Of Chickens and Chicken Coops
by nutuba on May 21, 2009 with 24 Comments
It’s time to build the chicken coop for the new chicks!
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The baby chicks that we acquired in early April are now nearly two months old! They have beautiful plumage, are sweet and friendly, and are just getting past the awkward adolescent years. So far, none of the chicks has asked to borrow the car keys or a credit card, so they seem to be well behaved.
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The chicks all get along well together, and they huddle up at night. They’re getting antsy to be able to go out and walk freely around the yard.
We’re in the process of building a new chicken coop for this batch of chickens (our other coop, currently housing six full-grown hens, isn’t large enough to accommodate the other eleven chickens).
Eleven? Wait nutuba, I thought you said in previous articles that there are twelve baby chicks. Yes, that was true.
I’m saddened to have to tell you that a red tailed hawk killed one of our baby chicks. The odd thing was that the chick was inside the caged in pen — with a top — but when the hawk swooped down from the sky, the chick ran to the corner of the pen, and the hawk reached his talons through the cage and killed the chick.
This same red tailed hawk actually tried to attack one of our big hens yesterday! The hens were out in the yard, pecking and wandering and exploring. My wife and kids were also out in the yard, not more than twenty feet away, hammering, pounding nails, and working on the chicken coop.
The hawk swooped down and landed on one of our largest hens! There was a flurry of feathers, and the hawk tried to pick up the hen and carry it off, but it was unable to do so.
I’m not sure what our options are at this point. My understanding is that the red tailed hawk is on the endangered species list — or is at least protected. But as long as that hawk is around, our chickens won’t be safe wandering around the yard.
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We decided that the chicken coop should be large enough so that if we someday do not have chickens, we can still use the coop as a garden shed. The floor of the coop is eight feet by eight feet.
Image from author
Image from author
Image from author
We’re not quite done. We’re going to put on a metal roof, and on the left side we are going to build nest boxes so that we can gather eggs from the outside without needing to go into the coop.
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The coop is coming along nicely, and we should be able to finish it up soon. The fenced in area will also have a top to it, to keep predators out.
We will dig a trench all the way around on the outside and bury chicken wire so that animals cannot dig their way under the pen.
The chicks will probably start laying eggs in another two or three months, and that will be … egg-citing!
We need a name for our chicken coop. I’m thinking of calling it Coop d’Etat.
Other ideas?
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Published in: Rural Living
maranatha | May 21, 2009 | Reply
We made an opening in one side so the chickens can enter the fenced area at will. Worked pretty good! We have so many owls, we can’t let them run free.
Andrew Davies | May 21, 2009 | Reply
Wow, great job man, I love the saga of the chickens.
Holly J. Yarrington | May 21, 2009 | Reply
I love your practical columns on rural life. They are very informative for all of us. I want to say my grandfather was a strawberry farmer and there is nothing like having your own life. With the uncertainty today I think your better off than we city dwellers. Keep up the beautiful articles. To all those out in the rural areas I salute you.
lindalulu | May 21, 2009 | Reply
Nice article Joel, and the chickens have grown so big.
Westbrook | May 21, 2009 | Reply
I grew up in the country and my parents had a lot of chickens and turkeys. It’s great eating fresh eggs. By the way, do you know that hens lay eggs even without being around a rooster? They just are not fertilized. Chickens attract all kinds of animals. You have to be on the lookout all the time. Not only owls and hawks grab them if they are lucky, coyotes and weasels will go after them. Weasels are slim and can get through much of the wiring used for pens. We once lost all our turkets and many chickens to weasels when we were away for a couple days. Some snakes will go after chickens.
I am not too fond of “coup d’Etat.” Literally, it means a group takes over a legitimate government. How about something more comical like, “Coo Coo Nest?”
seashell66 | May 21, 2009 | Reply
Sorry to hear about the twelfth baby…
I love the name of the new coop!
Bo Jack Russo | May 21, 2009 | Reply
Man they’ve grown fast,NuTuba Construction,there is no substitute.
Alina Beck | May 21, 2009 | Reply
The chicken coop looks like a luxury mansion! I can’t believe how the chicks are growing up – it only seems two minutes since they were tiny fluff balls and now look at them all ready to move into their own place!
clay hurtubise | May 21, 2009 | Reply
Wow, what does the dog house look like?
Thanks,
Clay
Karen Gross | May 21, 2009 | Reply
Charming accomodations for your chickens. There was a big hulaballoo in our news recently about a family keeping chickens in their backyard in the city. The neighbours were raising a stink about the smell.
Would be nice to have fresh eggs though.
numismatic | May 22, 2009 | Reply
Nice work, the framing job is very nice I must say.
I am not sure how much help or if you did that framing alone but it looks very good nice job.
I got room for chickens but I’d rather eat them then have them as pets. Well that is all i got you guys keep up the good articles.
papaleng | May 22, 2009 | Reply
you really did an outstanding job, Joe
Betty Carew | May 22, 2009 | Reply
Wow Nutuba the chicks are teenagers lol and their own apartment is ready to move into lol. To bad about the one that died. Great article Nutuba I just love these.
Bullwinkle Muse | May 22, 2009 | Reply
Great article, and nice work on the coop! I like Coop D’Etat. Other possibilities:
Little Deuce Coop
The Omelet Hotel
(slogan: “Home of the Dixie Chicks!”)
Feathering Heights
Home de Plume
Fort Drumstick
Fort Hen-ry
Chicken-out Inn
bunnygotblog | May 23, 2009 | Reply
This great, rabbits and 2 peacocks.We have been thinking bricks to go with the landscape and dutch doors.
Sharazad | May 23, 2009 | Reply
Oh, they’ve gotten so big. I liked them small and yellow.
How about Cluckingham Palace? The Egg-Fel Tower? Down-Egg Street (that one’s a little corny)? How about Chicksylvania? The Cockoseum? Egglington Hall?
Whatever you do, just don’t call it KFC.
nenen | May 24, 2009 | Reply
now i see. you’ve been very busy with your chickens lately. the coop is so nice
Blogurl1 (JMom) | May 24, 2009 | Reply
Eggciting indeed! The chicks really have grown.
We have a hawk in our neighborhood too, but my husband actually welcomes him because he preys on the rabbits that think our garden is their own personal farmer’s market. lol!
Ruby Hawk | May 24, 2009 | Reply
Well, good luck to you and your chickens. I hope they do their job well and your eggs are nice and tasty. Sorry about the hawk. Rotten luck.
DA Cournean | May 24, 2009 | Reply
Fowl Du Lay? Sorry had a little dandelion wine….
Mr Ghaz | May 25, 2009 | Reply
Great post! nice story as usual..I always enjoyed reading yr works.
Glassie | Jun 5, 2009 | Reply
Not sure about a chicken house ….. would not mind that one for myself!
jeanne | Sep 12, 2009 | Reply
can you put a new baby chick in with grown established hens in the same coop or is there an introduction phase needed
nutuba | Sep 12, 2009 | Reply
Hi Jeanne,
You need to put new chicks in a separate area … the older hens will peck at the younger ones. We do let them out in the yard to play together, and now that the younger ones are almost as big as the older ones they tolerate each other for the most part. Interestingly enough, our most docile hen, Amber, is the most vicious toward the new chicks. I guess since she was on the bottom of the pecking order for three years, she’s establishing herself as higher than the newer chickens. (We gave the rooster away, so now we have all hens).