You know how sometimes pictures don't truly express what you were feeling at the moment?
This one does.
It perfectly captures my reaction to the Easter present I got this year.
Shock, surprise, fear, glee.
What could a cardboard box hold that would create such an extreme reaction?
This ...
And not just one ... a bunch of them.
Now I'm sure you have questions so I'll answer a few off the top of my head right now.
What are those things, Karen?
- They are live Peeps. They're chickens.
Did you always want chickens?
- Yes.
You must live in the country.
- Um, no.
Then you must have a big yard.
- Um, no.
Do you have any idea how to take care of chickens?
- No.
Will your chickens lay eggs?
- I hope so. That's the plan.
Do you like eggs?
- I'm actually allergic. Just kidding. Yup. I like eggs.
Do chickens have to live in a chicken coop?
-Yes.
Do you have a chicken coop?
- No.
Do chickens make a lot of noise?
- I dunno.
What kind of chickens are they?
- Mutts kind of. Rhode Island Reds and 1 that's a cross between a Rhode Island Red, a Columbia Rock and an Ameraucana.
How many are there?
- Six. Problem is I only have room for 2. Once I know if they're male or female I'll pick out two females and then I'll have some chickens to give away.
But not this one ...
Or this one ...
Or this one 'cause he has such a cute bum.
Or any of the ones that are cute. Uh oh.
So how did this come to be exactly? How did I end up with 6 chickens in a cardboard box on my counter Easter morning?
As I've mentioned before, my boyfriend is a very conscientious present buyer. It's remarkable really the things he picks up on.
Turns out I've been talking about chickens a lot over the past few years without even realizing it. Mentioning that I'd love to have a chicken. Talking about how much fun it'd be to go outside and bring eggs in from our own chicken. I'd show him blog posts from Pint Sized Pioneering where Jenn keeps chickens in her urban backyard. I'd mention how the side yard would be the perfect place to keep chickens.
So I guess he figured ... Karen wants a chicken.
Now here's the thing. I DID want chickens. But never in a million years would I have gone out and bought myself some chickens to keep in the backyard. Especially not without some kind of plan. And a coop. And a plan. He on the other hand would.
I apologize for sounding like a proud, new mother but I think they're the most beautiful babies in the world. I don't want to completely inundate you today, so I've saved some of the best pictures to show you on Friday. I'll also have a short little video of the day the chicks arrived for you to watch.
I imagine there's going to be a huge amount of hijinx and hullabaloo with this new hobby. A lot of hullabaloo indeed.
And by hullabaloo, I mean chicken poop. Crap.
Karen,
Your boyfriend has abs of steel and he's thoughtful and considerate. How did you get so lucky?
Christal
OMG that is the most wonderful surprise. or not. but, I wanted to show you my friend's chicken coop. because it's adorable and really perfect for her chickens. also, well, I'm slightly obsessed with her life. don't worry, she's well aware of this. I tell her that every time I see her and if I'm a little tipsy. I'm not creepy.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/34404_606379094404_13302469_35222743_5374548_n.jpg
oh and one more picture from the other side. https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/65262_606379079434_13302469_35222742_7426808_n.jpg
Dieu - You're right. It's beautiful. I want her life too, if that's her chicken coop. ~ karen
i think they need this to live in...i mean, how wonderful would it look in your beautiful backyard :)
http://www.designspongeonline.com/2011/04/nogg-hen-house.html
they posted this just before you recieved your chicks...serendipitous timing i think :)
I have been talking about keeping chickens too!! But I can't figure out how to winter them. Luckily you have time to figure that out, and let me know. :-)
Also, do you take them to a vet? What if you have to ummm ... dispatch one? Do you have to keep the males separate somehow? And if you want to go on vacation, who chicken sits?? I have given this half-a-brain of thought...
Lisa - I'm as new to this as you are! But I know there are certain breeds of chicken that are fine with cold weather as long as they have protection. I'll also plug the heat lamp in for them. I am not going to keep males. They're too noisy to have in an urban setting, plus I only want chickens for eggs and Roos don't give you those. I have cats, so my mom and sisters come and check on the cats when we go away. They'll also have a look on at the chickens. That's it. That is the entire extent of my knowlege. :) ~ karen
Also, Chick Days has been the best resource I've found for raising chickens.
Thanks Brittany! ~ karen
Congrats on your babies. I want some too! I fell in love with this chicken coop when I first saw it:
http://heatherbullard.typepad.com/heather_bullard_collectio/2010/03/our-chicken-coop.html
I know it might not be your style, but you might find some tips on there.
