Live Free {Range} or Die!
We moved to our small homestead nearly 5 years ago, where we are raising our 6 kids. Our newest adventure in homesteading is our flock of 25 chickens! We have buff orpingtons, black australorps, Easter eggers, barred rocks and New Hampshire reds. We suspect that Checkers, the lightest barred rock, complete with comb and now teeny pink wattles, is actually our accidental rooster. I am already plotting a hatch next spring, 4-H chickens, and a future peacock breeding operation!!! Call me crazy, but this is addictive--and fun for all of us!
Jeff was a real trooper, and in the face of rain, thunder, rickety old wooden ladders, sweltering sun, and a runaway 2x4 (which he skillfully stopped with his face--oops!), built me a fantastic chicken coop! It is 6x11, and solid as a rock. It's raised up about 30" off the ground, framed using 2x4s and sheeted with OSB and plywood. We used SunTuf corrugated polycarbonate for the roof, and he stick built the nest box/storage shelf and door himself. We used a spare window as the chicken door, found a beautiful 3x5 picture window on Craigslist for the south facing wall, and used a small basement window above the nest box for extra ventilation. The artwork is hand painted, and the design for the signage is mine. We are having so much fun with the little birds, who entertain us, keep us paying attention, and will hopefully by mid September, keep us all in eggs!
http://s485.photobucket.com/albums/rr219/photomom_6/?action=view¤t=welcomingcommittee.jpg
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/26222_soffitscreenvent.jpg
We moved to our small homestead nearly 5 years ago, where we are raising our 6 kids. Our newest adventure in homesteading is our flock of 25 chickens! We have buff orpingtons, black australorps, Easter eggers, barred rocks and New Hampshire reds. We suspect that Checkers, the lightest barred rock, complete with comb and now teeny pink wattles, is actually our accidental rooster. I am already plotting a hatch next spring, 4-H chickens, and a future peacock breeding operation!!! Call me crazy, but this is addictive--and fun for all of us!
Jeff was a real trooper, and in the face of rain, thunder, rickety old wooden ladders, sweltering sun, and a runaway 2x4 (which he skillfully stopped with his face--oops!), built me a fantastic chicken coop! It is 6x11, and solid as a rock. It's raised up about 30" off the ground, framed using 2x4s and sheeted with OSB and plywood. We used SunTuf corrugated polycarbonate for the roof, and he stick built the nest box/storage shelf and door himself. We used a spare window as the chicken door, found a beautiful 3x5 picture window on Craigslist for the south facing wall, and used a small basement window above the nest box for extra ventilation. The artwork is hand painted, and the design for the signage is mine. We are having so much fun with the little birds, who entertain us, keep us paying attention, and will hopefully by mid September, keep us all in eggs!
http://s485.photobucket.com/albums/rr219/photomom_6/?action=view¤t=welcomingcommittee.jpg
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/26222_soffitscreenvent.jpg
