Our story begins with an empty nest. Seriously, my children are all grown up with their own lives. I needed something to do. My husband and I are shopping at Sam's and they have these really cute chicken coops....$300+....ouch, needless to say I didn't leave Sam's that night with a coop. But the seed had been planted.
a short while later we found ourselves looking at Tractor supply, and guess what?, It was chick days!, I thought "ok", for sure I can talk my hubby into one of their coops, they are alot more reasonably priced and again, cute as a button.
dissapointed again, that night I left with only a magazine about backyard chickens.
We have recently built a home in the country on 2 1/2 acres. This will be just perfect!, or so I thought.
I still had alot of trouble talking the hubby into chicks. Later in the same month I took a day off from work (because - no-reason, I have alot of PTO going unused). i found myself all alone at the Tractor Supply, staring at the baby chicks.
Before i knew it I was inloading the coop at my house! I had it put together before my husband ever got home from work that day.
Oh Boy, was I ever in trouble....Not really, his Bark is much worse than his bite.
It is still chilly outside and when I went to pick up the babies, Tractor Supply has a minimum purchase of 6, well they only had 7 to start with, (all '"specialty chicks"),they are dark rather than light, Of course I got all seven, you cant just leave one lonely chick there by herself. Special note: my coop is only made to house 4 at the most. Hmmm....whats a girl to do? The chicks are living in the spare bedroom, and are a little scaredy cats. I'm wondering if they will be a happy flock and give eggs someday.
The hubby usually beats me home from work each day and about everyday since the little darlings arrived I cone home to find him checking in on the chicks.
A couple of days later while in Lowes, my husband says, " we could turn the old dog pen into a coop", OK, he is now onboard!...well, that day our $1.99 chicks costs us $500 in roofing materials, chicken wire and u bolts and screws. He really is onboard! I have such a great husband!
We spent the next few weekends getting the coop ready. and when they were old enough, we had moving day. The flock is happy in their new dugout. I have named them Dotti, Kit, Mae, Doris, Betty, Evelyn, and hopefully Stillwell (if I end up with a rooster).
We are bonding. I spend about 2-3 hours per day just sitting with them and they are really getting to like me. Their favorite snack is mealworms. We also have BlueBirds and BlueBird boxes.
I Love my chickens and they grow everyday. We have gotten alot of thunderstorms lately and I worry that they are scared outside. I leave the heat lamp on all the time, and they seem to enjoy snuggling together under the lamp. I still have much to learn, and I am excited about this journey we are all on together!
a short while later we found ourselves looking at Tractor supply, and guess what?, It was chick days!, I thought "ok", for sure I can talk my hubby into one of their coops, they are alot more reasonably priced and again, cute as a button.
dissapointed again, that night I left with only a magazine about backyard chickens.
We have recently built a home in the country on 2 1/2 acres. This will be just perfect!, or so I thought.
I still had alot of trouble talking the hubby into chicks. Later in the same month I took a day off from work (because - no-reason, I have alot of PTO going unused). i found myself all alone at the Tractor Supply, staring at the baby chicks.
Before i knew it I was inloading the coop at my house! I had it put together before my husband ever got home from work that day.
Oh Boy, was I ever in trouble....Not really, his Bark is much worse than his bite.
It is still chilly outside and when I went to pick up the babies, Tractor Supply has a minimum purchase of 6, well they only had 7 to start with, (all '"specialty chicks"),they are dark rather than light, Of course I got all seven, you cant just leave one lonely chick there by herself. Special note: my coop is only made to house 4 at the most. Hmmm....whats a girl to do? The chicks are living in the spare bedroom, and are a little scaredy cats. I'm wondering if they will be a happy flock and give eggs someday.
The hubby usually beats me home from work each day and about everyday since the little darlings arrived I cone home to find him checking in on the chicks.
A couple of days later while in Lowes, my husband says, " we could turn the old dog pen into a coop", OK, he is now onboard!...well, that day our $1.99 chicks costs us $500 in roofing materials, chicken wire and u bolts and screws. He really is onboard! I have such a great husband!
We spent the next few weekends getting the coop ready. and when they were old enough, we had moving day. The flock is happy in their new dugout. I have named them Dotti, Kit, Mae, Doris, Betty, Evelyn, and hopefully Stillwell (if I end up with a rooster).
We are bonding. I spend about 2-3 hours per day just sitting with them and they are really getting to like me. Their favorite snack is mealworms. We also have BlueBirds and BlueBird boxes.
I Love my chickens and they grow everyday. We have gotten alot of thunderstorms lately and I worry that they are scared outside. I leave the heat lamp on all the time, and they seem to enjoy snuggling together under the lamp. I still have much to learn, and I am excited about this journey we are all on together!