Having had chickens in the past we longed again for fresh eggs and the pleasant clucking of hens going about their business. Marty declared he could build a coop in “no time” so in early spring we set out for the local Farm ‘n Garden to get our chicks.
According to our city code we could have up to a dozen -- no roosters allowed. Weren’t they cute little balls of fluff! A couple Rhode Island Reds, Americana, and a few that were supposed to have gorgeous green feathers. Each child picked one out as his own. What creative names: Hazelnut, Orca, Betty, and Butterscotch. And with all the free eggs we’d soon be harvesting our grocery bill would be significantly reduced -- a grand beginning.
How much feed would we need for this little flock? They were tiny so the 50-lb bag should last a long time. And at only $9.99 it was a bargain.
While Marty got busy thinking about the coop design, a box in the garage was a temporary home. Plus it was easy for the kids to keep an eye on their babies.
After several weeks of pondering and my veto of the plastic pipe and tarp coop idea, Marty decided to use up the cedar fencing we had and build an A-frame design. Then my busy guy started thinking about getting started.
In the meantime, our cute little chicks had become teenagers and needed more space and more food. They were gobbling up a 50-lb bag of feed every week – and so far, no eggs. Hmmmm. Since the coop was going nowhere fast, we got to make a temporary chicken corral with wire and wood, in which the chicksters could get a little exercise. This addition to our front yard endeared us to our neighbors, who already enjoyed viewing a yard dedicated to a boat, two trailers, a coop-building project, a wheelbarrow, bikes and a porcelain statuette (?). Since the temporary corral was not predator proof we had to transfer the chicksters out in the morning and back to their little box every evening. Excitement for the new pets was quickly fading.
According to our city code we could have up to a dozen -- no roosters allowed. Weren’t they cute little balls of fluff! A couple Rhode Island Reds, Americana, and a few that were supposed to have gorgeous green feathers. Each child picked one out as his own. What creative names: Hazelnut, Orca, Betty, and Butterscotch. And with all the free eggs we’d soon be harvesting our grocery bill would be significantly reduced -- a grand beginning.
How much feed would we need for this little flock? They were tiny so the 50-lb bag should last a long time. And at only $9.99 it was a bargain.
While Marty got busy thinking about the coop design, a box in the garage was a temporary home. Plus it was easy for the kids to keep an eye on their babies.
After several weeks of pondering and my veto of the plastic pipe and tarp coop idea, Marty decided to use up the cedar fencing we had and build an A-frame design. Then my busy guy started thinking about getting started.
In the meantime, our cute little chicks had become teenagers and needed more space and more food. They were gobbling up a 50-lb bag of feed every week – and so far, no eggs. Hmmmm. Since the coop was going nowhere fast, we got to make a temporary chicken corral with wire and wood, in which the chicksters could get a little exercise. This addition to our front yard endeared us to our neighbors, who already enjoyed viewing a yard dedicated to a boat, two trailers, a coop-building project, a wheelbarrow, bikes and a porcelain statuette (?). Since the temporary corral was not predator proof we had to transfer the chicksters out in the morning and back to their little box every evening. Excitement for the new pets was quickly fading.Figuring that delegating was the key, Marty decided Jake would build the coop. He just forgot that he had to teach Jake how to use most of the tools associated with building this coop (but that’s for another story). Suffice it to say that only a few short months later, the coop was ready for our grain-guzzling, poop-producing flock.
The only problem now was that we had two broken hens. They couldn’t figure out how to cluck and as one son asked, “Why does Hazelnut keep jumping on Lovely’s back?”
Well, 6 months into this project we are enjoying 3 miniscule eggs a day and they are only costing us about $30 a month. As for Orca and Hazelnut? After a neighbor mentioned that a rooster crowing at 3 a.m. wasn’t her favorite way to wake up, Orca found a home at our in-laws where he’s enjoying his harem of 6 hens. And Hazelnut? “Free rooster to good family. Will make delicious dinner.”
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