Our swanky little ladies and their hunk of a rooster stay in our pallet build chicken coop. My husband, who is great with making things from basically trash, built this coop with about 50 hens in mind. They sleep in there during the nights to protect them from predators, like owls, weasels, and who knows what else. Featured in the chicken coop are 12 "laying nest boxes" that are made out of 5 gallon buckets, nailed on their sides to pallets. We put saw dust in the nest boxes so that the eggs come cleaner and so that its cozier for the ladies. Also in the spacious coop is a room, doored off as to store feed, and saw dust there. They also have a roost, and a chicken latter, even though only ONE of them uses the latter. During the day, we let them out of the coop, so that they can free range on our property- well not on our mud room porch- but they can go anywhere else. But no matter what, they always find a way in, so that they can have a nice fresh place to poop.... Not pleasant, but the children and I chase them off with the quote from the book, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom " Skit Scat Skadoodle Doot!"
And they usually leave with the rooster trying to protect them.
It's so fun to watch chickens. The rooster always makes the weirdest calls to his ladies, and they follow! Talk about submission! One minuet they are happily foraging, and the next minuet he does his call and they are all pecking at their wings, giving themselves a dirt bath.
Right now is the best time to raise chickens! Farm fresh eggs, friendly companions, and meat at the end of their laying careers are great!
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