It’s time to meet the last four girls… everyone seems to be doing really well! I’m hoping to get the coop as close to finished as I can tomorrow… might have to hold off on the painting as it’s supposed to rain on Sunday.
Gwen
Meet Gwen. I think she might be my lone Dominique chick, but it’s hard to tell with these last 3 black chicks. However, she has the most while, mostly on her belly, like a penguin. She was really mad at me in this picture because I set her down on the workbench and she wanted to be with her buddies. She’s the littlest of all of my chicks.
Gwen
Cleo
Meet Cleo. I think she’s my Speckled Sussex chick. I named her Cleo because she has very Cleopatra-like eyeliner.
Cleo
Domino
Meet Domino, who I think is one of my Barred Rock chicks. She’s got a couple white splotches but is mostly black.
Domino
Dice
Meet Dice, who I think is my other Barred Rock chick. She gets her name because she has the most black and white speckles all over her (unlike Domino who has patches).
Things have definitely been moving along with the coop and with the chicks. Over the past few days I’ve been working hard on the coop, but my hubby has been working extra hard!
Walls With Roof Beams
After that, it was time to put the siding on. We were super tired because we had the Garth Brooks concert the night before (stay tuned for that post), and it seemed to take forever to get just two walls up. Mike was driving home the next day and remembered his trick for putting siding up alone (leveled nails across the bottom) and had the other two walls up before I got home.
Two Sides
Then, he got bored while I was at work today, and poof! we have a roof! It’s the same color as the roof on our house and pump shed… I’ll be painting the coop the same wall and trim color as well!
Roof!
I did my part today and built the nest box when I got home from work. I still need to cut the hole for it (it will go just under the window you see in the roof picture above) and screw it in, but it’s set!
Nest Box
Tonight the ladies got a new little home… for now at least. They were starting to outgrow their little tub… they were always stepping all over each other and squawking. So, I decided to make use of my childhood fort building skills and create this architectural wonder that rivals the Egyptian pyramids:
The New Hangout
Ok, it’s ugly. But it gets the job done and the chicks are already loving it. The first thing they did when I put them in was to run around and flap their wings.
Tomorrow will be the final “meet the girls” post with the last four chicks. I can’t believe how fast they’re growing!
Today is my Shadow’s 10th birthday (the equivalent of about 75 years old in people years). I can’t believe it! He’s spent 8 of those years with me and I’ve loved every minute of it. Mike made him scrambled eggs this morning… he’s definitely a spoiled pup! I love my little old man!
A year ago today, a little redheaded gelding named Sue came into my life.
He’s taught me patience, he’s taught me strength. He’s taught me to remember to breathe. He’s taught me how to have a conversation without saying a word. He’s taught me what an amazing gift whole hearted trust can be. He’s taught me that I can’t muscle my way through life and that sometimes I just have to relax. He’s taught me to face my fears (and his) head on.
I’ve been bloodied, I’ve been bruised, I’ve laughed until my belly hurt. We’ve run from lightning and toward puddles. We’ve even competed in two shows. My car smells like a barn, especially when it gets hot outside. I do too… and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
I am so happy that I became Sue’s person on March 27, 2014… I can’t imagine a better horse for me! I’m also amazingly lucky to have a wonderfully supportive husband who has backed my adventure 100%. I truly do have the most fantastic life! I can’t wait to see what the next year brings!
No one died today (can’t wait until I don’t have to start a post with that) and the walls are up, so I thought I’d name another.
Eagle
Meet Eagle. I think she’s one of the Barred Rock chicks, but it’s really hard to tell… the remaining unnamed chicks are all very similar in coloring and I have a feeling I may have some of the breeds wrong on the others. Her name comes from the fact that she is the first chick to roost… she flies on top of the feeder and settles in there, like an eagle in it’s nest. In fact, she spends most of her time up there looking down on the other chicks.
Today was wall day… Mike and I headed down to the orchard with my walls strapped to the back of the truck. They went up pretty easily. Well, with one confession… we did put that front wall on backwards at first. But it was quick and easy enough to fix! I am blown away… it’s like a real structure now! Solid and everything lined up… I can’t believe it! Not bad for someone who has never built something in her life!
