Coop's Done, and Chicks play in the sun!

So sorry folks for all the chicken updates, but the garden is really at a standstill, we've only just hit 70 degrees (yesterday 5/19) and nights are still in the mid 40's so everything is in hold mode...

But, the Chicken Coop is now DONE! and the chickens have officially moved in!

What's the first thing chickens do when moving into a new domicile...check out the buffet!

So today after running errands, I finished up the Ark, and brought the chickens out into the sunshine.  Wow did grass confuse them!?! But they soon warmed up to the green under their feet, and started pecking away, eating bugs, weeds, pulling up grass and having a good 'ol time!

This is one of the prettiest sites in our already gorgeous backyard.  My dream of 5 years has become a reality...there are chickens in my backyard!

It was really cool to have them outside with me as I put the wired gate on the lower run of their coop.  This was the last thing to do before I could move them in.  The gate is made from 2x2 lumber, and then 1/4 inch hardware cloth is on top of that.  I put hinges on the side, so that the gates open outwards, like cabinet doors.

I'd like to think I was so smart as to think this up beforehand, but circumstances led my hand.  In the end, I like this better than what I had planned, which was to have the gate lift up from the bottom with hinges on top.  The use of 1x2' would have worked like that, but using 2x2's made it tricky to impossible to make work, so I improvised, and actually like this result much better!  Go Figure.

Well, this was all done by about 6 pm, and needing to get the girls into the coop before we left to see the farmers market down the road, I moved them in and they took to the new place likes kids in a candy store.

Tomorrow I will work with them on the ladder to the lower run.  I will also have to purchase a larger waterer for them.  I will likely use the same feeder though as it is still working.  They are just going through more water than a quart mason jar holds.

Sorry, writing this up, got me thinking about the chickens, and I had to go see how they were doing.  Well it turns out, they are chirping away, eating.  I could see that my plan to minimize the bedding isn't a rousing 100% success, as the ramp ladder is covered in bedding now!  Not sure if I can do anything about that at this stage, but once they grow bigger I can increase the size of the wall around the opening.

Tomorrow comes the task of cleaning the garage.  That's were the brooder box ended up, and there is a fine layer of dust over everything within spitting distance of the box (that would be camel spitting distance I'm discovering...)  Oh bother.  That will have to be done before we attend a play, and then scurry to see my daughter perform in her high school play.  So Busy day tomorrow.

Night all