A Coop by any other name...

A Chicken Coop has two doors. If it had four doors it would be a Chicken Sedan.

Yes. I went there.

Anyway, speaking of chicken coops, it's almost time. Time for the girls to leave the Pen, that is. What's the Pen, you ask? The Pen is exactly what it sounds like: a pen. But not some run-of-the-mill pen. Not for my Girls. Their Pen is a nice little comfy number set-up in a corner of my garage. Soft woodshavings, a couple roosts, nice little light, treats thrown in whenever possible. But they can't stay in the Pen forever. No. Relocation is inevitable, I guess. And that relocation is to...


COOPENHAGEN

That's the name of my Coop/Run combo. The name is official. The only thing missing is a plaque announcing Name and Est'd date. (It's on it's way!) Yessirree! 5'x4', working windows, ventilated eaves, roosts, three, count 'em... three nesting boxes, and a chicken door that leads to an enclosed 130 square foot Run.

Now, the hens have been enjoying their afternoons perusing what will eventually be their home for some time. Scratching through the dirt, taking dustbaths, pretty much whatever they want to do until dusk hits. That's when they're taken back to the Pen.

And this is all very exciting. But the excitement doesn't come without a few worries and racked nerves.

For example: When I finally say, here you go, Girls. Coopenhagen is your new home. 24/7. No more cozy Pen in the comfort of the garage, I'm going to worry. I mean, how cold, really, does my garage get at night? Not as cold as the Coop, I'm guessing. Not this time of year.

And...

Well...

Well, that's my big concern. The night-time temperature. It is January, after all.

Yes, my Chickens are three months old. Yes, they are fully feathered (I think). Yes, the Coop is fully enclosed with roosts and nesting boxes and places for the Girls to snuggle close for maximum body heat.

Granted it's not as cold as some places. Where I live the night time temperatures dip into the low-40s. Yes, I hear the laughing from those of you Back East. Low-40s is nothing compared to the temps where water needs to be thawed three times a day, but still. I'm new at this and it's hard to pull the trigger. I've pampered my Girls. And I worry about them becoming Chicken-sicles. I'll be a nervous wreck the first night. I know. So maybe I won't move them out this week.

Maybe next week. Or the week after. Either way, Coopenhagen is ready even if I'm not.

--Chicken Dup

Only a month?!

Well, it's only been a month since I started in on my flock.  Four of the girls are four weeks old, two of them three. And all of them have about tripled in size. And everything in The Pen has gotten way too small. The waterer. The mason-jar feeder. The roosts. Everything.

Admittedly, I need to buy a new waterer. There's no shortage of water, mind you, but it would be nice to have something a little bit bigger. Maybe something that won't catch every woodchip that flies its way.

And the mason jar feeder? Too small. At least for my six chicks. So, here's what I did...

I bought a two gallon paint bucket with a lid, cut a few holes on the side at the very bottom, and bolted the bottom of the bucket to the lid of a five gallon paint bucket (the Home Depot type). I filled it with Crumble and my girls are good to go! Easy. And cheap. It cost me about $7.00.

And that brings us to the roosts! Initially I made two small roosts: a crossbar with a couple foot-stands. Each about eight inches long. But those are being kicked aside these days. So, I've fashioned two 'I-mean-business' roosts in two of the corners of the chicken pen. Basically, I took 1"x1/2" pine rods and slid them diagonally into place in the corners of The Pen. Different lengths, different heights. And... success! The girls love them. They've been all over them since the roosts went in.

Other than that, everything is business as usual. More feathers are coming in every day. The chicks' coloring is becoming more and more apparent. And the personalities are starting. The bold. The shy. Everything in between. It's pretty great.

Now, only another four weeks until the big move from The Pen to The Coop.

A lot to think about. And a lot more to do. But hey, it's only been a month.