I never realized the truth behind some terminology. :"You are such a chicken!" "You have a bird brain!" These phrases really came to light when I released our chickens into their new coop, a 810 square foot wire enclosure with a shelter in the center. Forty-one birds.....mixed breed, straight run, ordered from Murray McMurray Hatchery and raised inside our warehouse for over a month until they had enough feathers to stay warm finally got to stretch their wings and enjoy the warm sun on their backs. I thought they'd be happy. After the initial "Bowk! The sky is falling!" attitude the settled in fast and were having a blast inside the shed. I kept the door shut for the first day, windows that my husband put in allowed plenty of light for them. The second day is when I opened the door and said "come out into your yard to scratch around". They all answered "NO WAY!". I sat for as long as I could to watch and talk with them hoping to calm them. Every so often one would poke a head out. Once one stepped outside, looked around and let out a lound squawk and ran back in. I moved their feeder six inches out the door, and a few came out and pecked at it but very quickly ran back to the safety of the shed. These birds really are chickens!
My brother had bought me a gift certificate for the chicks as a house warming gift when we first moved in. That was a couple years ago. I had no place to put them. Dan surprised me one day and said "I can't believe you of all people don't have those chicks yet". I responded with needing help and he said he would and that was the day we started down the road to chickens. A craigslist wanted ad for a metal building to convert was posted and within a few weeks we had a shed for $50. Over the past few years we have been stockpiling anything friends offer us, used wire, metal poles, T-posts, hardware. Everything! So after getting the shed bolted down to an existing concrete pad with concrete anchors we already had laying around from previous projects I had a coop! Dan cut a few windows in it and had to add new (used plywood) sliding doors. The hardware was saved from the old banged up doors for reuse, though I had to buy one roller at Lowes for $5. We had all the posts we needed, but ran out of wire. I ordered online a 5 foot by 150 foot roll of chicken wire from Homedepot.com for $67 with free UPS delivery to our door. Dan, already tired of hanging wire, was getting carpal tunnel in his wrists. To tie all the chicken wire together was taking up alot of time. I found cage clamps, also called J-clips, a bag was $4 and the tool to crimp them cost $12. A friend gave us a gate. I made nesting boxes from stuff laying around. A few things especially for the chickens were purchased - waterer, 2 feeders, the red light for when they were growing, feed, and bedding. But for the run/coop we upcycled, recycled, reused and made the chicken coop for pennies on the dollar. It looks a little, um......"rustic". So now the decorating starts. Looking for paint now ;)
My brother had bought me a gift certificate for the chicks as a house warming gift when we first moved in. That was a couple years ago. I had no place to put them. Dan surprised me one day and said "I can't believe you of all people don't have those chicks yet". I responded with needing help and he said he would and that was the day we started down the road to chickens. A craigslist wanted ad for a metal building to convert was posted and within a few weeks we had a shed for $50. Over the past few years we have been stockpiling anything friends offer us, used wire, metal poles, T-posts, hardware. Everything! So after getting the shed bolted down to an existing concrete pad with concrete anchors we already had laying around from previous projects I had a coop! Dan cut a few windows in it and had to add new (used plywood) sliding doors. The hardware was saved from the old banged up doors for reuse, though I had to buy one roller at Lowes for $5. We had all the posts we needed, but ran out of wire. I ordered online a 5 foot by 150 foot roll of chicken wire from Homedepot.com for $67 with free UPS delivery to our door. Dan, already tired of hanging wire, was getting carpal tunnel in his wrists. To tie all the chicken wire together was taking up alot of time. I found cage clamps, also called J-clips, a bag was $4 and the tool to crimp them cost $12. A friend gave us a gate. I made nesting boxes from stuff laying around. A few things especially for the chickens were purchased - waterer, 2 feeders, the red light for when they were growing, feed, and bedding. But for the run/coop we upcycled, recycled, reused and made the chicken coop for pennies on the dollar. It looks a little, um......"rustic". So now the decorating starts. Looking for paint now ;)
RSS Feed