Debbie's Silkies

[2ndTink]

He's too cute to be mean.

I'm going to tell him that, and if he doesn't behave I'll put him on the phone with you to straighten him out!

 

[NagemTX]

Another picture of the porcelain/blue creams.

 

[2ndTink]

Another picture of the porcelain/blue creams.

View attachment 3821479

Adorable!

 

[NagemTX]

Adorable!

I know right. They alone have changed my mind on owning silkies. I'll be keeping two of them and my friend gets the othe two.

 

[Debbie292d]

Another picture of the porcelain/blue creams.

View attachment 3821479

So danged cute!!

Now you make me really want them and glad she said she'll throw a few eggs of theirs in my 2-dozen. I had previously shied away due to the need to breed back something in a few years for feather/color quality but how hard is that really if I have the pens? Well, that led to...

Last night I brought up to hubby that with all these breeding and temp pens, our backyard is starting to look like a homeless encampment. So what if we bought another Amish building like the coop/garden shed, but just smaller and run 4 breeding/growout pens out of it?

OMG, he liked the idea! Except, rather than put it in our backyard, we were pondering either putting it in the garden area and cut that back dramatically or make it an addition and connect it beside or behind the current coop. The current building is 12x20, and he's thinking 12x12.

I'm going to need at least 3 breeding pens so one growout pen isn't enough but we'd come up with something else, or back to the aviary that's worked well. He wants the aviary to be just for the parrots again, and I reminded him our parrots are much more entertained now in the aviary as they have chickens to watch.

We're going to just keep doing the temp pens until they aren't enough. We'll wait until next summer though as then, they won't be enough and we get more use out of our "homeless encampment."

Paints, buffs, and cuckoos I need to pen up, then the lavenders. I've pondered having a mixed pen and just seeing what we get too.


The "homeless encampment." The dog kennel on the right doesn't count. Left of that is the aviary that can be adjoined to the breeding pen which is the next thing with the big tarp on it. That little pen in front of it is what he slapped together quick for the ones in the house to get outside. I lean one corner on a rock during the day so they can sneak out and they do a little bit. That's the least secure pen but the hutch he made for them at night is secure. That dog pen thing in the front has Marsha and two other of my breeder broodies in it. They're only in there during the day as I put them back in their breeder hutch at night.

This is the main coop. He thought of removing the "sunroom" from the right side, building up the bank to the right and putting it there. That's the most work. He thought of pulling the coop back and putting it on this side of it or leave the coop and put it behind it. I think we're both leaning to an independent structure to the left of the coop. Aesthetically, adding to the coop is probably better though.

 

[TwoCrows]

So danged cute!!

Now you make me really want them and glad she said she'll throw a few eggs of theirs in my 2-dozen. I had previously shied away due to the need to breed back something in a few years for feather/color quality but how hard is that really if I have the pens? Well, that led to...

Last night I brought up to hubby that with all these breeding and temp pens, our backyard is starting to look like a homeless encampment. So what if we bought another Amish building like the coop/garden shed, but just smaller and run 4 breeding/growout pens out of it?

OMG, he liked the idea! Except, rather than put it in our backyard, we were pondering either putting it in the garden area and cut that back dramatically or make it an addition and connect it beside or behind the current coop. The current building is 12x20, and he's thinking 12x12.

I'm going to need at least 3 breeding pens so one growout pen isn't enough but we'd come up with something else, or back to the aviary that's worked well. He wants the aviary to be just for the parrots again, and I reminded him our parrots are much more entertained now in the aviary as they have chickens to watch.

We're going to just keep doing the temp pens until they aren't enough. We'll wait until next summer though as then, they won't be enough and we get more use out of our "homeless encampment."

Paints, buffs, and cuckoos I need to pen up, then the lavenders. I've pondered having a mixed pen and just seeing what we get too.


The "homeless encampment." The dog kennel on the right doesn't count. Left of that is the aviary that can be adjoined to the breeding pen which is the next thing with the big tarp on it. That little pen in front of it is what he slapped together quick for the ones in the house to get outside. I lean one corner on a rock during the day so they can sneak out and they do a little bit. That's the least secure pen but the hutch he made for them at night is secure. That dog pen thing in the front has Marsha and two other of my breeder broodies in it. They're only in there during the day as I put them back in their breeder hutch at night.
View attachment 3821963

This is the main coop. He thought of removing the "sunroom" from the right side, building up the bank to the right and putting it there. That's the most work. He thought of pulling the coop back and putting it on this side of it or leave the coop and put it behind it. I think we're both leaning to an independent structure to the left of the coop. Aesthetically, adding to the coop is probably better though.
View attachment 3821964

One can never have too many coops. Beautiful property Debbie! ❤

 

[Slothinc]

I love your plans Debbie!!!! That is so exciting!! When you said lavenders were you talking about the porcelains or are you actually going to be getting some lavenders???

 

[NagemTX]

So danged cute!!

Now you make me really want them and glad she said she'll throw a few eggs of theirs in my 2-dozen. I had previously shied away due to the need to breed back something in a few years for feather/color quality but how hard is that really if I have the pens? Well, that led to...

Last night I brought up to hubby that with all these breeding and temp pens, our backyard is starting to look like a homeless encampment. So what if we bought another Amish building like the coop/garden shed, but just smaller and run 4 breeding/growout pens out of it?

OMG, he liked the idea! Except, rather than put it in our backyard, we were pondering either putting it in the garden area and cut that back dramatically or make it an addition and connect it beside or behind the current coop. The current building is 12x20, and he's thinking 12x12.

I'm going to need at least 3 breeding pens so one growout pen isn't enough but we'd come up with something else, or back to the aviary that's worked well. He wants the aviary to be just for the parrots again, and I reminded him our parrots are much more entertained now in the aviary as they have chickens to watch.

We're going to just keep doing the temp pens until they aren't enough. We'll wait until next summer though as then, they won't be enough and we get more use out of our "homeless encampment."

Paints, buffs, and cuckoos I need to pen up, then the lavenders. I've pondered having a mixed pen and just seeing what we get too.


The "homeless encampment." The dog kennel on the right doesn't count. Left of that is the aviary that can be adjoined to the breeding pen which is the next thing with the big tarp on it. That little pen in front of it is what he slapped together quick for the ones in the house to get outside. I lean one corner on a rock during the day so they can sneak out and they do a little bit. That's the least secure pen but the hutch he made for them at night is secure. That dog pen thing in the front has Marsha and two other of my breeder broodies in it. They're only in there during the day as I put them back in their breeder hutch at night.
View attachment 3821963

This is the main coop. He thought of removing the "sunroom" from the right side, building up the bank to the right and putting it there. That's the most work. He thought of pulling the coop back and putting it on this side of it or leave the coop and put it behind it. I think we're both leaning to an independent structure to the left of the coop. Aesthetically, adding to the coop is probably better though.
View attachment 3821964

Sound plans!

I'm hoping to do a 10x16 or 10x20 shead or something for incubating/hatching/brooding with grow out pens attached. Might do two actual pens attached as well. It all depends on how big the shed is. Will be adding better shelter to my open air pens so I can move away from tarps.

 

[2ndTink]

Expansion time! Exciting! Like TwoCrows said, you can never have too many coops that's great that hubby is on-board and I can totally see the parrots enjoying watching the antics of the chickens

 

[Debbie292d]

I love your plans Debbie!!!! That is so exciting!! When you said lavenders were you talking about the porcelains or are you actually going to be getting some lavenders???

My mistake, I did mean the porcelains that she's sending. Lavenders are another one I don't have, but that's it for different variations of chickens for this year!