This is one of my first posts, but Ive been lurking a couple months & learning a lot!! My computer died right after I signed up, so just have been able to check recent posts a couple times a day from work.
We bought 6 chicks the beginning of April from our local feed store, thinking wed end up with 3 or 4. To our surprise, they are all thriving & we have 6 healthy 13 week pullets now. Must have done something right! We have 3 Rhode Island Reds and 3 sold as Ameraucanas, but from reading on here, they are likely Easter Eggers, I think. They are very pretty, one mostly black with gold highlights & the other 2 reversed, mostly Golden with black highlights. Our son gave the Ameraucanas patriotic names, Freedom, Liberty & Justice. The RIR are Indy, Lena & Nugget, but as he said, I named them Mom, so we can NOT eat them now!
This is our first experience with chickens and we are finding it very interesting. We are raising them for the eggs & the experience for our 10 year old son, but find they are fun to just watch. Our coop and run are fairly basic, but we are making it nice since it is right off our back deck/relaxation area, by design so we can sit and enjoy them and the garden behind. It seems like it is taking FOREVER to finish!!
Just a few more details & finishing the roof & we will be done! They have been living in it for about a month, had it tarped on top & now bird netting on the open section since we do have hawks & eagles. Need to budget the cost of materials! We painted the run supports white & the coop will be purple! The shed that it is attached to will be purple as well. A nice spot of color in the yard! The run is decent size for them, but the coop is maybe a little small. We don't have harsh winters really, so the probably won't spend a lot of time in it. We can possibly add on if needed down the road.
We live in farm area just about 3 miles outside the small town of Sumner in Western Washington State. Our house is one of the original farmhouses in the area, but we just have about an acre of land along a creek. Our neighbor has chickens and her only predator issue has been rats getting into the food if she leaves the run door open while they free range. Shes noticed a hawk watching them, but we both have roofs on the runs. There are coyotes & possums around, but havent had any issues. We just spotted a weasel this weekend in a tree across the creek & neighbors saw it in their storage barn, so will keep an eye out for it. My backyard is fenced with 5-6 foot wood or field fencing & hers is all open. My coops slightly harder to get to, but I dont plan to free range at this time, I dont feel comfortable enough. Maybe down the road.
So thats me for now. Once I get a better working computer I plan to do a page with my chicks & coop! I love all the info I am finding here! Especially proof that our coop is NOT the Taj Mahal Chicken Condo, as my hubby calls it!! There are so many awesome ones out there! Will post some pics when I am able.
We bought 6 chicks the beginning of April from our local feed store, thinking wed end up with 3 or 4. To our surprise, they are all thriving & we have 6 healthy 13 week pullets now. Must have done something right! We have 3 Rhode Island Reds and 3 sold as Ameraucanas, but from reading on here, they are likely Easter Eggers, I think. They are very pretty, one mostly black with gold highlights & the other 2 reversed, mostly Golden with black highlights. Our son gave the Ameraucanas patriotic names, Freedom, Liberty & Justice. The RIR are Indy, Lena & Nugget, but as he said, I named them Mom, so we can NOT eat them now!
This is our first experience with chickens and we are finding it very interesting. We are raising them for the eggs & the experience for our 10 year old son, but find they are fun to just watch. Our coop and run are fairly basic, but we are making it nice since it is right off our back deck/relaxation area, by design so we can sit and enjoy them and the garden behind. It seems like it is taking FOREVER to finish!!
We live in farm area just about 3 miles outside the small town of Sumner in Western Washington State. Our house is one of the original farmhouses in the area, but we just have about an acre of land along a creek. Our neighbor has chickens and her only predator issue has been rats getting into the food if she leaves the run door open while they free range. Shes noticed a hawk watching them, but we both have roofs on the runs. There are coyotes & possums around, but havent had any issues. We just spotted a weasel this weekend in a tree across the creek & neighbors saw it in their storage barn, so will keep an eye out for it. My backyard is fenced with 5-6 foot wood or field fencing & hers is all open. My coops slightly harder to get to, but I dont plan to free range at this time, I dont feel comfortable enough. Maybe down the road.
So thats me for now. Once I get a better working computer I plan to do a page with my chicks & coop! I love all the info I am finding here! Especially proof that our coop is NOT the Taj Mahal Chicken Condo, as my hubby calls it!! There are so many awesome ones out there! Will post some pics when I am able.