Paulina J! - I absolutely LOVE that chicken coop. It's a perfect and beautiful example of traditional. I'm afraid it may be a bit out of my skill range though! Yikes. If I had plans I could pull it off, but the hard part is finding a beautiful coop with plans. Most plans are for average, everyday coops. :( Thanks for showing me! It'll definitely act as inspiration. For one thing it is VERY practical and well thought out. Great! ~ karen
That's a fantastic coop.
There a thingy called Backyard Chicken newsletter-its a e- newsletter its aimed at urban chicken raisers/farmers. alot of links and info and I believe plans- theres one A frame chiken coop thats so cute I want to live in it!
OMG. I'm so jealous. I just read about this radical chicken coop yesterday called The Nogg. Although I know you will probably build your own, cause you are like that, this one is pretty cool.
http://www.nogg.co/#
It's 1700 dollars. And that's a "special" they're running. Can you believe that? 1700 dollars?
What's the roost space like in those? It looks fantastic, but I worry it doesn't function like a coop needs to.
Chickens don't care what it looks like, it's all function over form for them!
Omg, we're totally doing this in our tiny backyard over the next couple of months. Rhode Islands are pretty small, so you might be able to keep all 6!
You have your own little "Peeples"!! Can't wait to hear everything about them...do they get names?
The baby chicken in the last photo looks exceptionally proud of the poo he/she has just produced.
Karen how wonderful! I had a coop and 2 Bantams when I was 8yo. They won 1st Place Bantams in the New Liskeard Fall Fair. I loved them to bits! You are going to have a blast with these babes.
Lol now you have to determine the style of your coop, how exciting!
*bisous*
I did NOT see that coming! Lucky, lucky lady, you! I'll have to send Husband a link to this with some winking and nudging...
(For the future, anyway. I don't think apartment chickens would work well.)
Sooooo cuuuuuuute. I think it'd be fun to have a couple hens one day but I'd want them to sit on my lap and snuggle me and I don't think chickens really do that. So I should probably stick to cats.
Christina,
I've read that chickens will in fact sit on your lap and snuggle with you. I've been doing some research on owning chickens too and have even seen pictures of them snuggling with little kids.
Please keep us updated on these lil babies!
oh congrats on being a new mom! the last issue of sunset had someone making a coop out of a dog house. not a lot of details but a lot cheaper! go peeps!!!!!!
Such a sweet post, such a sweet boyfriend!
I'm assuming you saw this b/c I believe you follow Design Sponge, but here is a coop recently posted:
http://www.designspongeonline.com/2011/04/nogg-hen-house.html
Can't wait to read all the interesting and adorable future posts. Good luck with your new fur babies!
Thanks Sherry! Yes, I've seen the Nogg. Too expensive for me. Although by the time I build my own coop it'll probably end up costing the same! ~ karen
I am so jealous, and the pictures are adorable! Also, here's a chicken coop, it's shaped like an egg, it's kind of awesome.
http://www.nogg.co/
I think what you just described is called chicken math. It explains how the want for 2 chickens can morph into keeping 50! A great resource for all things chickens: http://www.backyardchickens.com
Congrats on your new peeps!
How cool is that guy making a childhood fantasy come true? How lucky for the chicks that you are going to build them a coop and they'll have a nice life.
Though I'm certainly NOT qualified to talk about chickens or coops, I did use chicken wire to put a bottom row around my cat fence. Yes "cat-fence". I have managed to fence in cats due to a local by-law had to figure out a way so kitties could still sit in the sun.
The bottom 2 feet or so of the fence needed to be rodent proof as the chipmunks ate holes in the original plastic mesh "fence". This worked great for a few years but the squirrels have now torn cat-sized holes - maybe they tired of going around the pen to the bird feeder? It took a few years for the big holes to appear but it might be because the wire has weakened over the years . If your chicken pen is going to be as small as the one in the link, it might be less hassle in the long run to get a heavier mesh, like hardware cloth.
LeeAnne - Thanks! Yes, I do plan on using hardware cloth because of the exact reasons you mentioned. ~ karen
Yay chickens!! I live in inner suburbia melbourne and have had chooks for most of my life - they are the most hilarious / rewarding / wonderful pets to have around... This is the Aussie chook bible http://www.jackiefrench.com/chook.html and here's some eye candy http://www.backyardchickens.com/chicken-coop-medium.html and some more http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/11/coop-homes.html. Happy times!
Thanks so much Snachia! I'm off to look at the coops immediately! Hope at least one of them has some plans you can buy. I'm handy, but I *definitely* need a set of plans to build this coop. Most of the contemporary/modern looking ones are for sale already built. I wanna build it 'cause I can't fathom spending $1,000 on a chicken coop. ~ karen