We had a sunny morning so the boys and my dh went to upgrade the chicken coop. Specifically the nests. We've still had them on the ground and you are supposed to have them mounted on the wall about 18 inches off the ground. So they mounted a small perch for the chickens to grab onto as they leap/flutter up to the nests. They put on a board to keep the litter in on the front...
... and on the back. Notice the good use of scrap lumber in this project.
I donated some fabric for the curtains. Chickens like it dark when they lay their eggs. We pinned back the curtains so that they wouldn't be scared of the fabric at first, but eventually, we'll take the pins out and let the curtains hang down.
While they were putting up the nests, the birds kept pecking at our feet. And the buttons on my dress.
Leveling the nests.
You also have to put on a board to keep the birds from roosting on the top of the nests. At first my dh left too much flat space and one bird was determined to stay up there. So he moved the board again and thwarted that bird's plans.
The mounted nests.
And now some portraits. This is the Aracauna that the boys call "The Bearded Lady".
And this is poor "X Beak". She was born with this twisted upper beak. She is one of the smallest birds but still flourishes despite her beak.
The king of the flock, still looking good.
... and on the back. Notice the good use of scrap lumber in this project. 
I donated some fabric for the curtains. Chickens like it dark when they lay their eggs. We pinned back the curtains so that they wouldn't be scared of the fabric at first, but eventually, we'll take the pins out and let the curtains hang down.
While they were putting up the nests, the birds kept pecking at our feet. And the buttons on my dress.
Leveling the nests.
You also have to put on a board to keep the birds from roosting on the top of the nests. At first my dh left too much flat space and one bird was determined to stay up there. So he moved the board again and thwarted that bird's plans.
The mounted nests.
And now some portraits. This is the Aracauna that the boys call "The Bearded Lady".
And this is poor "X Beak". She was born with this twisted upper beak. She is one of the smallest birds but still flourishes despite her beak.
The king of the flock, still looking good.
5 comments:
Looks like a good day of work for creepy birds :) Wooo, chickenfarmers!
Will they try to squeeze into that triangle hole on the end?
A couple tried to get in there, but they can't quite fit when they have their wings in their sort of flying position. But you never know. They like dark spaces so we'll have to keep our eyes open for that.
They look so nice. Won't it be sad to kill them?
Yes, it probably will. These laying birds have a lot more personality than the meat birds we raised last summer. We've told the boys that their favorites will be spared but we'll probably have to get rid of the older birds this year. But we're not planning on doing the butchering ourselves. This year, we're going to farm it out to a man about 30 minutes from here who does this as a side business.
We've also only let them name a few of them. Named birds turn out to be more precious than the unnamed ones.
LOL maybe that was the problem with the cats -- we never should've named them! ;-)
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