Glenn Cottage Eggery is in The Sonoran Desert of Arizona.
It has taken about a month or so to complete this chicken coop.
I had never really built anything by myself before. The plans were in my head. I made a few sketches, to figure out just how it was all suppose to look when I got finished. I did have a friend to help me for the first few days. Without her, and the loan of her tools, I would have still been putting it together!
This is the finished coop.
I will give you a sort of tour starting at my back door. The Eggery is about 40 feet from there.
Spartacus is wondering what I am doing.
Walking down the sidewalk to the back garden and eggery
Fall display, the plan is that the ivy will cover the unpainted pallet fence at some point in time.
Front of coop and run area.
West side of coop
Back of coop with Nest Box
Open gate to run area, approx. 6 feet by 8 feet
West side of coop, a mirror so the hens can check out how they look each day!
Front of coop
Door open, looking inside coop
Looking inside to south, nest box blocked off so chicks can't sleep in there.
Sign on Back wall above nest box.
Roosting area
Going back out gate, leaving coop and run.
Out the gate....
Going back towards the house.
I do hope you enjoyed the tour, I will post again when I have chicks!!
Why is there a light on in the coop tonight?
Because, Surprise, Surprise, I have chicks!!!
Today I stopped by the feedstore to show the girls pictures of my finished coop. While we were looking at the photos, I remarked "I wish you guys would hurry and get some chicks." They said "We have some new chicks in the "baby chick" house right now!" I about fell over!! I was just there a few days ago!
Well they had Buff Orpingtons, about 25 to 30 of the little fuzzy butts!! I said I would take two, they are 4 days old!! The feed store was my first stop on doing my errands, so I told them I would be back so as not to have to leave the chicks in the hot car.
My next stop was to water the garden at the congregation building. While I was there I called the other feedstore where I had a $5.00 deposit for an order of 4 chicks. I told them I found some Buff Orpingtons, and how long would it be before they ordered some Barred Rock chicks... She said, "We have some Barred Rock chicks right now!" I about croaked!! This feed store is a good 20 miles from our house. I told them I would be there in about 30 minutes or so to pick up two Barrred Rock Chicks.
I made it though the rush hour traffic, I got the chicks, went back to the feedstore right by my house, picked out two Buff Orpington chicks. And came home.
The only thing I HAD to do was make a lid for the big plastic container I bought as a brooder for them. When I was telling Rick I got the chicks, all four of them! And how I had to hurry now and figure out some kind of lid for the brooder box since one of the little Barred Rocks had already tried to fly out of the box she was in!
He said, "Isn't the coop all secure from preditors? Why don't you just put the chicks in the coop with the brooder light? After all, you spent so much time making a coop why have them be all crowded in a plastic box?"
So I did just that! I put them in the coop. Here are the very first pictures I took tonight.
Checking out the buffet.
The Barred Rock Chicks hatched Sept 10, 2008
The Buff Orpington Chicks, Hatched Sept 19, 2008
Getting ready for bed. They seem to have hit it off famously!! They are all being very nice to each other.
The chicks all have names. The Orpington Chicks are Ophelia and Olivia, the Barred Rocks are Rosalind and Roxanne.
I am very hoppy now!!
Here are some photos of the chicks as they get bigger.
Here we are all together, not the best photo of me!!
Roosting on coop door, silly chickens!!
Chickens at play.
Notice I took out the cute blue and white ladder/walkway to the coop. It was just to hard to keep clean! I decided a flat board is easier to keep clean. I will put out the cute ladder for when we have guests to "The Eggery."
Cuddling to keep warm.
On Feb 5th 2009 we got our first egg!!
It was so "eggciting". It came from Rosalind. She is the Head Hen. Here she is at 15 day old perched on a basket handle.
Here she is Feb. 5th 2009
Here is her first egg.
Hope you enjoyed your visit to Glenn Cottage Eggery.
