Tag Archives: chickens

Chickens on the Ramp

Posted on by
1

p1210029 150x150 Chickens on the Ramp The chickens spent the first night in their coop last night — we still need to build the fence, but the Carpenter came by and put the door on, and built a ramp for them — I think we’re putting the fence in tonight — they are very funny — they like exploring around, but they’re chickens, they’re not very brave.

So this morning they poked their heads out of the coop, and negotiating the step to the ramp seemed very daring for most of them — the rooster of course was the first one out, checking out the scene for his girls.

p1210030 150x150 Chickens on the Ramp Eventually though they all made it down the ramp, and back into their dog crate (which is there to protect them from the dogs). I’ll have to reposition the plastic things (formerly the bottom of a composter) so they’ll have a little shade — it’s supposed to be 80 degrees today and I’d hate to roast the little guys.

The chicken coop is made from a packing crate — my friend Sabrina had some family things shipped over from England, and the crate was so beautiful that we decided to recycle it. The Carpenter had some old doors he’d used for closets, so there’s a door, and of course, he has a plethora of lumber. He also found an old temperature-sensitive foundation vent, which you can’t see in these photos but which he put on the side of the coop for ventilation. It closes when it’s cold, opens when it’s hot. The whole thing is up on cinder blocks so they’ll have  a shady place to hide on a hot day. I recycled an old wooden wine box I found at the dump as a laying box, and the Carpenter is bringing over some old broom handles to put in as roosts.

Then as soon as we get the fence in, they’ll be a little more free range than they have been. The dogs are off to the groomers this morning for their spring shave, so I think the chickens might get some free time in the yard while they’re gone.

So far so good on the chicken project. With many thanks to the guy who built me a beautiful coop — it would all have been considerably more slapdash if I’d done it myself …

share save 171 16 Chickens on the Ramp

Teenage Chickens

Posted on by
2

pc190024 150x150 Teenage Chickens Here are the chickens — they’re so goofy looking right now, they seem to be in whatever passes for eighth grade in chicken-dom. Their feet are enormous, and while their feathers are coming in, they’re still not really feathered out (look at their funny tails). But they’re getting little chicken-y personalities, and they like to torment the dogs by flapping their wings.

I took the chooks outside for a little air last week, and here’s Raymond watching them. He spent the entire afternoon out there, occasionally running inside to whine at me that there were birds! birds! out there. In the yard! Birds! pc110023 150x150 Teenage Chickens The next step is to build the coop. I’ve got a big packing crate that we’re going to recycle, but since it’s snowing again, and wet, and nasty, and well, the chooks are fine out in the shed in their dog crate, it’ll probably be another week or so until we get the coop built.

In the meantime, we’ll all just keep watching the funny things. Funny, smelly, goofy-looking birds.

share save 171 16 Teenage Chickens

Chicken Update

Posted on by
Reply

pc030025 150x150 Chicken Update Here are the chickens, after a big week in the shed.  This week they kind of sprouted up a little — they’re not so round and fluffy — they’re getting kind of tall and chicken-y looking. You can’t see it from this photo, but they’re starting to stand up and crane their little necks.

They survived a couple of really cold nights out there in the cardboard box in the dog crate, so that was a triumph. On Saturday, I built them a bigger box — taped two boxes together so now they have the whole 3′x2′ dog crate — I added that mini-laying box (although they won’t be laying for ages) and a little stick to perch on. I also made a small flat platform for the waterer — they were tipping it and spilling water all over themselves.

It was a good decision to keep them in the shed. The first week, they were just little peepers — but now they’re starting to smell like chickens. And as fond as I am of the peepers, I have some standards. Dogs in the house are one thing, but no livestock in the house!

Next weekend’s project: the coop — that will be fun. I’m not a great carpenter, but even I can build a box, and put it inside another box covered in chicken wire. Photos forthcoming ….

share save 171 16 Chicken Update

Chickens in the Shed

Posted on by
5

pb260023 150x150 Chickens in the Shed This is Raymond, staring at the shed door, because on the far side of that door are four baby chicks in a cardboard box tucked into a dog crate all kept warm by an infrared light.

There were six chicks, but I erred and thought they were too hot under the light, and so two of them caught a chill and gave up their tiny little ghosts. They’re resting peacefully in the compost pile.

pb250026 150x150 Chickens in the Shed Here’s the little peepers. Saturday morning I called Murdochs, our local ranch store to see if the chicks had come in (they’ve had a shortage this year, one of their hatcheries cancelled on them). They’d just unpacked an order, so I jumped in the car at 7:30 to get there before the small children of Bozeman had mauled the poor little things to death.

They only had two varieties — Rhode Island Reds and Red Star Sex Link — so I got three of each. They cheeped all the way home in their tiny cardboard box. So loud for little tiny things — they’re none of them any bigger than a ping pong ball, with downy little proto-feathers.

pb250032 150x150 Chickens in the ShedI wound up putting them in an old cardboard box with nice high sides to keep the draft out, inside the dog crate to protect them from critters, and then covered it all with a tarp to keep them warm. I don’t have electricity out in the shed, so there’s a very long extension cord strung across the yard (Patrick left me several 100 foot outdoor extension cords — the benefit of relatives in the party tent industry).

Last night it snowed, and the temps dropped down into the high twenties, and I’m happy to report that the four survivors seem pretty perky out there. I took a couple of old towels to drape over the tarp to try to keep them a little warmer, poor things. But they’re in there, cheeping away — I’ll have to clean the cage when I get home from dog walking.

And so a new adventure begins. Chickens! I’ve wanted chickens forever, but kept telling myself that I couldn’t have chickens because I have dogs. One of my New Year’s resolutions was to stop telling myself  that things I want are impossible — to taks a shot at it. And so, chickens. Chickens!

share save 171 16 Chickens in the Shed