Coop Progress and Veggies in the ground.

Our life seems to have taken a turn for busier, so I haven't kept you up to date. Let me see. I will add pics later, I know a visual is much more descript than my short explanations.

We finished priming and painting the rear exterior wall of the coop. We have post holes dug, and posts and supports sunk for a small chicken run. As time and funds allow this summer we will get a bigger run in place.

Our veggie garden has taken shape. I got some really cool hinges frames from a local guy that are great for tomatoes, eggplants and peppers. How I wish we could find more. John will be busy soon helping me get some more frames together. Let me see, to list off what has been planted...a few basils, 5 varieties of tomatoes(Early girl, Brandywine, Cherry, Roma, hmmmmmmmmm.....and another kind that has slipped my mind), dark purple eggplant, turnips, a few varieties of pole beans, sugar snap peas, zinnias, carrots, cucumbers, corn, green peppers, sunflowers, beets, asparagus. We still need to build the bed around the asparagus and the strawberries. The purple and green bush beans are not in yet, and a batch of garden peas and a variety of radishes .....starting to get nervous, but it will happen, all in good time. And I would like to get a few berry bushes in. I have been looking at blueberries, raspberries, and cherry trees. we will see what I come up with.

Our last batch of chicks(that some how I have no pictures of still) are enormous and about 6 weeks old. I really need to get pics of these, they are so cute, Partridge cochins....very small with feathered legs and feet. Our last batch of chicks were all bantams. They will be good for the younger children to handle.

To do list on coop....

• Prime ceiling of porch
• paint ceiling of porch gloss white
  
• make sure all eves have been fully gloss painted
  
• cover 3 showing nails on roof with asphalt caulk
• trim shingles on front and rear edge of roof
• find razor knife and scrape paint off windows
• finish installing run posts and supports
• attach fenced run to coop with pop door trim
• lash run fencing to posts
• install threshold on human doorway
• install and prime and paint vertical doorway stop
• figure out what trim needs to be acquired for outside of coop
  

Several weeks ago we got a dozen fertile eggs

from one of the poultry club leaders for the preschool classroom. They were placed in an incubator and 21 days later 7 chicks hatched, under the watchful eyes of about 60 kids. They stayed in the classroom for a few weeks, then we brought them home to join our flock. Last night we let them out of their small fenced off area in the coop to join the other birdies. A few of the Barred Rocks have really taken to these littlies as mother. I thought I would share pics of them today.

Checkin' Out Their New Digs

I think we have a bunch of happy birds and happy kiddos...the moment we have been waiting for! We set a small enclosure inside the corner, with a lamp for our 7 youngest birds, in a few weeks, they can join the others. Off to bed for everyone, sleep well feathered friends! I gotta' go clean the dining room!

One month of chickens!

Our Barred Rock chicks are one month and a day old!!!
They are so friendly. Here is "Cheeper." Vincent has really fallen for this girl!
Soon her new home will be complete!

And our second batch of chicks are here!!!

Our second batch of chicks are here. There are 12 off these little ones. Only 8 of them are ours. This batch includes 3 Black Sumatras, 4 Black Australorps, 2 bantam White Rocks, and 3 bantam Rhode Island Reds. The 2 White Rocks and 2 of the Australorps will go to my nieces. Although, I think the reds may be Dark Brown leghorns...hmmm...time will tell.

Feathering out quite nicely!!

Not bad for 19 days old. The sound of chirping has filled our house and it is so pleasing to hear, very relaxing actually!! And they are great pets for toddlers.

Our Golden Phoenix Rooster

Hopefully he will be a good boy and our neighbors will love him as much as we do. The most gentle calm animal I have ever encountered. Lexi wants to show him at the fair this summer, we will see how it goes.

Yellow legs, tail feathers, and wing feathers!!!

9 days old and growing!!!

Our first chicks have arrived!

So, for 5 years I have begged and pleaded for chickens. It is no secret I would rather live on a farm, but urban life I must lead. So, join us on this blog for our adventures in urban farming.

To get the ball rolling on our chicken coop, I ordered chicks. They arrived, so with these new little fuzzballs in the brooder, time to get busy!