Tag Archives: chicken coop

ASA Aark 1.0

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In preparation for our balls of fuzzy that will be arriving in a couple of weeks we must build the brooding coop. This has, until recently been the home of our two silkies, Hall and Oates. It is a big shed for Hall and Oates so they have been turfed. Now we haven’t just put them in with the big girls yet, that doesn’t seem quite right as they are a nervous couple. So we have made our first chicken ark. We got the plans on-line with the intention of following them exactly. But, like so many well laid plans the plans weren’t all that good. Small details didn’t seem thought through on the plans we were following making it not make a lot of sense. It may have been us too, or the fact that the original coop would never have to stand up to snow. In the end none of it mattered though. We got through it and made something that works quite well. Of course while building it one always sees better ways of doing things, so the next one will take all of these into consideration.

ASA Aark 1.0 inside

The the Aark has

  • small rounded perches for little silkie feet
  • a vent/peephole in the roof
  • nest box
  • wheels for easy moving
  • “tarp” to stay dry
  • locking doors
  • removable feed/water dishes
Onto the new and improved ASA Aark 1.2!

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Summertime and the Living is Busy

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New and improved chicken door.

New and improved chicken door.

Our chicken coop renovation is partially finished. The set-up we had for the chickens to get in and out of the barn was a bit silly. We had to move a door and put a chiar braced with wood at the gate so the sheep couldn’t get in. Mr. Tufts really liked to test the chair. there was only one way to get it to stay. This was not a good set-up if we ever wanted to have a house sitter or even our wonderful neighbour bring tha animals in. (She did understand the set-up though and bless her, she mastered it!) We neede a better door for the chickens. On Sunday we spent the day building a chicken “stoma” in the old window. It now as a door with a latch and a ladder both in and out. It was perfect…to us. getting the chickens to use it was another story. the first night they just didn’t get it. the next morning I had to put everyone out the door by  hand. That night, after some modifications they actually went in it on their own, with a lot of scratch to help them along.

At least we now have an easy way to let the chickens in and out. next is fixing the flor and building the nest boxes. We should start getting eggs in just over a month. We can’t wait as then I can start some of the art projects I want to!

Purple potato flower.

Purple potato flower.

Our pot potatoes are finally flowering. we have been waiting a long time for this. These are blue potatoes, blue all the way through. We saved them from last years CSA diligently as I knew we would never get around to ordering any seed potatoes. We won’t be eating any this year either, these are for next years crop. How exciting though. They have beautiful flowers and do make lovely potted plants. Last year we placed the potatoes in some shallow compost and covered them with straw. Some potatoes were produced but not a pot full. This year they are covered with compost instead so we are hoping to have a better yield. Of course these plants could be moved in in the early spring or autumn. Hopefully it works, but even if we only get a decent yield it will be done again on a larger scale. They do make great, lush potted plants!

The Chicken House Part 3

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Chantecler chickens outside enjoying the weather.

Chantecler chickens outside enjoying the weather.

Yesterday we moved the chickens into their permanent coop. Catching chickens is not for the faint of heart. Tim and I put the box down hoping they might check it out. How wrong we were. We ended up blocking off the exit hatch and catching them one by one and putting them into the closed box. Surprisingly we managed to get thirteen on the first try.

Once in the new house we dumped them out nicely into their new digs and went back for the last three. They seemed to like it right away. they picked away at the old wooden boards as though they were filled with bugs. Who knows maybe they were? They stayed in for the rest of yesterday. Last night it turned quite chilly so at 9pm we had to make quick modifications to their world. I was worried they’d be too cold. So we piled a couple of straw bales around their lamp. This seemed to make them much happier and they settled down to sleep, dreaming of caterpillars and ants.

Today was the first time in the big room at their new place. To lure them out I threw some chicken scratch out the door in little red riding hood style, they followed. Right outside the door was food and water, some took a drink and nibble, others went straight for the bugs.

All the chickens seemed to enjoy the outdoors more in this pen than the last. I think because the door is less tunnel like. I was happy to see them out eating, running around and generally enjoying being alive.

The Chicken House: Part 2

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Today was all about getting the chicken house ready. Currently the chicks are in our shed with lovely straw bale insulation and a heat lamp.For the first while we had them that was great. Two weeks ago we let them outside for the day. This they seemed to like, well most liked. Now they are getting too big for their home and must be moved to their permanent digs.

Making sure that the waterer, feeder, and lamp were all hooked up properly took more time than expected. They all have to be out of the way of the hind end of a chicken roosting which meant trying to “be the chicken.” Corny and silly yes, fun, yes again.

Tonight the coop is going for a test drive and tomorrow the new tenants are moving in. The current chick house will stay functional for the moment though. Our chicks are just beginning to show their true colours and soon the boys will have to be separated from the girls as the boys are too distracting for the girls.