Hi everyone. My name is Lori, and I've just joined the forum. I'm (hopefully) a soon-to-be chicken momma. My husband and I recently moved to a 1.75 acre property. The neighbors have free range chickens that they acquired when the other neighbor moved and didn't take the chickens. I discovered that one of their hens had hatched a clutch of chicks in my lean to. I went over to let them know, and they told me that I could keep them if I wanted to. Unfortunately, I wasn't prepared (no coop, no run) to keep them, and momma hen disappeared with the chicks the next day. I don't think they survived, as I see the chickens out and about, but no chicks.
I set up some "chicken lures" in my lean to - old kitchen drawers, lined with dry weeds and grass, and a golf ball for inspiration. The hen came back, and now I have six (possibly seven - she was back in there today) eggs in one of the nesting boxes, and another egg appeared in the other nesting box yesterday (the whole flock, including the rooster, were in there poking around, so apparently she brought her friends over!)
My hope is that I can move her and the nesting box into a coop that I will be building over the next couple of weeks (my understanding is that the eggs will hatch right around 21 days after she starts sitting). I was hoping to get it built this weekend, but the weather is not cooperating.
I want to thank everyone in advance for all the information you have made available on this site. It's already helped me to answer several questions I have.
If there are any other members in my area, I'd love to have a mentor so I can do this right!
Thanks again!
Lori
I set up some "chicken lures" in my lean to - old kitchen drawers, lined with dry weeds and grass, and a golf ball for inspiration. The hen came back, and now I have six (possibly seven - she was back in there today) eggs in one of the nesting boxes, and another egg appeared in the other nesting box yesterday (the whole flock, including the rooster, were in there poking around, so apparently she brought her friends over!)
My hope is that I can move her and the nesting box into a coop that I will be building over the next couple of weeks (my understanding is that the eggs will hatch right around 21 days after she starts sitting). I was hoping to get it built this weekend, but the weather is not cooperating.
I want to thank everyone in advance for all the information you have made available on this site. It's already helped me to answer several questions I have.
If there are any other members in my area, I'd love to have a mentor so I can do this right!
Thanks again!
Lori
from Ohio. So glad you joined. 
