Wonderling

New Coop: third time's the charm!

This weekend was spent building a new coop for the chickens. Yes, another one.

Old coop:

New coop:

 

So why did I build yet another coop? A few reasons. First, the old one was just too small for 5 chickens. It was cozy for 3, but 5....too small. Second, there was no room in the old one for a waterer and food when the weather got too cold for the chickens to be outside. Third, the old one didn't have a real frame and I worried about it just collapsing (not to mention the doors fell off several times) and lastly, I just wanted a solid coop, built the right way. 

The new coop has a roof. Yes, finally a real roof. No blue tarp needed. It also has a window that's hinged to be a door as well. I realized right after I built the old coop that there was no way for light to get into it....a major design flaw. In the summer this new coop will have one whole wall open for ventilation and in the winter it will be as light inside as possible. I also added two more nesting boxes, this time with guards on the front and back to prevent eggs from being kicked out of the nesting area (I used to come home to eggs out in the yard area of the coop). 

Next chicken project is to make a feeder. The hanging plastic one is just not cutting it. I also need to paint the new coop. I'm thinking I'll go classic red, but I'm not entirely sold on it yet. 

the window/door is my favorite part of the new coop. Adam also did an awesome job on the ramp (as you can clearly see here)

The chickens LOVE the new coop. They each have their own space to settle in for the night. Before they were so squished that one of them slept in the doorway!

Biting the hand that feeds them.

originally uploaded by kozyndan

The snow and cold this week has taught me a lot about raising chickens. A LOT! From coop construction to heat lamps, I've worried several days away over the health and well being of my chickens in cold weather. 

So after a whole day of fretting that they were roasting in the tiny coop with the heat lamp blasting them all day, I got home and immediately let them out of the coop and checked on their food/water. Because my coop is so small, putting their food and water inside of it along with the three of them is a tight squeeze (not to mention that they have no qualms about pooping in their own water). When I looked the water had been knocked over and absorbed into the cedar shavings on the floor of the coop. I was relieved that they were all in tact, not roasted and seemed perky, so I took the waterer into the house to fill it up. 

What happened next only goes to show you how strong animal instincts are. 

As I was walking into the outdoor run attached to the coop, before I even had both feet in the door, one of the chickens leaped from the door of the coop and flew across the run to attack me! Well...not me, but the waterer. She was right on target, not a feather touched me. The waterer flew out of my hands, broke apart and splashed all over the frozen ground. I'm guessing they hadn't had water all day. 

So I learned my lesson for chickens in winter. I need a bigger coop. One that will accommodate a feeder, waterer and 3 hens with plenty of room. 

My baby lays a BLUE egg!

After taking the wrong route home yesterday (think horrible hills...HORRIBLE hills) I was happy to hear some high-pitched sqwaking from the coop. I knew it meant one thing: a hen had laid her first egg. I was super surpised to see that it was the youngest one, Pinto. Here's her lovely, lovely blue egg

New Coop!!

So this last weekend I did one thing and one thing only....built a new, improved, prettier coop for my ladies (With significant help from Adam of course!). This one has two roosts as well as a little side door for me to collect eggs so I don't have to walk through chicken poo to get them! They also can't jump up on top of this coop and poop all over it like the last one!

Mama chicken is nesting!! I don't think she was all that thrilled with my taking her picture....