Monday, June 29, 2009

Working on the Weekend




Chicken door built...posts up...gate/door to pen is up...ready for the fencing!

Friday, June 26, 2009

The Coop is Coming Along


The coop is almost done. The shed is built - next comes the pen. We also have to cut the doorway for the chickens and add the roost. We can build the nesting boxes later as we have a few months before they are ready to lay egg. Now if it would only cool down! It has been so hot after work that we not starting work until 7:30pm or later. Gotta love this Indiana weather. As Forest Gump would say...it's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.

Monday, June 15, 2009

The Coop is Coming...the Coop is Coming!


We finally decided the easiest (and quickest) way to get the coop built is to order a shed and then add in the access door, ramp, roosts and nest boxes ourselves. We will also build the pen. We decided on the 8x8 Explorer from Five Star Industries. We ordered our first shed from them a couple years ago and were very happy with the speed and quality of the construction. In fact, the shed will be built this coming Wednesday! It's about time we got moving on this as the chicks are getting really big. Saturday morning I uncovered the brooder to change the water and fill the feeder. When I got back with the fresh water - a chick was out and about again. I can't turn my back on them or they are up and out of the brooder. I really don't want to be chasing chickens around our the house.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

There's a storm a brewin'

This past weekend, and just about every day since, we've had late afternoon/early-evening storms blow through. Typical Indiana weather for this time of year, storms feeding off the heat of the day, which can turn violent and nasty at any moment. One interesting aspect of our weather is that there is often a sharp dividing line between an area where there's foul weather, and a clear area. The following 2 pictures are from our back deck.

The first looking North West, shows a neighboring farmer and his tractor, with stormy weather in the background.

The next is looking South West, where you can see one of the side benefits of these storms, cool looking storm clouds and sunsets. This particular storm was nasty, with some reported tornadoes a few counties north of us.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Elvis Had left the Buidling (well...brooder)

I knew it was only a matter of time with the chicks growing so fast and flapping their wings. Well, it finally happened. One of the chicks got out of their new and bigger tub that Keith had picked up last week (a trough really). With more space, they almost seemed to be running and trying to take off. Friday evening, I went back into the spare bedroom where the chicks currently reside.

There was Elvis sitting on the carpet just outside of the tub .

She seemed exhausted. her little face looked like "I don't know how I got here...so I just decided to sit down and wait for help". She sure didn't mind being picked up and placed back with her sisters. Needless to say, chicken wire now covers the top of the tub to prevent further adventures. (pictures coming later)