© Diane Lang
My very Aries husband likes keeping busy and with work in short supply this past winter, he needed something to occupy him . . . therefore he finished building this wonderful chicken coop and run. In order to minimize expenses, he used building materials he had salvaged from other projects and old outbuildings he had dismantled around here. The results are wonderful!
Our Buff Orpington chicks arrived today and they are sooooo cute! Since they were hatched within the last forty-eight hours, they are all little Aries with Virgo Moons hens (we requested females only). Let’s hope they grow up to be good layers. *grin*
It is my job to feed, water and clean up after these little ones, and handle them enough to acclimate them to humans. It will be several weeks before they will be allowed out in their run.
© Copyright 2011 Diane L, All rights Reserved. Written For: Libra Seeking Balance
Can I borrow him for a mini greenhouse project I’ve been contemplating? I promise to return him in excellent condition.
Seriously, I have a feeling we might get another cool summer hereabouts, and the gray squirrels are a furry menace, so something to protect the vegetables would be helpful. I wish I was handy like that. 
Sounds like Aries can go national here.
There’s an idea. But this might spread him a little thin, and Diane would definitely object. lol
I am spoiled, having a husband who is very, very good at building things.
Seriously, I have a feeling we might get another cool summer hereabouts, and the gray squirrels are a furry menace, so something to protect the vegetables would be helpful.
One of the reasons for the 8′ fence w/hot wire around the top is to keep the racoons out. Battling pests is a constant for gardeners. My sister who lives near Olympia, WA has deer & possums raiding her garden & fruit trees.
xoxoxo diane~
One of the reasons for the 8? fence w/hot wire around the top is to keep the racoons out.
You might have better luck than my folks… but in our 30 year experience with chickens the only thing that will REALLY keep them safe at night is to lock them in a solid structure (no mesh windows) from sunset to sunrise.
My anal-retentive engineer father has tried everything to keep the raccoons from eating his chickens; he has the 12 foot high chicken coop fence, he tried covering the top with more wire mesh, he rigged a high watt light to turn on when something entered through the chicken coop door after dark, but if the carnivore/omnivore predators want in, they can find a way through/under/over wire mesh fencing.
I used to think raccoons were cute, but now I think of them as soul-less because they don’t KILL the chicken before they start eating it, and no one wants to be woken up at 3 AM to discover that.
Anyway, chickens are some of the cutest pets ever. Feed them your fruit/vegetable kitchen scraps and they will go crazy with euphoria! And if you don’t use all your chicken poop on your garden, your friends will kill each other for your spare!
Hey Jax!
You might have better luck than my folks… but in our 30 year experience with chickens the only thing that will REALLY keep them safe at night is to lock them in a solid structure (no mesh windows) from sunset to sunrise.
And that’s exactly what we are planning to do. The siding is metal and so is the sliding chicken door (it’s made out of a piece of old shower stall).
Anyway, chickens are some of the cutest pets ever. Feed them your fruit/vegetable kitchen scraps and they will go crazy with euphoria!
They will also get bolted lettuce and spinach plus the nice assortments of greens growing in their run. It’s a special mix especially for chickens. My husband read somewhere cottage cheese is a favorite treat and good for luring them inside at night.
So far the chicks are eating, sleeping and growing quickly.
xoxo diane~
p.s. We’re not big fans of raccoons either even though they are cute beggars. We usually string hot wire 12″ off the ground around the raspberries and sweet corn to keep them (& the skunks) out. Strawberries are completely netted because of birds and it keeps coons out too. Dealing with one set of pests or another is all part of gardening . . .
OH. MY GOD. I LOVE her. And the other her. And the other…
I don’t know how many chicks you have, but congratulations and KUDOS to your husband for being so handy and creative. Have fun!
Welcome home, chicks!
XO,
Deb
They are sooo busy!! Sent these pictures to the granddaughter who immediately told her mom she wanted some! Either that or a bunny . . . .
xoxoxo diane~
We got a dozen chicks, hard to count when they zip around.
*swoon* all of my maternal feathers just went *poof* How adorable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
all of my maternal feathers just went *poof*
The little cuties hooked right into mine too. I know I will be fussing until the darn things get their regular feathers and start looking more like chickens. LOL
xoxoxo diane~
You should post some pics of the inside of the building … looks like it’s a pretty interesting “recycled-up” project.
Hi Steve,
I’ll see what I can do about taking some photos of the interior. It’s a small space – about 12′ X 12′ – to avoid needing a building permit. The exterior door was purchased at at Re-Store for about $35 and the windows are all from other window replacement jobs. We did need to purchase insulation but the exterior siding and roofing were all recycled.
diane~