Building My First Coop

[aart]

They grudgingly went back to getting ready for school

Yeah, send them off so we can play with the chicks!
How old are your boys?

 

[adirondak5]

Yeah, send them off so we can play with the chicks!

Ha !

How old are your boys?

They are our grandsons , my wife and I obtained full custody of them back in 2014 , they are now 10 , 8 , and 5 . They have really been looking forward to the chickens , its kinda like Christmas day for them today .

 

[K0k0shka]

Congrats! Exciting news. Looking forward to seeing the pictures later! Those are some lucky boys. Are chickens common in your area? They’re quite the novelty over here so we already have the kids’ friends asking for chicken play dates for next year

 

[adirondak5]

Congrats! Exciting news. Looking forward to seeing the pictures later! Those are some lucky boys. Are chickens common in your area? They’re quite the novelty over here so we already have the kids’ friends asking for chicken play dates for next year

Thank you . Chickens are somewhat common in my area , usually people that don't have any know somebody that does . The boys have names picked out for all of them already , like Chicken Nugget , Chicken Fingers , and such . When my friend supplies us with his fresh eggs the boys all ask for eggs, scrambled or fried for breakfast , store bought eggs they turn their noses at . So they are really looking forward to gathering thheir own eggs in a few months .
Here's some pics of the little ones , they are out of their huddle box investigating their new home already.

 

[K0k0shka]

Adorable!! Yes, having your own food source works really well in getting kids to eat right. Especially if they help out with it. Having our own garden where the kids plant the seeds, water, and harvest, has done wonders in getting them to *want* to eat vegetables. When they were younger, in the long stretch between growing seasons they'd forget about the garden and start refusing peppers and tomatoes and such, and then the new crop would renew their interest and spill over to store-bought produce as well. Now they're old enough to remember and continue eating vegetables even in the winter, even if they're from the store. Now they absolutely love peppers, and used to hate them before. Hopefully we'll have the same effect with the eggs as well. Do you have a garden? It really pays off with kids.

 

[adirondak5]

Adorable!! Yes, having your own food source works really well in getting kids to eat right. Especially if they help out with it. Having our own garden where the kids plant the seeds, water, and harvest, has done wonders in getting them to *want* to eat vegetables. When they were younger, in the long stretch between growing seasons they'd forget about the garden and start refusing peppers and tomatoes and such, and then the new crop would renew their interest and spill over to store-bought produce as well. Now they're old enough to remember and continue eating vegetables even in the winter, even if they're from the store. Now they absolutely love peppers, and used to hate them before. Hopefully we'll have the same effect with the eggs as well. Do you have a garden? It really pays off with kids.

Thanks . We do have a small garden , cabbage , tomatoes , cucumbers and such . Yea , the boys like the home grown even if you can't tell the difference . This will be a good adventure/learning experience for them and the wife and me . Its great to get the kids involved in things like this , keeps them outdoors , away from TV and video games and they can see and learn about life/nature .

 

[adirondak5]

The little ones all look good this morning , it got down to the high 40's last night , I left the "Cozy Heater" on low all night , when I checked on them last night after dark they were not near the heater but they were all huddled together sleeping . They are all eating , drinking , scratching the shavings around and doing fine by the looks of them . I think I'll keep them locked up today and maybe let them out into the run tomorrow . 2 full days locked up seems like it should be long enough to get them homed on their new home .

 

[adirondak5]

Had to pick up the little ones and put them out in the run today , I had the door open for a few hours and they would look out but wouldn't venture out . Now that they've been out for a little while they are scratching , feeding , drinking , and exploring . It got down to about 41* last night , I had the heat panel on low , they showed no signs this morning of being cold . It seems to me that they are feathered out enough to take these lower temps quite well but I'll keep the heat panel on at night for a while yet .

 

[aart]

Next 'test' will be...will they go back up the ramp tonite.
Probably not.
Boys might have fun sprinkling some feed on the ramp and gently placing the birds there.

 

[adirondak5]

Next 'test' will be...will they go back up the ramp tonite.
Probably not.
Boys might have fun sprinkling some feed on the ramp and gently placing the birds there.

Ha , yes . We already talked about putting them back in this evening , I'm sure they are not gonna go willingly , but the boys will have no problem going in the run and helping them along .