The winter coop

Chicken

Known for its feather and wings and legs,

The chicken lays eggs and eggs and eggs!

Known for the comb atop its crown,

The chicken lays eggs of white and brown.

Known for its strut when taking a walk,

The chicken lays eggs! Ba-a-awk! Ba-a-awk!
Meish Goldish

We built our chicken coop this summer.... should have been spring. Like many of our "good" plans we should have started earlier. The baby chickens came in early April. They were so cute and fluffy. We put them in the basement with two heat lamps, a chick waterer and a baby chick feeder. They grew... and grew... and grew. They ate and ate and ate. They chirped and chirped and...clucked. And all that time they deposited droppings after droppings after droppings (did I mention they were in my basement?) Eleven (yes, I said eleven) weeks later the coop was finally finished. Well, not quite. We hadn't finished insulating the roof or putting the sheathing on the ceiling. But it was close enough.

We had built in it in front of the garage so it would be close to all the tools. So the great moving day was exciting. My husband somehow attached a big chain around the coop and I drove the tractor. The coop slid beautifully in its skids. Eventually we put sturdy railroad ties under the coop and set the windows.

How did I know it was moving day? The chickens found out they could walk up stairs. When the first rooster entered my kitchen I said, "That's it! Either outside or off with your head!" They opted for outside. And found they liked it out there much better. (After many days of scrubbing and disinfecting the basement eventually got cleaned...never again will baby chickens live in my house).

Today it is snowing. The coop is snug and warm. In fact, the outside temperature is 28 degrees but the coop is 51 degrees. The chickens do not like the snow. Probably too unpredictable... blowing here and there. Pelting them from above. So I don't even open the door... it just makes their home cold.

I never finished painting the coop. It's primed (mostly) but I never had (or made) the time to finish it. Ah... something to do when spring arrives. In the meantime I will enjoy their wonderful brown eggs and their funny antics.

Today's Journey Joy: warm and toasty chicken coop