Update on chicken stuff

Almost as if on cue the weather switched on Sept. 1 and got colder.  Fortunately my sweet guy decided he wanted to spend his birthday insulating the chicken coop so they won't freeze this winter.

 About a month ago he put a ceiling in and over Labor Day weekend we went to Menard*s and got some sheeting and rolls of insulation. It's even been wired so that we can have a light on in the winter and even put in a small heater, if necessary.

 There used to be more perches but the girls decided that they only liked one so when the boxes and perches were re-installed it was decided to just keep one.  The girls hop up onto the nesting boxes and then hop up onto the perch.  

 We've also had these nesting boxes installed for a while.  There is some interest in the boxes but not much.  The babies have spent a few nights in there though.  I think it's because it's enclosed and when the four of them cram themselves in it stays pretty toasty.  Hard to believe that those little bodies generate so much heat.

Artsy photo of the coop

 Probably about a week after we got the babies we knew we couldn't keep them in the house for very long.  Being the capable man that he is, my DH build a "nursing/brooder" coop for the babies.  He did it without any plans and had it done under eight hours. He is so smart that way.  I love how he can think something and make it come to life.

Here are the babies jumping out of the pen after being let out when we get home from work and school.  All the chickens free range together in the evenings and the weekends now.  They still haven't formed a cohesive group but they are getting used to each other.  Since it's starting to get colder out at nights we've been having the babies sleep in the coop. But putting them in their pen during the day.  The big girls still chase and harass the little girls and I don't think they can be enclosed together just yet. 

We are pumped that we will have this for next spring when we get a new group of chicks. 

 My guy built this almost all from scraps we had around the house from building the big coop and pen.

Here's an inside view of the coop part.  Yup, we put windows in on the sides.  The babies spend some time in there during the day.  They even have a perch to sit on. 

I'm debating on whether the coop part should be painted to match the big coop, which matches the exterior color of the house.  Yes, we are cute that way. 



Beets were planted in these two containers and they didn't really do anything.  I'm sure it's because of the cooler temps we had this year.  So we let the chickens have at the foliage. They loved it.

 Thankfully, the chickens have no interest in the lone two tomatoes we have.

They would rather eat the moss off the birch in the back yard.