Well its official I just became a farmer – sorta. Maybe a homesteader would be more appropriate.
This afternoon I brought home four new additions to our household, and they really know how to give back! After a few (sporadic) months of preparation we introduced four lovely Golden Comet layers to their new home atop the hill behind our house. And just this afternoon they had already laid two eggs; they handled the car ride home quite well I must say!
This might be one of the most cheaply built chicken houses in the world. Our supplies consisted of scrap wood cast-offs, old crates, minimal tools borrowed from my landlords, and tin roofing found behind my darlin’s house. I think our only real expenses were screws, nails, four sets of hinges, two sliding bolts, one piece of plywood for the roof, and the chickens – less than $60 I’d say! But despite the scrappy digs, the chicken house is secure (we hope, it hasn’t actually been tested yet) and rain proof (that was tested today!), filled with fresh hay, plenty of food and water, and lots of room to roam outside. And of course, it was built with love!
I got lucky this time as a good friend recently decided to get out of the chicken business and sold his flock of one hundred laying hens, for three dollars each. $12 total – A mighty fine deal for chickens that are already laying. My darlin’s father gave me the chicken feeder and waterer for Christmas and the feed is under $12 for a 50-lb bag at Southern States. I am searching for a different place to buy feed, as they only sell medicated chicken feed. Its medicated slightly for Coccidiosis, and most folks will look at you like you’re crazy if you tell them you don’t want antibiotics in your feed. Modern agriculture will have you believe they can’t live without it. Chickens lived very well for quite a long time without our help.
I have to say a special thanks to my darlin’ Walker. I wouldn’t have gotten this done with out him. Real work on building the chicken house only seemed to happen when he came to visit. He gave me the motivation, the extra hands and his carpentry expertise to actually get the job done. My roommate, Samm was a big help too here in the final stretch, as well as thanks to our landlords for the use of their tools, and netting to keep the hawks away!
Hope you enjoy the slideshow of the birth of the chicken house and our newest relations.
It started with crates…
…wood collected from behind the local Lowes, and portable saw mill cast-offs…
…one hardworking young domestic with power tools…
…and one strapping young farmer.
They sure know how to work!
We used an old dresser drawer for the nesting box.
These two doors make it easy to collect the eggs without having to go inside the house.
Here the biddies test out the brand new feeder and waterer.
First adventures into the backyard.
Just doing what chickens do.
fresh eggs from your own chickens is the best!! So glad you got them!
Yay! That is really exciting! Wish we had chickens on the farm here in KS – sheep, pasture and gardens are pretty much the capacity currently – so we settle for 15-minute drive eggs.
I expect many great and wonderful egg recipes……:)
Oh my goodness, that is so super awesome cool. This was built completely from the ground up.