The Coopacabana....

We are still working on the chicken coop, but it's nearly done. We were out there this morning, with Gatsby supervising as he stretched out in the shade and watched us working. The nesting boxes are hung up, and right above those we hung up the chicken painting that's framed with wood and chicken wire. A nice touch.

I put the wooden bread box on a little wrought-iron table..... and with the hay inside that box, it looks as cozy and comfy as the traditional nesting boxes. My husband hung up two roosting poles for the chickens. We have learned that they don't sleep in the nesting boxes, they like to sleep perched up on poles, a little high off the ground. So my husband put up brackets, and attached eight-foot 2x2's to the brackets..... instant roosting perches. (Not exactly instant, since everything is taking much longer than we expected.) The chickens use the nesting boxes just for egg-laying. (I hope we get chickens who know all this stuff.)

The water bowl is also hung up, suspended from the ceiling with a chain. We have to get another length of chain for the feed bowl. By keeping them a few inches off the ground, we won't have to worry about ants and/or mice. Both the water and the feed bowls are sort of upside-down covered contraptions--- you fill them half-way or all the way up (depending on how many hens you have) then turn it over and gravity takes care of the rest... like a hummingbird feeder.

It is still blasting hot outside, so all of the coop work takes place between 7:30 and 11:30.... after that, you just don't want to be out there working on anything. My husband keeps saying that the chickens had better appreciate all the work he's been putting into the coop. "All this time, and all the money for materials.... just to save money on fresh eggs." Funny, when you think about it.

While we were in one of the stores getting some supplies the other day, I found a book on chickens..... wonderful book, with photographs of the breeds, chapters on care and feeding...... what to do and not do...... what to look for to keep the chickens healthy...... which breeds make the best pets, which breeds lay the most eggs. Of course, I had to buy the book. I'm sure all that information can be found on the Internet (which we've been looking thru) but the computer just isn't a good substitute for a book that I can hold in my hands.

I also found a book on chickens that gave step-by-step instructions on killing, plucking and cooking fresh chickens. I closed that book right-quick and put it back on the shelf. We're not raising chickens to eat them...... we just want some fresh eggs, and we want the chickens to control the insect population on the property. Maybe I should leave the book in the coop so the chickens will know what to do.....