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.
I’ve been hesitant to name the chicks thus far as I’ve heard from multiple people that bad things can happen to your chicks. According to Jason Price at Modern Farmer, “At least one of your chickens will die a horrible death”, via random disease, predator attack, or in his case, dog-he-was-pet-sitting-attack. If you know me, you know I get attached, and fast. So, for these first few days, I’ve tried to remain emotionally unattached, which I’m failing miserably at.
Without further ado, I introduce you to the first two chicks I’ve named.
Legs
Legs
Meet Legs, my six-day old Feather Legged Cuckoo Maran. She will eventually lose all of that black down and develop black and white speckled feathers. She’s a bit different than the Brown Cuckoo Maran you will meet later, in that she has feathered legs (hopefully you caught that already from the breed name). You can see them starting to grow in the picture. Thus, the name Legs. I can’t wait to see what she looks like when she gets older!
Chip
Chip
Meet Chip, my six-day old Welsummer. Her full name is “Chipmunk” because she very much looks like a chipmunk when you look at her from the top down. She is very similar to the Speckled Sussex… in fact, I had to do some research to be able to tell them apart at this point. The key differentiation seems to be the legs… the Welsummer has pinkish legs while the Speckled Sussex has yellowish legs. You learn something new every day!
Over the past few years I’ve thought off and on about getting chickens. We live on a little over five acres and with the exception of the land right around the house, we let most of the property remain natural. We’ve got a good chunk fenced off for Shadow and another chunk fenced for my orchard. Every spring I’ve seen the sweet little chicks at the feed stores, but haven’t quite been ready to take the step. My sister went on Thursday to get some of her own… and it finally spurred me to get some of my own!
I ended up getting a variety of breeds and colors… some of them look very similar as chicks, but will look very different as adult hens. None of them will be meat birds… we’re just looking for eggs.
Rhode Island Red: an American breed of chicken known for it’s egg laying and hardiness.
Rhode Island Red
Barred Rock: (also known as Plymouth Rock) a breed of chicken that originated in the United States and is a cold hardy bird. They lay a light brown egg that can have a hint of pink. I got two of these ones.
Barred Rock Chicken
Gold Sex Link: a breed of chicken whose color at hatching is differentiated by sex, which makes it very easy to tell a hen from a rooster.
Gold Sex Link Chicken
Brown Cuckoo Maran: a breed of chicken that originates from a western region of France, known for their dark brown eggs (and fine meat quality).
Brown Cuckoo Maran
Welsummer: a Dutch chicken breed from the small villiage of Welsum, known for being friendly and intelligent.
Welsummer Chicken
Feather Legged Cuckoo Maran: similar breed to the brown cuckoo maran, only these guys have feathers down their legs.
Feather Legged Cuckoo Maran
Red Sex Link: a redder version of the gold sex link (see above)
Red Sex Link Chicken
Dominique: considered America’s oldest chicken breed, known for their meat and brown eggs
Dominique Chicken
My little chicks look nothing like the pictures above. You have to use a red heat lamp because chickens are naturally cannibalistic and if for some reason one of them has any blood on it, they’ll peck it to death. The red light helps to hide anything that might trigger peckfest. That said, my garage looks like the red light district… and we have windows, so it shines outside.
The Red Light District
Here are the ladies (well, hopefully all ladies) without the red glow. They were a little agitated because they had been taking a nap and I woke them up.
Meet The Ladies!
I decided that I am going to build my own coop… I have about a month before they are ready to leave their box and I have picked out a section of the orchard (that way we have double fencing) that I think would be perfect. I want to build a functional coop with a HUGE run. I can’t wait!!!
Down The Road I Go 