sn0wwhite's Wichita Coop for the Twin Cities

[Bogtown Chick]

Happy Spring! It's wet and muddy and I guess that's normal huh? Boy, 4 hens can surely decimate a yard....

But I got great news yesterday... We got approved for a grant from the county AND a grant from the city to cover the cost of the rain garden we'll be putting in our yard. The only drawback... there's a deadline to complete the work!

The tank isn't part of the plans.. yet. The county liked the idea but the scope of the grant was really rain garden related with native plants. So that's ok, we'll go that route first.

There are some neat ornamental looking grasses, ferns that are considered native to MN. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised what you'll be able to start out with.

I sense you like unique things too (me too!) So that's the hard part I'm sure not being able to plant what you most desire. I googled rain gardens....very very neat idea--a lot you can do! I have low spots around the coop and thought about something like this...It's more than I'd like to tackle myself though...LOL.

 

[sn0wwhite]

@aart No, I wont need to fence the girls out, because I'm working in the front yard for this garden so they kind of already are fenced out.

Although, I did have to cover my garden. I've put 7 foot posts around it and covered it in welded wire. I still have to do the front... I'm thinking I'll make a door similar to what I made on the coop and then put just chicken wire on the sides. (I used all the welded wire.)

The picture was taken from an upstairs window with a screen... so the wire is actually about 2x3 inches - not hardware cloth.

And Amy... yes, part of the fun was choosing plants! It may change but right now I'm planning Columbine, Butterfly Milkweed, Blue False Indigo, Southern Blue Flag Iris, Purple Cone Flower, Black Eyed Susan, Huecheras and Prairie Onion.

I'm hoping after this is done to put more edible plants (also around the front yard away from the chickens) including grapes, raspberries, asparagus, peppers, cabbage, Dwarf Bush Honesuckle and herbs. Ideally I'd cut mowing down to just a path through the yard!

This idea started a few years ago when one of the students we hosted from France said to me after we went for an evening walk through the neighborhood, "I think it is only Americans who give water to their grass." And it is a bit crazy that we fertilize, weed and water just to mow the useless stuff.

 

[sn0wwhite]

Here's a better picture from the ground.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Wendy you do things so completely and neat. It's fun to see your garden, coop and such. Would you be interested in wild grapes for this garden? They grow all over the place up here. My mom for years has sent us shimmying up trees to harvest in late September and the jelly is out of this world! I have been considering a domestic grape my sister grows in her garden in Savage..... I don't know the variety and she doesn't either. But now my kids have been saying how much they love grandma's jelly. That maybe I should go get a slip from the woods.

 

[sn0wwhite]

Oh, I absolutely want grapes! I've been looking around to see where I can order them!

In other news, I think Omelet has gone broody! She wont come out of the nest box but otherwise seems fine. Bad timing for this because I don't have a broody jail prepared and I don't think I'll get time until Saturday afternoon to set one up. Dangit.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Which breed is your omelet? The Orpington? I have my silkie on 5 eggs now. In her 2nd week. It's kind of fun and exciting. But previously have broke my broody BA with a bare dog crate in the garage. Lots of treats. Lights on all night. Takes about 3 days to break them, the darlings....

 

[sn0wwhite]

It's the BA.
Does my broody jail look ok?

 

[aart]

Ha!! That'll teach her...look's OK to me; food, water, airy bottom.
Maybe smaller mesh on the bottom for better footing...like maybe a piece of hardware cloth?

 

[sn0wwhite]

Good idea on the hardware cloth! I actually turned it upside down because the bottom bottom was even wider spaces! I'll go fix that.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Good call on the foot care aart. I use the same sort of wire kennel only sized for a lab. But it has a hard bottom plastic tray that can be hosed out when I let the broody out for her leg stretching, treats with the flock, and of course her break for it back to her favorite nest. I like the idea of a vented bottom which poo can fall through though.