- Apr 7, 2013
- 3
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- 7
Hi all! I've been learning from Backyard Chicken for a while, but just decided to come out of the shadows and into the light of conversation and community. I had an idea last Easter that my husband and I would get two cute little chicks (don't groan yet...we researched and planned for being responsible chicken owners!) so my kids could learn about how animals grow, so we could gather a few eggs one day, so we could be more self sufficient...all of the great innocent starting reasons to get started. It should have been a clue when the kids and I picked up our first 2 chicks and ended up getting 4, just in case. Then we modified an old utility building, got curious about permaculture, converted half to a greenhouse and ended up losing 1 chick and replacing it with 3. We've since lost 1 more chick (none with any clear causes of death) and added two more for a grand total of 7. The current make up is 3 Americanas, 2 barred rocks, 1 welsummer, and 1 rhode island red. Since we want to free range, but apparently forgot to read the part about chickens destroying your garden, we have since build a 4 foot x 40 foot run off the front of the coop that is just about to get renovated in a good way. The kids LOVE the chickens and even our German Shepherd has developed a fondness...in a good way! Glad to be a part of a community that loves their flocks! Our only recent tragedy is our beloved barred rock, Blue, has broken or dislocated a leg and can't move much at all...and her care pretty much dominated our weekend, leaving us with making some tough decisions over the next couple days. I guess it can't all be fun and eggs. Here are a few pics of our set up. Thanks for reading about our scoop on the coop.
