What a week.
So it has been an eventful week and a half in the Wright household. Between finishing up the chicken coop, tilling up our gardening plot, moving our beloved chicks into their new home and catching the black plague (also known as Hand, Foot and Mouth) we have been a bit busy, leaving me little time to update here.
My poor son started out with a fever on Sunday afternoon and by the next day was covered head to toe in itchy red spots. If you're not familiar with HFMD you should click the link above. It is a joy to behold... So hubby and I have been taking turns staying home with our bub while he gets better.
Done... Almost.
On a happier note we have completed the chicken coop! Well...we still need to add the corrugated roofing over the coop/run and I have a few painting projects in mind, but for the most part we are D-O-N-E!! Our chickadees have moved out of the utility room and have resided inside the coop for 3 whole days. They love having the space, exploring all the nooks/crannies and have been taking advantage of the new roosting rails. Im a little sad that I can't peek in on them as often as I did inside, but boy are they dusty! I had an inch of dust on ever surface in the utility room from their short 4 week stay. We still have the heat lamp in the coop due to still having some chilly nights but they are almost fully feathered and seem to be comfortable.
Over the weekend, we invested in a larger galvanized metal feeder and waterer. Eventually we would like to build a better feed/water system. We have been leaning towards a PVC pipe system that will help their food and water stay cleaner (by keeping out the poop and pine shavings!) The feeder/waterer would also stay fuller for longer period of time. There are a lot of DIY videos on Y YouTube that show you how to build a chicken feeder, like this one: DIY Chicken Feeder.
My amazing husband also built some roosting rails for the chickadees to perch on at night. We used a large dowl rod (top) we found in the yard when we moved in, I liked this better than a brand new one because it was weathered and would be easier for the chickens to grip. He also added a 1x2 in the middle for stability but this also doubles as a second perch which the chicks are taking advantage of now. He also closed off the nesting boxes to avoid any sleeping and pooping in there and will help train them that they are for laying eggs only. I read this tip on the Chicken Chick's website. She has SOOOO much helpful information about anything and everything you need to know about chickens.
Cooped Up.
Per the advise of the Chicken Chick, we are keeping the chicks confined to the coop for the first week for coop training (even though it kills me to see them "cooped up" when it's so pretty outside... haha chicken joke...) This will theoretically help the chickens realize that this is their home and they will return at night time to sleep and eventually lay there eggs inside instead of on the ground or in random places. We will see if it works!
Since moving the chickens to the coop they seem a smidge less frightened of me especially when Im on the other side of the window. Minnie (pictured above), Lemon, and Zoe have been the most curious when I come to peek in and check on them. Im hoping that eventually they won't run away screaming when I open the door!
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