Chicken Update

As I was loading photos and typing up the Day Three recap of our recent road trip, I realized that it was very late, I was tired, and I really didn't want to type any more. So, I left my work as a draft, and will finish typing it up in a day or two. (Sorry for the delay....go watch some TV while you wait!...I recommend Food Network - I would pay for cable if they would offer a package of Food Network and MotoGP coverage...that's all I need!) In place of a road trip recap, I offer an update on our small flock of chickens.

Those baby chicks have gotten a little bit larger....meaning that they're roughly the size of a Boeing 747. We picked Buff Orpingtons because they are a pretty chicken (if any chicken can be considered 'pretty') - that was one of NorthernDaddy's stipulations on having chickens: I can be suckered into keeping chickens, I can be talked into having seven chickens, and I can be manipulated into doing all of the hard labor to take care of chickens(refurbish the coop, build a run, etc.), but I exercised my authority as the head of this household(What? Stop your laughing!) by declaring that I wasn't keeping any of the hideous breeds of chicken. The only problem with picking Orpingtons is that they are a large breed...NorthernMommy 'trained' one of the chicks to perch on her arm(back when they were small), and now that bird still thinks she can use humans as a roost. It's hard to be cool when you have a giant golden chicken riding around on your shoulder.................actually, I think I can spin that thought: It's pretty cool when you have a magnificent golden bird of prey at your side! (If that doesn't work for you, just pretend you're a pirate and your parrot is on vacation...) Above: the chishuns check out their new accomodations(with luxurious pine shavings on the floor). Below: one extra-large chicken coop with shiny new run attached.
The coop above may not look like much - what with the leaning and weathered siding and all - but that represents a substantial investment: one trip to the hardware store for the poultry netting, hardware cloth (that stuff's expensive!), and fittings (sorry, I've been reading a lot of smallholding magazines from England: fittings are the hardware; the screws/nails/etc.) ended up costing over $100. Yup; chicken wire, mesh, and staples for the run was more than a C-note. I'm just glad that I already had all the 2x4 lumber that I needed (free/salvaged!). This chicken thing was supposed to be cheap! Every time I thought I was done with the coop, NorthernMommy would pop by and point out yet another hole that needed to be covered with hardware cloth. I've read of "Fort Knox" coops...ours is almost that armored! The run took two days to construct - two very hot days! The good news is that we can let the birds outside during the day without the worry of them playing in the road. (They could still get themselves killed by a weasel or raccoon - that poultry netting won't stop those predators - but there's not much we can do about that.)

Below: a close up of the pop-hole/door/ramp. All made out of salvaged wood, and artfully accessorized with a handle made from a frog-styled hook.

Even with all of the work to refurbish the coop, build a run, and get used to caring for animals, it's pretty neat to have these chickens around. They have their peculiarities, both individually and as a flock, which makes watching them amusing/interesting. There's a weird sense of 'rightness' about having to tend to them - it's good to be up and outside early, feeding and watering the flock. I'm not sure how to explain that, but it's partly knowing that we're on the way to having our own little mini-farm (we're still defining what exactly that will mean - but we're pretty sure it's going to mean rabbits and a huge vegetable garden - please, someone talk me out of keeping goats.....) and being less dependent on the grocery store. (Don't get me started on the grocery store and it's evil processed foods!!) Anyway, the chickens are "right" for us at this moment in time. (I may have a different opinion after winter arrives and I'm shoveling a path to the coop at 4:30am....)

Our closing photo shows just how 'urban farm' our little patch of land is becoming. One of the birds (that one is named Bertha)(blame NorthernMommy for naming the chickens) is posing atop what passes for my tractor.