Today was day two of the chicken coop project… as the sun set I had one very smashed finger, two bruised knees, four strong walls, and a borrowed screw gun. My neighbor (who is a contractor) intervened when he heard me hammering angrily… mentioning that I might “have more fun” if I borrowed his screw gun. The man is an angel… it was definitely easier!
Today’s goal was to get the walls finished. The first wall I tackled was the hardest… the wall that would have the door for the people to get in and out of. There was just a lot of measuring and cutting.
The People Door Wall
The next walls I tackled were the two side walls. Each of these will have a window, complete with shutters to keep the elements out. I’ve decided that I won’t be putting a glass window in… just screening it with hardware cloth and then adding functional shutters. Much of my chicken research has said that ventilation in coops is notoriously bad… people are so worried about their girls getting cold that they don’t provide a healthy respiratory environment. So, I’m counting on those feathers to do what they’re designed to do and I’ll use the shutters to keep the rain out.
The Side Walls
And, the chicken door wall. This one is the one I’m most proud of. It looks deceivingly simple… but for someone with zero experience building things, I think I did a pretty good job. I had to Youtube how to cut at the 15 degree angle, but I got it! This will be connected to the run and will have the door the chickens will use to get in and out of the coop.
The Wall With The Chicken DoorThe Angle
That little lip is intentional… since the roof is designed to slope towards the chicken door, I’m going to put a little gutter on and get it to drain into a barrel… that way we’ll have reclaimed water for the garden!
Finally, the finger. I got frustrated with the screws (pre-neighbor intervention) and started using nails… was doing a great job (hammering hard) when the nail wobbled and I smacked my finger. I hate to say it, but I said some choice words that are not appropriate for use on Sundays. I dripped blood around the garage (now muttering those choice words because my finger went numb) and then went inside to wash it out. I slapped a band aid on and headed back out to dominate the nail. True hardcore carpenter style. I think I’m gonna make it through the night, but wouldn’t be surprised if I developed one of those really cool black finger nails.
Workman’s Comp?
Next up… we attach the walls and get to work on the roof! I can’t wait for it to look like a real structure!
Today I started on my chicken coop. My husband was super cute… he came down “to make sure I got started and show me tips and tricks”. I think he wanted to help a bit… he ended up spending the afternoon with me. It was nice to work together!
First, I cut and framed the wood for the floor… then covered it in 3/4 inch plywood.
The Floor
That was the easy part… then we drove it down to the orchard (where the coop will be) and started trying to figure out exactly how to get it seated on the piers… it took some digging, measuring, and leveling, but we eventually got it!
The Floor & Foundation
I know it doesn’t seem like much, but let me tell you, that was the hardest part of this whole project. It’s perfectly seated on the piers, is perfectly level, and is braced. That spaced underneath is intentional… it’s a place for the chickens to go to get shade or get out of the rain (if they want to be outside the coop). I am so happy!
Tomorrow… the walls!
While we were moving things around, I noticed how amazing my lavender looks right now:
Lavender PathwayBusy Bee
I leave you with today’s chick pic… I have a chick who already likes to roost… she hopped right up on top of the feeder and settled in!
Very good news from the Blankenheim homestead today… no one died. So, I’ll go ahead and name two more.
Blondie
Blondie
Meet Blondie, my eight day old Gold Sex Link chicken (I think… it’s very hard to tell the Gold and Red Sex Link apart… especially since the other is now no longer with us for comparison). She’s a little bit shy, but once you get her in your hand, she likes to hang out! I love her pretty blonde feathers!
Stretch
Stretch
Meet Stretch, my eight day old Rhode Island Red chicken. She is by far my favorite. I gave her the name Stretch because she’s always craning her neck to see over the other chicks. She comes over and will eat out of my hand. If I put my hand in the box, she’ll peck at the diamond in my ring. This little girl is most definitely the leader of the flock. AND, get this… she SINGS. It’s the most beautiful little sound. I love her!!!
I came home today to find one of my chicks had died. I don’t know exactly what it was, but she was cold and had been gone for a while. Thankfully, it wasn’t a case of the other chicks pecking her to death… she must have been sick or weak or something.
I had planned on starting on the coop tonight but was a bit bummed and decided to save it for later this week.
Down The Road I Go 