Frank Lloyd Wright Said It Best

Frank Lloyd Wright once said, "Regard it as just as desirable to build a chicken house as to build a cathedral".   I think he's right!  We built a coop for our chickens and had such a great time doing it.  There was a lot of planning that went into the design.  We had to consider size, space needed for chickens, functionality, and protection.  Thank you www.backyardchickens.com for all the useful information!  Then there was a lot of editing because the coop I would loved to have built was pretty much a small home, and got super pricey very quickly...even without the chandelier.  (You probably think I'm kidding) There were times when it felt like we were attempting to build a cathedral (which just might be possible with my handy man who I love and adore).  I can't gush enough about him!  This was a whopper of a "honey-do".  Here he is in action...

We were thrilled with what we ended up with!  A coop that would give our three chickens a safe, comfortable home that could be a nice addition to our back yard in the suburbs.  The kids would have easy access to the eggs through the back door on the nesting boxes and could feed and water the chickens themselves.

...and apparently a new place to hang out.

Nesting...Without The Irrational Behaviors

I am not a farmer, but I am a mom and know that bringing home any baby requires a bit of education and preparation.  If you are considering bringing a few more peeps into your life, it's important to know this work is should be done before the baby comes home, so the transition is fun and easy on all parties involved. Must get nesting! 

Chicks need to spend their first weeks in a draft free, warm and safe place. This "nursery" is referred to as a brooder.  Thanks to instructions from the internet and a handy husband, we were able to construct a brooder for our chicks from a large Rubbermaid container.  In all the excitement we failed to take any pictures of our brooder, but it looked a lot like this one...

selfrelianceworks.com

There is a hole cut in the top of the lid, with mesh wire over it so no one escapes.  The nursery needs a waterer, feeder, hole for air flow if you are hoping to keep a lid on it, a thermometer and a heat source.  Baby chicks need to be kept in a 95 degree environment for their first week.  Each week the temperature can be lowered by 5 degrees (by moving the lamp farther away) and by the fifth week, they will be ready to venture outside to their new home.  You can line the floor with shavings or paper towels.  Brooding is a bit messy, so be prepared to spend a little extra time maintaining their new home.  It's also irresistibly fun to watch the little fur-balls, so prepare to spend a lot of time just enjoying them!

All of the items you need are easy to find.  Pet stores and feed stores carry the feeders.  Our Rubbermaid and thermometer were from Walmart, and the heat lamp is available at Lowe's. 

A little bit of work, for a whole lot of love. 

The Chicks That Started It All

I don't have a farm.  (sigh)  But a girl can dream, right?  A few years ago, when my tech-savvy nine year-old asked for chicks for his birthday, I was more that happy to look into the possibility.  Are you kidding? No screen, no apps, no wires, and no updates.  Just a whole lot of love and some free eggs, too!  I visited feed stores and started researching backyard chickens.  

The more I learned, the more excited I became about the whole idea.  Raising chickens in our backyard seemed to be something we really were capable of as a family.  I found it was important to chose breeds with personalities that worked best with our situation and we decided that for the amount of space we had to offer, three would be our perfect number.

So Spencer got Lola (a Buff Orpington), Oreo (a Barred Rock) and Caramel (an Ameraucana) for his birthday.  It was love at first sight!  Truly!

If We Build It, They Will...Hatch?

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine asked me to help him design a chicken coop.  What timing!  My youngest has just entered first grade and I was looking for a way to pass some much-appreciated alone time.  Thinking about the project has made me quite nostalgic.  We have raised guinea pigs, fish, a dog, hermit crabs, frogs, a rabbit and chickens.  We've loved (almost) every minute of it!  Watching my kids develop a love for animals and find joy in

pet ownership has been real parenting plus for me.  Kids, animals and a way to create.  It's always exciting to find new ways to bring the things I love together.  Now, to get the creative juices flowing...