It took us years of discussion to finally pull the trigger on being "Chicken People". Let me tell you why, our dog Lady has Cocker Spaniel in her and she is a fierce hunter. So fierce in fact that she has killed at least 13 chickens in her lifetime along with an uncountable number of bunnies, chipmunks, etc. It takes her just minutes and she can demolish a flock. Unfortunately, she has proven this with an incident at the neighbors and involving the County Sheriff. This dog is just 20 pounds and the sweetest looking thing you would ever see, but when she is on the hunt that goes out the window and what can I say, it is in her nature.
Well quarantine and time on our hands pushed us to finally say, let's do it. We decided to build a fully enclosed coop/run and keep our fingers crossed they don't get out or we can train Lady to leave them alone. So I hopped online and ordered 10 chicks, the Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens and we were set to get them the next week. I have plenty of time to figure this out. Well, they came 2 days later and I had to go and pick them up at the post office in a tiny little 12"x12" box. Ready or not! I dropped them at home and made a run to Farm & Fleet and picked up a feeder, waterer, chick starter feed and a brooder light. We had a small cut barrel to store them and pine shavings. My book came the next day and the first thing I read was, "Don't order chicks until the coop is complete!"
Well oops, not a great start. I sat down and carefully reviewed coop plans until I found one I liked to which Dick reviewed and immediately threw out and told me he had plans already (they were in his head).
So we immediately began building as we found out quickly, chicks grow at a rapid pace they seriously look like they about double every couple days.
Well quarantine and time on our hands pushed us to finally say, let's do it. We decided to build a fully enclosed coop/run and keep our fingers crossed they don't get out or we can train Lady to leave them alone. So I hopped online and ordered 10 chicks, the Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens and we were set to get them the next week. I have plenty of time to figure this out. Well, they came 2 days later and I had to go and pick them up at the post office in a tiny little 12"x12" box. Ready or not! I dropped them at home and made a run to Farm & Fleet and picked up a feeder, waterer, chick starter feed and a brooder light. We had a small cut barrel to store them and pine shavings. My book came the next day and the first thing I read was, "Don't order chicks until the coop is complete!"
We found a nice flat spot next to our garden for their first residence as the coop we made is mobile. Well, sort of. We affectionately call them the Chickee La La's. They are all so similar in color it would be difficult to track who is who, but the kids have come up with a few names, "Feather Butt, Awesome, Richie, Princess...etc."
The plan is to raise these girls for eggs they are ISA Brown which from the description is a real basic "beginner's chicken". They are just about 7 weeks old so we have at least 10 more weeks until we would start getting any eggs. It did not take long at all for me to embrace being a Chicken Mom. I really love these girls and fear that they will be snatched up by a predator. Each night we lock them up in the coop in hopes that if something was able to break in, they wouldn't be able to get inside the coop.
Most recently I added their sandbox in which they love dusting themselves and picking out grit.
They have been a wonderful learning experience for the kids and for me too. They love the scraps from our garden and strawberry tops are their favorite. I really look forward to the days of collecting eggs for breakfast!
-Momma G
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