Tuesday, July 30, 2013

The little red hen gets a new home!

OH for the love of fresh eggs and hours quiet observation of our poultry friends ~ we have moved mountains (well, a shed) for these lil' friends of ours.  Moved a beloved 8 with us from BC and now they have some more permanent digs to call their home.

 So thankful for friends who have access to the right equipment to do a job like this!
Girls got to ride in a big truck!
 While the lil' red hen and big red rooster worked, the lil' chick played


 Lil' chick thought big roo's magnetic glove was purty cool!
 We insulated and vapor barriered the shed before we put some wall panelling on the walls.
 Dates were spent working on the shed-turn-coop
 Lil' chicks brought out some funky weird gluten free peanut butter cookies, they were good, but very much like eating peanut butter with chocolate chips.
 Making fence

 This lil' chick loves power tools as much as her momma hen!
 Borrowed a hole auger from a cousin and got working on the fence
 Hard working helpers

 The fencing needs to be within the ground so that predators can't dig underneath so easily.
 He was very determined to get that lump of dirt dug up.
 Watching a chicken lay an egg....
 ...the fresh egg
 How do you ever get any work done when the hens always want to visit?
 Picking up the new layers...

 We ended up with 1 week old Columbian Plymouth Rock Cross chicks.  They short changed us 1 chick, 1 chick had a crooked neck and there were 3 roosters out of the 35 hens.  Not too impressed and will hopefully not have to order from them again.

 Rosie hatched 1 chick...a little purebred Brahma



 I made a make shift shade play place for them... much too hot outside!



 Had to divide the shed into 2 so the younger chicks don't mix with the older group for now.  They are on different feed, etc and will be combined later on.
 Cool old door my man scored and is serving as the gate between

 Silly rooster likes the nest
 Before the divider, the broody hen Rosie is in the dog crate.
How the girls take water and scraps out to the chickens and also pick beer bottles.
 Washing off the tin for the roof of the coop
 Lots of prep work for the new roof.

 The new divided pens
 Best part about working at a brothers... you get to have little visits inbetween while you drink some root beer.
 My man!  I had to keep reminding him "it's only a coop, not a house!"
 Silly chicks wanted to all be in the nests for night!
 Working well into the evening, fighting off the swarms of mosquitoes... not much fun
 Even our Dad's got into it.  My Dad with the roofing, Gregg's with the dividing of the pen.
 Done!  Finished!
 Look at this beautiful shed!  We could move in!
The over hang provides some shade and a sheltered place for the feed etc.

Thanks honey for all your work... it's wonderful and all the lil' hens love it  ~ poultry and human!

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