Egg-citing News From the Coop!

Back at the end of April, I decided that I wanted chicks for my Mother's Day present--a step towards making my own food (or growing it, or caring for it, etc).  Since they were only "day old chicks" I knew that I was going to have a decent waiting period before I would be getting any of my own eggs.  According to all the books, forums, boards, Facebook pages, and talking to others, I found out that the average wait was about 5 months before the hens would be old enough to lay.  I've been egg-stra patient, counting down the days to when the girls would be ready.  Time passed, and when they were supposed to start laying eggs came and went.  I was beginning to worry that they would never start, that maybe I had done something wrong or fed the wrong food...surely it was my fault that nature wasn't taking it's proper course. 

Yesterday I was chatting with my dad over text about my hubby getting sent to China next week (more on that later), when he mentioned the hens and asked if they were laying yet.  I told him no, they hadn't started, and I was getting a little frustrated with it all.  But on a whim I went out to the coop and decided to check the nesting boxes.  Lo and behold....

And about an hour later, I got one more, too!!  Five awesome eggs, I was so egg-cited!!  Not all of my girls are old enough, only four of the eight.  So soon there will be more, but for now, I am happy!!

Now I need to start searching my favorite website, Pinterest, for some egg-cellent recipes!  :)  Feel free to share your favorites!

Finishing of the Coop!

The past few weeks have been BUSY.  Between my anniversary, a trip, applying and interviewing for several positions, tearing down a fence, rebuilding the fence, building a coop, and sickness...life has had me "cooped up" for almost a month.  And I have neglected my blog, even tho I know there were many things I wanted to--and needed to--post!!  So here's to catching up...

Our big news from the past few days is that the coop is FINALLY finished!  To build it, we had to tear down our privacy fence (something we wanted to do to make a more open, larger encompassing fence) since we wanted to reuse those pickets for the coop.  Plus I wanted it to fit the dimensions of a dog run that we already had, so that we could reuse those materials as well.  This way it was as "upcycled" as we could make it.  And I am SO happy with the results!!  We still want to make a few modifications in the future to make sure that our girls are as happy and healthy and safe as possible, but that will happen as we have time and issues present themselves. 

The finished coop is 10" long, 6' high, and 2' off the ground.  Here's how it came together:

My dad and hubby assembling the frame--the massive 10' long that I thought was only 6' originally!

Frame is made, and next came the plywood to top it off.

The plywood was topped off with some inexpensive (unattractive) lineolum tiling.  Makes for easier cleaning.

The bottom frame and the wall frames outside in the new location.

My dad helping with putting up the frames for the walls.

Quite a few steps later...the walls are up, the roof is on, and they are installing the nesting box.

The installing of the two ladders into the coop.

Inside the coop: the roosting area

Inside the coop: The nesting box area

The chickies getting to check out their new digs

Attila (the Barred Plymouth Rock) and Annie (the Buff Orpington) coming out of the coop to see the new grounds

Attila allowing Z to pet her. :)

And that is how it all came together.  :)  Several weeks (weekends mostly) of building, in an easy to look at Cliff's Notes version of the coop coming together!

Early Mommy's Day Present

So this weekend, hubby was allowed out of his quarantine upstairs.  He's finally on the tail end of his cold, and little guy is about halfway through his antibiotics for his double ear infection.  I can't wait for that to be done...the antibiotics are causing bad diapers and now a rash.  :(
We did manage to get out this weekend.  We went to the store to get some more plants for my garden--we got watermelon, honeydew melon, pineapple basil, and a jalepeno plant--and then stop to visit my parents.  Got everything planted, a few tomatoes staked, and got to pick my first (non-insect ridden) tomato! Plus, a huge, previously unidentified squash-type plant finally started producing produce--and it is zucchini.  :)  Yay!

But the big news came after I had taken care of and expanded my garden.  An idea had planted itself in my head awhile back (<---like what I did there??  Planted...garden...hahaha!!), and I hadn't been able to uproot (LOL!!) it since.  So I asked for my Mother's Day present yesterday.  I called around to a few places in town and found a place that carried what I was looking for.  I told DH what I was wanting, and after Z took his nap, we set off to the store.  Which store?  The feed store.  Why?  Chicks, of course! 

That's right...I've decided to further my little "farm" by adding farm animals.  Three adorable little chicks are now part of our family!!

I've only named one of them--the yellow one.  Her name is Annie.  Why?  Because it was the first thing that popped into my head when I found out that she is an Orpington chicken.  Little Orpington Annie.  Haha!!  I am on a roll!!  The yellow/black/brown one is a silky chicken (she has feathers down her legs), and the bigger black/white/grey one is Plymouth Rock chicken.  All girls. 

So next for us to do is build a coop and a run for them to live in when they get a little older.  Right now they are housed in Z's play yard (we detached only four panels to make a square pen) in the garage.  We do have owls and hawks out here, so I don't want them out in the open just yet.  

Does anyone have ideas for a chicken coop?  I know we are most likely going to make our own, but I am also thinking of things that we can use to repurpose them.  Suggestions? Feel free to comment!  I would love to hear ideas!!