Our Chickens - Moving Day!!!

in #homesteading7 years ago

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Pigeon exploring the new digs

The coop is finished!!! Isn't that exciting?! It was officially opened for chicken business yesterday. We found Loudmouth and Pigeon already exploring it during the day. The husband moved their enclosure over and attached it to the front of the new coop. Last night, after they had gone to sleep in their old coop, he carried them into the new one. This morning, we let them into their enclosure and fed them.

Unfortunately within about an hour they had all flown out and were doing their usual thing. They spent all day outside of the enclosure, with the door open so they could come back in for water and shelter if needed. Of course tonight they all chose to go back into the old coop which is clear across the yard. So we're going to carry them back over and this time replace the netting over the top of the enclosure to prevent them from flying out. (Clipping wings makes me super nervous. I don't want to accidentally take off too much and hurt them. I imagine it's like how you have to be careful clipping a dog's nails.)

Here are pics of the new coop and the ladies in their enclosure...before they all said, "Fuck this!" and broke free.

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We found an egg in one of the nest boxes this morning as well! Eggciting!

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Nest boxes

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The roost is made of a piece of deck railing we discarded while building the house. I knew it would come in handy some day! Premade roost!

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Once the ladies are all settled and are using the new coop with ease, we will let them free range again. By that time the older, smaller coop will be out of their sight and have new residents: Bantams. Our youngest daughter will have her own little flock of Bantam chickens to raise and show.

Eventually, we will fence off a good portion of the area around the new coop for the chickens to have as their own. We are also planning on adding some meat chickens to our flock as we have began butchering our own and feel okay with it.

So that's what we've been up to! I'm actually going to go help the husband carry the chickens back to the new coop since they decided they were still going to sleep in the old one. That's why we have to replace the netting.

Thanks for stopping by!!!

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It is pretty sweet! I think they like it!

That's some prime real-estate right there for the chickies!

Right? Lucky little turds. I better start getting more eggs from them!

Nice digs for the gals. They are just little creatures of habit, running back to their old coop. You guys built them the Taj Mahal, I hope they didn’t over hear you talking about meat chickens. Lol🐓🐓

Hahaha! We let them out today. We will see if which coop they go back to. I have the old one shut so they can't get in.

Love the new coop and nice re-use of the railing! Hopefully everyone will settle in soon.

Thanks, @aunt-deb. We're going to take every other rail off because they seem to be too close to each other to allow the ladies to really get between them to roost. So far so good as far as them calming down and getting used to it though. I'm really happy with it.

If you lock them in the coop for about three days they should figure out to sleep in there. They will learn it’s their new home. It looks really great!

It took almost a month of them being locked in the enclosure last time to stop them from perching in the trees. This time I'm not fucking around. Haha!

What a nice coop--I love the piece of deck railing as an instant roost! That is brilliant! I'm kind of lol'ing at the stubborn chickens refusing to permanently move into their new home. I'm having similar tribulations trying to get mine to sleep on the snazzy perch I made them ;)

I can't believe they don't like their perch! I thought it was a great idea. I'd use it if I was a chicken. Haha!
Thank you for stopping by, @mtnmeadowmomma!

I'd sleep on it if I was a chicken, too! Thanks! :) I even swapped it out for a thicker branch and if I set the chickens on it, they settle down nicely into a roosting position. I think they're just set in their ways. I'll outsmart them eventually :)

Nice looking coop! I'm hoping to get chickens this year, but I have to check with my mother in laws doctor as she may have an issue with chickens near the house! So I hope the doctor is ok with our decision on having chickens!!

Thanks so much! Does your MIL have respiratory problems? I hope you they turn out to not be an issue and you can have as many as you want!

Yes, my MIL has some respiratory issues! So I'm hoping because she's inside most of the time it won't matter to much with the chickens being outside!

good post, you have work, good luck and useful for others, thank you,

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