My name is Kristy and I live in Plymouth MA in a historic house that the state owns. The house is part of a state park called The Ellisville Harbor State Park. Once a thriving (6000 chickens!) poultry farm, it's now 101 acres of trails, marsh, beach and woods. It's BEAUTIFUL and we love it.
We have 3 dogs (a mastiff/lab, greyhound/lab and MinPin), 3 cats (soon to be MORE... again!) 6 chickens, 2 turtles and a "partridge in a pear tree..."
Seriously- we DO have a pear tree!
Anyway, we have a LOT of land to tame into some semblance of a yard so we just have a small coop right now. Eventually we'll have a decent sized coop I inherited from my father but for now I'm lucky if I can handle 6. I hounded and hounded my husband to build me a chicken coop but there is SO much to do around here that it was low on his "list" so I found someone down the Cape who built me one for short money. Then I bought all the stuff to make the pen but it's very flimsy. I feel like I need to be outside at all times because I just don't feel the chickens are safe in that pen. I did find someone who was giving away an old dog kennel so that'll be perfect but I won't get it for 2 or 3 weeks! Until then.... eek!
So I'm struggling with 3 dogs who want to "play" with the chickens, amazed the 3 cats could care less and dumbfounded that my youngest son (14 yrs old) seems to be a natural born chicken-whisperer!! I haven't even had them 24 hrs and I've already had 4 eggs!
Does anyone know if I should leave the eggs in the coop or put stone or wooden ones in there? Someone told me they'll stop laying if they think there's a predator (which they will if you take the eggs all the time). Also, can you leave them out or do they have to be refrigerated like store bought eggs?
Thank everyone and I'm GLAD I found you!!
Kristy
www.harlowfarmhouse.com
We have 3 dogs (a mastiff/lab, greyhound/lab and MinPin), 3 cats (soon to be MORE... again!) 6 chickens, 2 turtles and a "partridge in a pear tree..."
Seriously- we DO have a pear tree!
Anyway, we have a LOT of land to tame into some semblance of a yard so we just have a small coop right now. Eventually we'll have a decent sized coop I inherited from my father but for now I'm lucky if I can handle 6. I hounded and hounded my husband to build me a chicken coop but there is SO much to do around here that it was low on his "list" so I found someone down the Cape who built me one for short money. Then I bought all the stuff to make the pen but it's very flimsy. I feel like I need to be outside at all times because I just don't feel the chickens are safe in that pen. I did find someone who was giving away an old dog kennel so that'll be perfect but I won't get it for 2 or 3 weeks! Until then.... eek!
So I'm struggling with 3 dogs who want to "play" with the chickens, amazed the 3 cats could care less and dumbfounded that my youngest son (14 yrs old) seems to be a natural born chicken-whisperer!! I haven't even had them 24 hrs and I've already had 4 eggs!
Does anyone know if I should leave the eggs in the coop or put stone or wooden ones in there? Someone told me they'll stop laying if they think there's a predator (which they will if you take the eggs all the time). Also, can you leave them out or do they have to be refrigerated like store bought eggs?
Thank everyone and I'm GLAD I found you!!
Kristy
www.harlowfarmhouse.com
