Animals
In answer to "I Knit Therefore......" who asked how we house our chickens, here is the (s)coop. We started with one 8 X 8 shed and a 12' X 40' x 6' high (approx) yard. This was housing for our original flock of about 18 chickens. Once our gals were acclimated to their home, we began to let them out to roam the farm during the daylight hours. We very quickly learned, however, that the poor dears had no protection against hawks and foxes and our numbers sadly diminished. At that point we started keeping the gals in their own yard, and letting them roam free only when we were around to keep an eye on them. Unfortunately, one day we were aghast to find a hawk inside their yard eating one of our poor dear layers. This prompted us to cover the top of the yard with bird netting to keep the hawks at bay. 
At the end of this past winter, our flock was steadily holding at 6 chickens. We started 26 more chickens from just-hatched chicks and successfully raised all of them to maturity. Since our numbers have increased we have added another 8' X 10' shed at the opposite end of the yard.
- Chicken Movers
Yesterday was a big day for Rod Stewart and his hens.This group of chickens has called the chicken house and yard by the barn homefor the past 4 years.Yesterday was moving day. We decided that in preparation for housing our new young henswe would need...
- Avian Update
Well, as with all news, we have to take the good with the bad..... Chickens.....we have 20+ new baby Rhode Island Red hens. They are a week old and doing quite well. Eventually, they will be living with Helen (our poor blind chicken). We hope to introduce...
- Needed: Chicken Optometrist
Meet Helen. She is our extremely near-sighted chicken. Weeks ago we found that the other chickens had started to ostrasize her. Upon examination it seemed she had formed rather significant cataracts on her eyes. For her own safety we moved her to another...
- Chicken Relocation Project
Well, it seems that 26 chicken poulets make quite a bit of dust when housed in one's garage....and so it was time to move the chicken babies to their new quarters. Mike and Becky have been housing these little gals first in their bathroom in horse...
- Growing Chickens
After hawks and other predators severely decreased our numbers of layers last year, we decided to cover the chicken yard with netting, order new chickens and place a second chicken coop at the other side of the yard. A few weeks ago, our day old chicks...
Animals
The Chicken (S)Coop
In answer to "I Knit Therefore......" who asked how we house our chickens, here is the (s)coop. We started with one 8 X 8 shed and a 12' X 40' x 6' high (approx) yard. This was housing for our original flock of about 18 chickens. Once our gals were acclimated to their home, we began to let them out to roam the farm during the daylight hours. We very quickly learned, however, that the poor dears had no protection against hawks and foxes and our numbers sadly diminished. At that point we started keeping the gals in their own yard, and letting them roam free only when we were around to keep an eye on them. Unfortunately, one day we were aghast to find a hawk inside their yard eating one of our poor dear layers. This prompted us to cover the top of the yard with bird netting to keep the hawks at bay. At the end of this past winter, our flock was steadily holding at 6 chickens. We started 26 more chickens from just-hatched chicks and successfully raised all of them to maturity. Since our numbers have increased we have added another 8' X 10' shed at the opposite end of the yard.
Somehow our girls have worked out amongst themselves which shed they each prefer. Both are outfitted with several wall-hung nesting boxes.
This year when our fencing company came back to build our turkey yard, we had them install a permanent wire roof over the top of the chicken yard. This structure and yard will house heirloom turkeys that we will raise starting next year.
For those of you who have followed our farm blog for some time now, you might recall the story about our little red hen named "Scalpie". She was the poor hen who lost her scalp to a hawk attack. She entered the chicken protection program and lived in the barn for a while; terrorizing the kitties; until her head healed. Here is Scalpie one+ year later. She is a true survivor. No one messes with Scalpie!
- Chicken Movers
Yesterday was a big day for Rod Stewart and his hens.This group of chickens has called the chicken house and yard by the barn homefor the past 4 years.Yesterday was moving day. We decided that in preparation for housing our new young henswe would need...
- Avian Update
Well, as with all news, we have to take the good with the bad..... Chickens.....we have 20+ new baby Rhode Island Red hens. They are a week old and doing quite well. Eventually, they will be living with Helen (our poor blind chicken). We hope to introduce...
- Needed: Chicken Optometrist
Meet Helen. She is our extremely near-sighted chicken. Weeks ago we found that the other chickens had started to ostrasize her. Upon examination it seemed she had formed rather significant cataracts on her eyes. For her own safety we moved her to another...
- Chicken Relocation Project
Well, it seems that 26 chicken poulets make quite a bit of dust when housed in one's garage....and so it was time to move the chicken babies to their new quarters. Mike and Becky have been housing these little gals first in their bathroom in horse...
- Growing Chickens
After hawks and other predators severely decreased our numbers of layers last year, we decided to cover the chicken yard with netting, order new chickens and place a second chicken coop at the other side of the yard. A few weeks ago, our day old chicks...