All Things Chicken

For all of you who haven't the slightest interest in chickens, let me apologize...cause this is going to be a chicken-centric post! Yesterday, someone commented and asked me if I could show pictures of my chicken coop. That's when it hit me. I have never shown off my big coop redo, which took place at the end of last summer. So without further delay...Okay, maybe a bit of delay, because I wanted to show off my girls...their baby pictures, all the way through today. For those of you who are new to my blog, here is the long and short of it: I decided to give urban chicken farming a try last spring, and so in mid-April, I brought home four newborn Araucana chicks. I kept them in my studio for the first two weeks, just so I could make sure that they were warm and healthy. As they grew a bit bigger, I moved them into the basement and began taking them on little adventures outside, so that they could get used to the new environment.
When they hit their awkward adolescent phase (pullets, to get technical), I moved the girls permanently outside to their coop, which I built from a template.
From there, they shot up like little weeds and before you know it, they were laying the most gorgeous pale blue-green eggs you have ever seen. And then tragedy struck...two nights in a row, a wild animal broke into the coop and killed off my girls, one at a time. So now I am left with two, and they are braving the winter like true champions. I moved their coop into the garage during the colder months so that they have an extra barrier against the cold. They still spend their days ranging freely around the yard, and while they were scared of the snow for the entire month of December, they have finally gotten over it and are back to their active selves. Whew...
So here is their coop last summer...plain, boring wood.
By the end of that rainy summer, it was looking a little worse for the wear, so I decided a make-over was in order.
Using scrap wood, leftover house paint, a crazy cool decal I found at a thrift shop, and an old wooden box, I planned the renovation.
Ta-Da! Nothing but the best for my girls!
So here is my closing thought: if you have ever considered raising chickens in your backyard, I would say..."GO for it!" It has been such a rewarding and fun experiment and I can't wait to get a few more chicks this spring!