Black Acres: The chickens that saved me

[Ponypoor]

View attachment 2941377

Those are awesome!

 

[TropicalBabies]

Those are awesome!

Simple and understated ♡

 

[Eden83_haaretz]

Part 3

What breeds did I bring home?
One Dark Brahma
One Silver Laced Wyandotte
One Dark Blue Laced Wyandotte
One Cream Legbar
One Barred Rock
One Lavender Orpington
One satin smooth silkie
Two white Silkies

I started with a mixed flock so I would have a variety and hopefully figure out which breeds I really enjoyed the most. The Silkies I got simply because I love them.

So at this point, I’ve had my babies in the tote for about 2 weeks, meaning they are 6 weeks old. They were growing SO quickly and I needed to get them more space and a way to spend some time outside, protected, during the day. I had an old play pen that seemed would be suitable for giving them more room than the tote so I set that up for them.
View attachment 2934613

But I still needed something outside. This was on a Sunday and my husband was leaving on a work trip the next morning and would gone all week. He, begrudgingly, built me a 4ftx8ft enclosure for them to be outdoors a few hours a day. Oh, the freedom they must have felt the first time I took them out. The pecked at the grass, took their fist dust baths, and basked in the warmth of the sun. I’d place it right outside my office window so I could keep an eye on them the whole time they were out and when the sun moved and left them no shade, I’d go out and drag the enclosure back into the shade.
View attachment 2934616

Every morning I would clean the play pen and place fresh feed and water. Then every afternoon, I would scoop up each bird, one by one, and place them in the tote; carry the tote out to the yard and then retrieve each bird again and place them in the enclosure. I also drug their food, water, and heat plate back and forth from the play pen to the outdoor enclosure. Then around 4pm, I’d repeat the process in reverse and settle them all in for the night. They grew at a very fast rate in the week my husband was gone. When he returned home, he declared that we had to figure out a coop ASAP. That was music to my ears! And so the coop search began.

You should do something special for your husband everytime he helps you out with your chickens (great way to say thank you and give him an incentive ) seems like he's stressed from what you said and that was sweet that he built you your enclosure before going off on a trip. Exciting that he's said you guys will build a coop, happy for you.

 

[blackacres]

Y’all are so good for my heart. I’m sketching up a plan for the new Serama shed. Johnny and June are anxiously awaiting the arrival of their new cage since I had to cram them in a little one. I’m still dumbfounded that they shipped to me 3 weeks early with no notice. I’ll post my sketch soon but probably won’t begin work on the shed until the weekend because, well, dumb day job gets in the way.

 

[Ponypoor]

Y’all are so good for my heart. I’m sketching up a plan for the new Serama shed. Johnny and June are anxiously awaiting the arrival of their new cage since I had to cram them in a little one. I’m still dumbfounded that they shipped to me 3 weeks early with no notice. I’ll post my sketch soon but probably won’t begin work on the shed until the weekend because, well, dumb day job gets in the way.

Ya, work is a four letter word.....

 

[blackacres]

Johnny and June are enjoying a snack of crackers while they await tomorrow’s delivery of their more spacious cage.

June “caught” me taking pictures from the WiFi camera.

 

[Ponypoor]

Johnny and June are enjoying a snack of crackers while they await tomorrow’s delivery of their more spacious cage.
View attachment 2942231

June “caught” me taking pictures from the WiFi camera.
View attachment 2942232

Any updates? How is the new housing going?!

 

[blackacres]

Any updates? How is the new housing going?!

So sorry! I’ve not been feeling well all week so haven’t been on my update game. Johnny and June got their larger cage yesterday but I still need to make some adjustments. Especially for their feed dish. The little raptors kick it full of shavings every 5 minutes! But they are loving the extra space.

 

[blackacres]

Here is a rough draft of the Serama Shed plans. There will be 8 cages total placed 2 wide and 2 high. They will be on shelves along the East and West walls, so 4 cages on each side. There will be a storage cabinets at the back as well as one directly on the West inside the entry on the door. Small table at the front on the East wall for tabletop show training.

All of the insulation for the shed was purchased last night. We are expecting our first round of Winter weather with snow and ice starting tomorrow night and into Saturday and temps are expected to drop into the negative. So tomorrow I will need to first concentrate my energy on preparing the main coop with some extra bedding and keeping their water from freezing. I hope to feel well enough to get started hanging insulation after that.

 

[Ponypoor]

So sorry! I’ve not been feeling well all week so haven’t been on my update game. Johnny and June got their larger cage yesterday but I still need to make some adjustments. Especially for their feed dish. The little raptors kick it full of shavings every 5 minutes! But they are loving the extra space.
View attachment 2944582

Sorry to hear you're not well. Tis the season....

Glad they are settling in, they look lovely