the whole thing.
These chickens had better lay a LOT of eggs. Golden ones, please.
An update on the birds:
Our chicks are about two and a half weeks old now. They're adorably awkward, like gangly little teenagers half covered in feathers with a few sweet patches of baby fluff left. They're busy establishing a pecking order and trying to fly. They've grown so tall that Tyler had to build them a bigger brooder box. This one is plywood (instead of cardboard) and has a lid!
And they have names now! Henrietta (gray), Rose (black), Blanche (blonde), and Maude (speckled). So far Rose isn't interested in chicken politics, while Henrietta and Maude have joined forces to beat up Blanche, who likes to start fights but never seems to win.
Tyler decided almost immediately that we should invest in a premade, predator proof coop ($$) rather than spending a lot of time and money on supplies and tools. So we had a coop delivered, I picked a flamboyant paint color, Tyler bought paint ($), and he got to work leveling a spot in the side yard for the stand. Awesome.
Then we realized that the oak tree in the middle of the yard was nearly dead and was quite rotten at the base. Since it was so close to the house and surrounded by redwood trees, we decided it needed to be cut down. By a professional ($$$). So today a crew of three guys came out, climbed a nearby redwood, rigged up some ropes, and took out the dead oak tree. It was pretty impressive watching the guy maneuver a chainsaw while dangling in midair in a climbing harness. Upsides: we now have a ton of firewood for the woodstove and the chickens will have an awesome stump to roost on and to search for bugs in.
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| Bad photo through the window screen - but here's the tree half cut down, and the half-painted coop to the right. |
The last major thing (we hope) that has to happen is building a run around the coop. Tyler wants to do it right and make sure it's secure, so yesterday he got a truckload of fence posts and cement ($). He still has to go back and get the wire ($). And install the whole thing.
These chickens had better lay a LOT of eggs. Golden ones, please.
An update on the birds:
Our chicks are about two and a half weeks old now. They're adorably awkward, like gangly little teenagers half covered in feathers with a few sweet patches of baby fluff left. They're busy establishing a pecking order and trying to fly. They've grown so tall that Tyler had to build them a bigger brooder box. This one is plywood (instead of cardboard) and has a lid!
And they have names now! Henrietta (gray), Rose (black), Blanche (blonde), and Maude (speckled). So far Rose isn't interested in chicken politics, while Henrietta and Maude have joined forces to beat up Blanche, who likes to start fights but never seems to win.
1 comment:
I just heaved a gigantic sigh of jealousy. You have redwoods in your backyard. And I love your chicks!
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