Coop with a view

A new play pen for the chookies, soon-to-be [portable] chicken tractor

Six chicks have been peeping & squawking in our basement for 7 weeks. They were ready to get outta there .... and we were eager to get them outta there, as the basement was smelling like a chicken coop :(

18-20 hrs of labor over 3 days and our chookies {that's Aussie for "chicken"} have a new play pen at the farm house (a.k.a. The Coop)!! 8x10 feet ... and room for more chooks! I am exhausted after putting 7 hrs into it today to get the run finished, ramp & roosts on, sided & wired, and the whole exterior coated in linseed oil. Phew!! I am now pretty confident with a circular saw, though I am covered in sawdust!

K & T were great helpers, and hubby (briefly in between mowing about 2 acres with his Anniversary gift of a yard tractor!!) 

Still some details to finish — more vents/windows in the coop; the nesting area (a little early yet); another access door to rear of nesting area; wheels to make it a portable chicken tractor — but the most important stuff DONE. UPDATE: Oh, and some modifications to the [leaking] roof :(

The chookies — now pullets* — LOVE it. And they eat half as much feed now that they have 80 square feet of grass/weeds to peck at :) 

*We're pretty confident that Margot is actually a cockerel (young rooster) and if so, will be called Marco Pollo. I'll confirm that in another month or so. This time we can keep him :)

The chooks really like their new coop-with-a-view

Chicken keeping is SO.MUCH.FUN.