Saturday, June 25, 2011

The Chickens Are in Da House!



No, the chicken coop isn't entirely finished, but it and the attached run are done enough that the chickens are finally living in it! Romie has been working a four-day work week ever since the earthquake in Japan, due to his business being affected by the damage to some automotive supply companies in that part of the country. So he was home all day yesterday and so was I.



The day was spent working like crazy to get the chicken coop done enough that the chicks (which really aren't "chicks" anymore) could start staying in it. I had started painting the inside last Sunday and I finished that, while helping him with the run when he needed it. Around 5:30 p.m., I got down on my hands and knees in the conservatory and grabbed eight squawking chickens who were huddling in a corner under the benches, and handed them to Romie, to put in the run.

They loved it. They immediately began pecking and scratching and exploring every corner of it.



All of the commotion got the attention of the cats and they positioned themselves at various spots around the run to watch the big birds. I have no doubt that a couple of them would have tried out their hunting skills on them if they could have gotten to them, but they had to be content to just watch.


There is much to be done to the coop yet. The top cover of the run has to be constructed and added, to keep predators out. Trim has to be put on the outside in places and of course, more painting. The conservatory has to be painted yet, too, so we'll do them at the same time. And there's the matter of a walkway and some landscaping around the coop to do.



Speaking of the conservatory, you can imagine what a mess the chickens had made of the inside of that. We have a stone paver floor, and it was covered in doo-doo, but the entire room was also covered in chicken dust. The plants that were in there looked like they'd been in Miss Havisham's house.

We spent the rest of the evening cleaning out the conservatory and though I was tired before we began, I'll admit I'm glad we went ahead and did it last night. This morning, the chicks are back outside in their run and back to their pecking and scratching. They have such a rough life.


10 comments:

Annie Haven | Authentic Haven Brand said...

"The Chicken Palace" vary nice <|;-) Thank you for the share and Enjoy your eggs Love it!

Lisa at Greenbow said...

That chicken coop is quite a joint. Good job. Those chickens are probably thrilled to be out and about. Cute the way the cats are curious about them.

Terra said...

This is a heavenly chicken haven.

Robin's Nesting Place said...

Such a cute chicken coop! Your gardens are going to be well fertilized!

FilipBlog said...

waw, looks very professional. Congratultions.

myomyohi said...

Looks great. I'm sure the chickens are in heaven being outside.

Louise Hartwig said...

Yea! Looks good.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! What a lot of hard work must have gone into the coop - and it looks just fantastic! Clearly the chickens like it as well.

How great that they are totally safe from the cats, and the cats get some pretty awesome live entertainment to keep them busy. I'm sure they are VERY interested.

It sure looks beautiful, and I bet you're happy to have your conservatory back! ;)

Ilona said...

Kudos to you and Romie! That is the nicest chicken coop I think I've ever seen. He is really handy! And your chickies look happy, as they should be:)

Kylee Baumle said...

Annie ~ I'm thinking we should have eggs sometime in October or November. By Thanksgiving for sure!

Lisa ~ Thanks, Lisa! The cats really enjoy watching them. OhNo even lays down and puts his paws in through the mesh. I don't think he'd actually hurt them, but we aren't taking any chances!

Terra ~ We're thinking of a name for the coop. Right now, it's either The Breakfast Club or The Mini Cooper.

Robin ~ That's part of the plan! ;-)

Filip ~ Thank you! :-)

myomyohi ~ They sure seem to like it! They do spend quite a bit of the day inside the coop though, which surprises me. They go in and out throughout the day.

Mom ~ Thanks. Not done yet, but at least they can stay in it now!

Aimee ~ Thank you! Yes, it's nice to have them out of the conservatory. I spent some time today sprucing up some potted plants. We've got to paint the inside and outside of that yet, too, so our work isn't done by a long shot, but at least the chickens are in their home!

Ilona ~ There are many that are a LOT fancier and nicer than this one, Ilona! But I'm really happy with how it turned out. The plans we bought were very detailed and though we found some mistakes, they weren't really major. Romie wasn't all that excited about constructing the coop, but he did such a nice job! He's awesome!

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