The Homestead Bungalow

[Arelwood]

Hi, this is going to be my spot where I post all the things relating to my chickens, homesteading, gardening. Follow along if you want.

Starting off with my chicks as babies, as this is Backyard Chickens after all!

My first batch of chicks was 3 Polish that I purchased at a local feed store on 2/23/22. They were hatched on the lucky 02/02/2022! I had no idea what I was looking for in Polish chicks, but I really wanted different colors. Gave it my best shot, but ended up with 2 Gold Laced and 1 Silver Laced.

1. Bellamy - I thought she might be something other than the 3 common colors, but she is a Gold Laced. She was the darkest in the bin. At the store, her head poof was indistinguishable from her body. She has a funky toenail growing at an angle.

2. Marlowe. I was pretty sure this was a Gold Laced at the time I picked her out. She is the largest of my 3. Her crest was off-centered and not symmetrical. She has a toenail growing at a 90 degree angle from where it should be. Look at those fluffy cheeks!

3. Moira. I wasn't even sure if she was a Polish at first. She was in a mixed bin with Appenzeller Spitzes. She was literally perfect in every way physically, at least as far as I know.

Here is a picture of their first brooder. It's a doggy playpen. I had both a heat lamp and a brooder plate. They never used the plate so I took it out eventually. I had the lamp secured in 5 different places.

 

[N F C]

Cute chicks, thanks for sharing pictures!

 

[Arelwood]

Cute chicks, thanks for sharing pictures!

Thanks! I have a lot of pictures. Some better ones, but I was worried on day 1 that they were cold.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

[Arelwood]

I got some picture envy from Instagram. Did a little photo shoot with my 3 day olds.

Bellamy > Marlowe > Lorelai (later changed to Moira) Although they were all unnamed at this point!

Their personalities are coming out. Bellamy is a scaredy-cat. Marlowe is inquisitive and likes to be held. Lorelai/Moira is stand-offish. She pooped on me when I tried to cuddle her.

Marlowe had pasty butt for the first few days, but has recovered nicely.

 

[Arelwood]

Early March 2022 I started working on the coop. It is still very cold in my part of the world. Usually dipping below freezing often until early May.

That being the case, I wanted something that would be quick. I also don't have a lot of building tools, so I decided to get a pre-fab coop from TSC. Thought for sure that it would be quick and easy. Boy, was I naive.

Being and unfinished wood product, I wanted to give it a "few good coats of exterior paint." This thing soaked up a least 5 coats of paint. And since I was doing this all in my basement due to the polar vortex outside, it took forever to paint each piece. I had to do one piece, one side at a time. Let it dry and move on to the next. It literally took the whole month of March.

Of course, painting was not the only thing. It also needed some modifications. Predator proofing, upgraded hardware, ventilation, better roosts and so much more.

Here it is freshly painted, but without most of the modifications:

After doing some math, I discovered that I would likely only be permitted to keep 3-4 chickens with this coop. Have to have a permit to have chickens in city limits where I am. And since I was already planning on adding 3 silkies to my flock.....back to the drawing board.

Couldn't really start over with a new coop due to budgetary concerns, so I had to find a a way to increase my square footage with my current coop. I decided to enclose the run that is under the coop. In my mind, it would be perfect for silkies who don't fly well and have trouble seeing. It is just a tiny step up. The downstairs flat has its own nesting box and a low roost. This doubles my floor space, but halves the run space. More on that later!

Here is an interior picture of the bottom coop. I thought I could wallpaper it, but it wouldn't stick.

Here is the top portion of the coop. I made curtains for the nesting boxes out of fabric that I have had for over a decade. I also plan on making a set for the downstairs coop at some point.

 

[Arelwood]

Early March I finally got my hands on some Silkies! These are what I originally wanted from the get go. My feed store finally got them in, after a delay due to storms. Hatched 3/1/22. Just about a week younger than my Polish.

I got 3. Hoping for a splash or blue, a buff, and a partridge.

From left to right: David, Maisel, and Satine. Not named at the time of photo. It actually took me a really long time to think of a name for the yellow chick. A full two weeks after I named everybody else, she was just "Baby."

Here are the Polish at 1 week old: Bellamy, Moira, Marlowe
Apologies for all the blurry pictures. It is kinda dark in my basement and they move so fast!

 

[Arelwood]

I spent a huge chunk of my day outside in my backyard because it was finally nice out! I am showing this picture in particular, because you can see the Chicken Yard that I am working on. It is the lattice structure in the back right corner.
The Yard holds the TSC modified coop and a wire chicken kennel. It is fully fenced and I will be putting netting over the top and adding a door.
The Yard will feature my compost pile, chicken safe plantings, dustbaths, perches, logs and whatever other entertainment I can think of.
I will also put in a pest-proof, weather-proof bench to keep the feed in. I am tired of schlepping food from my garage to the coop.

More pictures of my yard from this beautiful last weekend!

Don't mind the dead flamingo - it was windy. This bed is showing the most growth so far this season. Everything is about a month behind because of the record low rainfall and late season cold we had this year. A bunch of things didn't make it.

Here is a picture from the entrance of the Chicken Yard. It's a work in process. This used to be my pool patio, which is why there is a perfectly round patch of grass. Decided to move the pool out to the lawn and use the area as the chicken yard. It was already enclosed on 3 sides, so that made my life much easier!
There isn't a lot of shade, so I threw some old patio cushions over the kennel. My chickens are not used to the 80 degree weather yet, and I didn't want them to suffer. Then, it started raining for 3 days straight, so I put a shower curtain on top. Its....hillbilly, but it works for now! I do have plans to hang a shade sail after I get the guidewires up for the netting.