We started out in mid May 2011. We picked up 2 Buff Orpington chicks and 2 Silver Lace Wyandotte chicks. The following week we got 2 Australorps and we hadn't realized how much the first 4 had grown until we put the 2 new ones in there
We started with the 6 chicks in a dog crate in my sister-in-law's living room. We set it up with a heat lamp and food and water dishes. I think they were about 6 weeks old when we put them in the garage in a chicken tractor, the A-frame kind. Oh how roomy that was, at least for a while. They grew so fast and soon it was clear that the chicken tractor was not big enough. In the meantime we had discovered that we had 2 little roosters in the batch of 6. We gave the Buff Orpington boy away and now he is a spoiled pet at a friend's house.
The chickens were pretty much stuck in that chicken tractor. We didn't dare let them run loose outside because of the dogs. I'd go let them out of the tractor and let them run around in the garage for a couple hours.
Finally the guy that my sis-in-law had hired to convert the greenhouse into a chicken house arrived and started to work. Within a few days the chickens were in there and they were so happy with the bigger space. But it wasn't long until the 2 Australorps were trying to get out the door every time I'd go in or out. But the carpenter has a lot of physical ailments so he didn't build the run so they're stuck, again. One of these days soon (I hope) he'll come back and get the fence up. He did manage to make it back out to do the electrical so that's one more thing done. It's rainy season in Oregon now so the chooks probably won't want to come outside in pouring down rain but there are times here and there when it's not raining that they'd love to go outside.
Within a couple days or so after putting them in the new chicken house some of them started laying! Right now, in Novemeber we're getting 2 eggs a day. Neither my SIL nor I eat a LOT of eggs so we have to give some away occasionally. Come spring, we'll have way too many eggs! I love not having to buy eggs from the store
Here are a couple of pictures of them in the crate. It worked well while they were small and it kept them nice and warm.
Below are pictures of them in the chicken tractor.
Below are pictures of the chooks in the chicken house that was formerly a green house. From left to right, Zoey, Nell, Jalapeño, Cleo and Lucy.
We started with the 6 chicks in a dog crate in my sister-in-law's living room. We set it up with a heat lamp and food and water dishes. I think they were about 6 weeks old when we put them in the garage in a chicken tractor, the A-frame kind. Oh how roomy that was, at least for a while. They grew so fast and soon it was clear that the chicken tractor was not big enough. In the meantime we had discovered that we had 2 little roosters in the batch of 6. We gave the Buff Orpington boy away and now he is a spoiled pet at a friend's house.
The chickens were pretty much stuck in that chicken tractor. We didn't dare let them run loose outside because of the dogs. I'd go let them out of the tractor and let them run around in the garage for a couple hours.
Finally the guy that my sis-in-law had hired to convert the greenhouse into a chicken house arrived and started to work. Within a few days the chickens were in there and they were so happy with the bigger space. But it wasn't long until the 2 Australorps were trying to get out the door every time I'd go in or out. But the carpenter has a lot of physical ailments so he didn't build the run so they're stuck, again. One of these days soon (I hope) he'll come back and get the fence up. He did manage to make it back out to do the electrical so that's one more thing done. It's rainy season in Oregon now so the chooks probably won't want to come outside in pouring down rain but there are times here and there when it's not raining that they'd love to go outside.
Within a couple days or so after putting them in the new chicken house some of them started laying! Right now, in Novemeber we're getting 2 eggs a day. Neither my SIL nor I eat a LOT of eggs so we have to give some away occasionally. Come spring, we'll have way too many eggs! I love not having to buy eggs from the store
Here are a couple of pictures of them in the crate. It worked well while they were small and it kept them nice and warm.
Below are pictures of them in the chicken tractor.
Below are pictures of the chooks in the chicken house that was formerly a green house. From left to right, Zoey, Nell, Jalapeño, Cleo and Lucy.
