Getting Comfortable

The girls have been in their new digs for a week now, and things are going well.  The older three used the nest boxes perfectly the very first time, but they don't really understand the roosts.  They are both laying eggs and sleeping in the boxes.  Silly birds.  The two babies are slowly acclimating to the older three.  The BOs and the GLWs hang out separately, but Layla mingles with both pairs pretty well.  There haven't been any squabbles, but the older three have yet to let the babes cuddle at night in the nesting boxes.

We are expecting a few days with very cold temperature here, so I made sure to wrap a portion of the run so they would have a wind free area outside.  The high on Tuesday will be 0˚F!  I may be putting some hot water bottles in the hen house the next couple nights!

A view of Pikes Peak from our backyard coop.

Happy chickens!

It's finished!!!

I can't believe it.  We FINALLY finished the big coop.  It took way longer than I expected, but it is wonderful.  And it's DONE!  It's not perfect, but this was our first ever construction project.  (I never even had wood shop in school.)  I think it is beautiful, and it will serve it's purpose well.  We've decided to name the coop "The Squatting Chicken."

The Squatting Chicken

The latch and spring for the main door.  Notice the string for the 

pulley system the opens the chicken access door.

Handle on the inside so humans can get out of the coop and the chicken access hatch.  

Check out the cool ramp Derek put together!

Interior of the coop complete with nest boxes and roosts.  Omelette and Maple seem like their new digs.

Our BOs are getting used to their new home.  No more garage for these babies!

The Original Three (Layla, Yadi, and Tilly).  They seem to like the new coop, but they aren't too fond of the two additional chickens that came with it.  I've never heard them so noisy as when they "discovered" Omelette and Maple in the hen house.

I forget how pretty Layla is (left).  Her feathers have a green shimmer in the sunlight.  

On the right is a nice shot of Omelette through the hardware cloth.

So that's that.  We now have our very own coop that we built ourselves.  It's so cool to look down there in the yard and see something we built together.  I'm so glad it's finished!

(Okay, so there are a couple things I still want to do to it....  paint, gravel, ect.)

They'll move in tomorrow night!

We got a lot finished again today.  In fact, it looks like we will be ready to move the ladies in tomorrow at bed time.  I'm hoping the feed store is open tomorrow because we could use some more pine shavings and straw.

List Update

1.  Add handles both human access doors and main door

2.  Add secure latches to both human access doors, the egg door, and the main coop door

3.  Build and secure the ramp

4.  Construct and install nest boxes

5.  Install roosts inside the coop

6.  Install roosts in the run

7.  Pulley system for the chicken access door

8.  Hang the waterer

9.  Fit boards on roof over hen house (just for winter)

10.  Add some gravel around the coop to help with water drainage (in spring)

So close...

We made a ton of progress on the coop again today.  We installed the floor boards, the insulation, and the floating walls, and we put the chicken wire on the main access door.  Here are a few pictures to display our progress.

Here is the insulation.  Notice, too, that the floor boards were painted white.

A view of the egg door from the human access door inside the coop.  Walls are complete and floor are painted.

Pretty sure this will be the only time he is ever allowed to play inside the coop.  He drew all over the walls and floors.

Looking good.

So here's the to do list...

1.  Add handles both human access doors and main door

2.  Add secure latches to both human access doors, the egg door, and the main coop door

3.  Build and secure the ramp

4.  Construct and install nest boxes

5.  Install roosts inside the coop

6.  Install roosts in the run

7.  Pulley system for the chicken access door

8.  Hang the waterer

9.  Fit boards on roof over hen house (just for winter)

10.  Add some gravel around the coop to help with water drainage

Siding

We attached all the siding today, hung both access doors, hung the chicken entrance, and hung the egg door.  We used a lot of screws and six hinges.  The thing is solid!  Tomorrow we should be able to get the floors and the floating walls cut and added.  We also have to add latches for the two access doors and the egg door and a pulley system for the chicken entrance.  We'll need a few handles too.  We thought about adding windows now, but we decided to wait until summer (when we're on break) to do that.  Right now I just want the chicks out of the garage..

It's starting to look like a real coop.

We have a door

Our chicken coop is starting to look like a real chicken coop finally.  I built the door today, and we are going to attach the siding tomorrow.  My goal is to have it finished this weekend so that I can paint it next weekend (weather permitting). 

Also, we have decided to change the name of one of the chicks.  We have been calling her Lola (named by my husband's students), but that name does not fit her at all.  For now on, she will go by Maple.

I added the door today!  All that's left is the siding and the interior floating walls.

In addition to staples, I used several screws with washers all the way around the hardware cloth.

Layla, Tilly, &Yadi

Omelette & Maple

Pictures!

So I thought I'd do a mostly photo entry today.  Enjoy!

My beautiful family.

Progress was made on the coop today.
I was able to install all of the hardware cloth around
the outside of the coop.  It wasn't nearly as tough as I thought it would be!
All that's left is to make the door and add walls to the hen house.

Injured Hen

Poor Tilly had a small amount of blood on her right wing the evening of the storm.  We checked on he a little later and found that it had gotten worse.  The other girls were actually pecking at the blood!  Poor girl!  So we removed Tilly from the coop and put her in isolation in the garage.  She remained in the garage for three days to give the wing time to heal.  It looked like she scratched herself on a branch.  A few feathers were missing, but there were no deep wounds.  By the end of three days there was no blood, so we put her back outside with the other two girls.  They went about their business like nothing had happened.  It was scary to see her so uncomfortable, but we are glad she is okay.  I bet Layla and Yadi are glad to have her back in the coop too... the extra warmth will be welcome.

Poor Tilly