Our first egg!

What a fun thing! I went to the coop around 11:40 this morning to see if there was anything the chickens were up to and to my surprise there it was, right outside the nesting box inside the coop in the corner. The egg is a light brownish pink color suggesting it came from one of our Buff Orpingtons. The kids are very excited as am I. Can't wait to get more!

Another Project

In the next couple of weeks our chicks will be ready to move outside. I'm excited but nervous. I've loved having them inside, they are so cute and they make the most relaxing chirping sounds. They are getting bigger however, meaning they need more space to live. That means they'll need a coop and a run to live in. 

My idea for a coop didn't involve spending $400-$500. No way! So I thought why couldn't I convert an old dog house into a coop? I can and I will! But wait, where was I going to get that old dog house? Oh yeah, we have one that Tess and Daisy used to use at our rental property and it's still there. So I got in my truck and picked it up. It sits in my garage waiting for the conversion (It's coming, I promise!)

When the dog house is ready, I'll need a different plan to feed the chickens as well. I've been researching different kind of feeders and have found one that I like--and I'm going to make it. Here's a pic:

This is a Treadle Feeder. When the chickens step on the treadle...

...Voila! The lid lifts open and displays all their wonderful food.

Here's a shot of what it will look like with the food inside.

So I know this will be a big project but I'm determined to get it done. Doesn't it look great?

Hmmm...What To Do With All That Chicken Poo?

A couple of days ago we had family over for Kennedy's birthday. We ate cake and ice cream and had a great time reminiscing about whatever. Well my brothers (Andy and Pat) and I have taken on the great hobby of chick raising. We all have between two to four week old chicks which means we're needing to get that coop ready. We were throwing around ideas for how we were going to design our coops when the discussion of chicken poop came up, I know that might sound disgusting, but it really is something to consider, especially if you have a garden. That's right, chicken manure is used for fertilizer. So I thought I'd do some more research. One of the blogs I get reads for came in today and much to my surprise, it was all about chicken fertilizer.

Here is the post from thegardenroofcoop.blogspot.com:

Q:  A friend told me that chicken droppings can transfer harmful bacteria.  He said not to use it for fertilizer.  Is he right?--Chris

A:  Great question Chris...  All animal manures have the potential risk of containing bacteria, but the key to using it as a fertilizer is knowing how to use it safely and correctly.  Manure from meat-eating animals, such as dogs or cats should not be used as a fertilizer because of the risk of transmitting parasites or diseases, but even chicken manure can contain pathogens such as E-Coli and Salmonella.

Image used by permission-Good Life Press

The Chicken Lover's Cartoon Book by Arnold Wiles

Chicken manure, however, is a sought after fertilizer for organic gardeners.  It's rich in nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), and when combined with straw or similar coop bedding it not only adds nutrients to the soil, but also organic matter.  Because of it's high nitrogen content, though, it needs to age or compost before it can be used as fertilizer. It's important to not add fresh or "hot" manure directly to the garden in the spring, otherwise you'll end up killing or actually burning your plants. Also, some studies have shown that it takes six months to a year before you can ensure that any pathogens are not present in the composted manure.  According to this study, conducted by the University of Minnesota, even bin composting, where the manure is maintained at a temperature between 130 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit for three days, is not a guarantee that all the bacteria has been destroyed.  

The safest practice is to either allow the manure to age for the recommended time or incorporate it into the fall garden soil.--Better yet, allow the chickens to free range in the garden at the end of the summer harvest.  They'll clean up the left over plants and weeds, scratch up the soil and leave their powerful "fertilizer" as an added bonus.  Then six month later, your spring garden will be ready to go!

This is something I'm going to start doing. I've got to do something with all that stuff!

Bock, Bock!

A few weeks ago I got word from one of my brothers that he bought some chicks. I didn't know at the time why anyone would buy them but then looked into it and thought how cool it would be to go out in the morning and collect the fresh eggs.

Well, a week later I found myself surprising my kids with them. When I pulled up into the parking lot at Cal-Ranch my son Hunter and daughter Kennedy both said, "This doesn't look like a fun place!"

It was fun after they knew we were going to buy some chicks! Surprise! Kennedy's jaw dropped open and she said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

We brought them home and put them in a large Tupperware box and put their feeder and waterer in the box along with some newspaper. (We now use pine shavings. The chicks like to scratch around in it--it also cuts down on the smell :) ). We also put the heat lamp up and watched them in their new brooder. They love it!

Before they can go outside we have to wait five to six weeks until they are 'feathered-out.' Then they can be moved into their new home. For their coop, I'm going to convert an old doghouse we own into a coop with a run out in the backyard beneath the deck. Check out the pics below:

Aren't they so cute! Our kids named them Sunflower (Buff Orpington or BO), Snowflake (Buff Orpington), Red Head (Rhode Island Red or RIR), Fluffy (Rhode Island Red)

The Buff Orpington's are the light 'buff' colored chicks and the Rhode Island Red's are the, yep, you guessed it--the red ones.

They are getting tired. You can see head bobbing towards the floor!

They made a mess of the brooder so that gave me an idea :)

I put a mixture of shredded newspaper and pine chips in their brooder. (As you can see they like to make a mess of their waterer too.)

Also there's a new addition: a perch! This will help them practice roosting. It also gives them a place to sleep so they don't have to lay in their own poop while they sleep :) 

I got tired of the newspaper and went with the pine shavings, it's much better.

Snowflake (the small BO not on the perch) had a difficult time getting up on the perch to roost. She's the runt of the four. So I made some arrangements.

I added a nice ramp to their perch. Now Snowflake has no trouble at all getting on that perch!

Notice the feathers starting to come in. Soon they will all be 'feathered-out'!