Here chicky chicky.....

A friend of mine put a little idea in my head and for anyone who knows me knows I can be a little stubborn when I get something in my head. Sometimes I don't love that quality but sometimes it can be a good thing. Well, this friend was barn sitting for someone who had chickens. As I mentioned in my last post, being back on this little farm land has inspired me to have all the critters possible.

A little video text was all it took. The kids and I ran to our local Tractor Supply and scooped up 4 baby chicks. Luckily my dad was on board for the chicken idea and he ran to the rescue to help build our chicken coop. We planned to keep the chicks in the barn in the evenings to keep them warm and out of the elements but we were ready after a few days to let them venture out during the day.

We have a wood pile over beside the barn with a lot of scrap wood from jobs and pallets and things so we were able to build the coop with all the scrap. I did have to purchase the chicken wire and did so at Lowes. We actually had an older dog house which we had purchased a few years back and it had never been used. It was a very nice dog house that we purchased from our local Ace Hardware and it was a little over $100. It was still in great shape and was just sitting in the back yard, so we decided to turn it into the hen house! It was just the right size and gave them the security they needed to lay eggs.

Our boy needed a little landing to be able to reach the eggs since we put the hen house up so high and we used an old door to make that and the entry way for the coop. I think for a last minute, throw it together on the fly thing it turned out pretty well! My dad is so good at using his imagination to make things come to life and his carpentry skills are amazing. We are very grateful to have him and that he is able to help us so often.

As the chicks grow we get to watch them develop and the kids just love being able to witness that. Its neat to see it from their eyes as they have never been able to witness something grow like I have witnessed them grow over the years. Its great that this also gives our boy a job and I can't wait to see his reaction when his first eggs are ready!

Anyone want to make an egg order? We will have them soon enough. :)

-Sarah