Over last Fall and early winter O Wise One was busy with his honey do list. On the top was a new hen house. I had missed having chickens since moving to the new place and as soon as we completed the coop we ordered 10 brown egg layer assortment chicks from the hatchery. Thank goodness we did it early before the run on chickens as a result of the virus. For awhile around here chickens were more scarce than toilet paper! While we had been purchasing yard eggs locally I just missed having my own ladies. It had been many decades since I had not had a chicken on the place.
Well my 10 ladies are now teenagers. All 10 did wonderfully and we never lost not one chick. I have no idea of the breeds but just enjoy having chickens again. They process the weeds I pull out of the gardens and beds and keep me in plenty of compost.
Their house with a roof and nesting boxes is 16 feet long and made of local native lumber straight from the mill. Eventually when the lumber seasons and dries out O Wise One will add batten boards and I will paint the coop. I'm thinking barn red. He also added on an additional 20 feet of run beside it where we dump our weeds and such and turn them into it daily.
We are on the look out for a rooster for our girls. But for now we are waiting for our first egg sometime this summer. It will be nice to again have our own eggs. Not a huge flock but enough to keep this old woman happy.We will keep you updated on the egg watch.
Blessings from The Holler
The Canned Quilter
Why do the girls need a rooster?
ReplyDeleteI personally think a flock with a good tame rooster tends to be more calm and if I chose to hatch eggs they would be fertile.
DeleteI love having chickens. I am on the lookout here in my community for a few layers. Chickens are so sweet. I am not a fan of roosters. We had a couple, years ago.
ReplyDeleteI like your new hen house. I love chickens and home grown eggs.
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous chicken coop! I hope you show it to us when you get it painted. I am a chicken want-to-be. It's in my future plans, but this year is a garden and it's keeping my hands full.
ReplyDeleteDarlene
Baby steps! You'll get there. It has taken me 4 years to get the pens all built and get the birds. Rome was not built in a day. I think garden first is a wise decision.
DeleteI just returned from visiting my brother in Missouri. He has had chickens before, he enjoys them. He now has just 4 hens (one hatching out 12 chicks) and one rooster. We enjoy watching the rooster be protective of the hens. He keeps and eye out for hawks, and when he finds food, he calls the hens over to share. My brother calls him 'Roosty'. It's funny to see the rooster cock his head and listen to my brother talk. It's good to see more posts from you!
ReplyDelete