Over the winter we decided to get started on our chicken adventure in 2015

Over the winter we decided to get started on our chicken adventure in 2015. We decided to start small and see how it would go. Ordering ready to lay birds from our local supply store only gave us one date for delivery, June 30^th. 

Come June we started the prep work to get this up and running. Ordered 164’ of electric poultry net fencing and a solar charger to power it. Plans were perused online for a coop, skimming the features that we wanted to use in ours. The coop was cobbled together with gifted and recycled wood as much as possible. Only a few sheets of 4x8 were purchased to complete the structure and hardware for latches and such.

 I’m not well versed in standard stick frame construction and do things a little backwards on small buildings like the coop and outhouse. My builder buddy would likely cringe with how I get them up but I know he was impressed by our ‘Cadillac’ of an outhouse! After toiling and swearing, and toiling some more, we finally had a structure. We put Ice and Water Shield on the roof and Tricia coated it with some paint we had around. The Coop De Jour was done!

 An area was prepped for the netting enclosure and one of the 27 4’x4’x4’ wire cubes we were gifted was mounted to the front of the coop as an outdoor safe run. Bought a waterer and made a feed tube out of 3” pipe. A lot of work and time but all in all the chickens and us are quite pleased with the results. I know the Girls are happy because you don’t expect eggs for the first 2-4 weeks they say. We got 2 eggs in the first couple hours of their arrival and a total of 9 by the end of the first week. In this first whole week since we have gotten 25 more small, delicious eggs from our Girls. Plans already in the works for more layers and meat birds next year.

 Now time to start getting some bags down and walls up on the house.