Getting prepped!

Chris has been busy getting things ready as much as he can for the arrival of the baby chicks. This is the brooder he put together for their first 4 to 5 weeks.


We're keeping our fingers crossed that the snow will have melted, leaving enough time for Chris to have the new coop completed for them once they are old enough to be moved out into it. He started building the floor of the coop today.


This is the spot where the coop will be built. Chris plans to remove the small, misshapen pine tree and build it lengthwise between the pine on the left and the fence.

A new flock.

For the past few years we (and by 'we' I mean Chris) have attempted to have and keep chickens in our yard. The first spring we lived in our home, Chris pulled together some scraps and pieces of wood left by the previous homeowners to build a small coop up on our hill. We've picked up baby chicks at McKee's and kept them in a box in the basement with a heat lamp and raised them until they were ready to be put out in the coop. The first set of chicks only made it to their youth; they were put out to range in the yard too young and fell victim to predators of some kind. The next flock we had grew well, and we were able to keep them long enough to get some eggs. The last group were the best egg producers, but somehow some raccoons were able to get them from what we thought was the safety of their coop.

This spring we're making another attempt, and this time with more experience and knowledge under our belts. We're hoping that we can again get some good egg producers. Chris has been researching, saving and planning for a bigger, better coop. He will be building it down closer to the house, where we can keep a better eye on the chickens, and where the kids will have easier access to helping out with them. Follow along with us on our blog as we post pictures and stories from our first days with the new baby chicks, to a before, during and after of the building of the new coop!