Foundation & Foundation Holes

NIGEL:
So we identified the location & angle for the coop after much deliberation. Deliberation is important, it provides opportunity for diverse input, but also opportunity for a beer & further reflection, or, if the time is right, LUNCH!

We determined the angle & location to maximize the sun's warmth in the winter.... as well, we hope, to capture the breezes to ventilate the coop for the chooks. Respiratory diseases are common for chooks & ours will be super healthy. BTW, they are doing really well, growing, active, enjoying the grass cuttings (2wice a day), feisty & curious.

Anyway, Dad (ever enthusiastic) started on one of the holes. I think Mum provided some direction, before finding something else to do.... she can't sit still! He claim he dug down 16", but it took a long time. The ground is really hard. Anyway, we decided to build the base first & then determine the hole locations. So with Mum & Dad's help we built a coop base... nothing spectacular, but it was "square" (well close enough.... "just like a boughty!"

Our neighbor Pete (he has all of the farming toys & was the first neighbor to welcome us) saw us in action & came to see... ever curious! Anyway he offered to use his post hole digger if we wanted. Dad said "YES thanks!" immediately. So off I went with Pete (he just had knee replacement surgery... yes we talk old knee stories) to attach it to his new tractor. I rode on the rear mud guard, not very safe. After some challenges we got it sorted & returned. Away we went. Wow had Charlie packed the dirt down. I had to actually lean onto the digger to help it dig-in!!! We did the six in no time. What a champion Pete was & he got to play with his super duper tractor. I know one day (fingers crossed) he'll let me drive it & I will feel like a real farmer!! I have been practicing spitting, in a manly way, just in case

Foundation

NIGEL:
The foundation was set last evening..... finally!!!
The floor/base will have to wait until Monday as I away for the weekend...work!
Dad & Mum helped spread & rake in the grass seed that will help feed the free range chooks (chickens) in the future & hopefully stop any potential erosion of the newly graded slopes. Caught two chickens last night to check on them... including #46.
They are very strong now... & we are seeing a couple of testing fights amongst the birds. Hope to have them in their new home before the end of this month...... fingers crossed (the coop wont be finished by then... but hopefully somewhat functional?

Sorry about the details in this section..... Mum came up this morning & said there is a dead mole (she has been obsessed with moles since she realized that was what made all of the damage to our yard) in our newly plated grass area. So we go down to find a half eaten ...very large... possum with only it's butt sticking our of the ground. Must have been attacked while burrowing last night??

The lot clearing - cont'

NIGEL:
More photos... (I can only post 5 at a time???) enjoy!
We purchased grass seed from our 'mates' & neighbors Gene & Pete to establish a free range area for the chickens....(boy they are growing quickly..... & eat like they are at boarding school....yes I went to boarding school!!!).

The newly cleared lot (we just cleared the 2 huge rubbish pile that the developers left after establishing the lot) looks like it will be an awesome sledding spot this winter!! Exciting!!!

Anyway, the next activity is to dig the foundation holes in the newly packed ground. Maybe I'll get dad to do this??? :)

The lot clearing

NIGEL:
Check out the photos of Charlie as he cleared our lot. It was a bigger job than we all thought, but it looks like a downhill ski or sledding slope..... BRING ON THE SNOW!! The bottom photo is the view from our house BEFORE the lot clearing. The rest are photos of the process over two days. We have been stalling, awaiting the lot clearing. We are just beginning to work on the foundation... (we have the two 20' walls framed already!

Coop lot

NIGEL:
Okay, things are going crazy! The chickens are growing like crazy... the lots is being cleared by Charlie, like crazy & #46's hairstyle is getting more outrageous... you guessed it..... like crazy!!!

chicken coop

NIGEL:
Well, at the urging of my parents we started working on the framing for the "chook" house, since the lot is yet to be cleared of the debri. So off to Lowes (where else?)to spend loads (got a $35 discount!). Took about 2 & 1/2 hours. Lunch then we were at it. We decided on 20' in length & between 10' & 15' wide. We decided to build the 20' sides in two sections. The lower section 6' high we built first, allowing for vents, two chicken doors & a medium access to enable the brooder to be moved in & out. We worked pretty hard & completed them. Time for a BEER & to reflect on our handiwork. Then we went to work on one section of the higher section. Built in a 4' x 4' window. We ran out of steel corner framing pieces so will have to wait until tomorrow. Pretty please with our efforts.... it was great to have several extra pairs of hands & perspectives to make sure we had it done correctly... well we wont know until we go to put it together!!!!!!!

Thunderstorm

NIGEL:
Well the chicks survived their first thunderstorm outside. It was noisy under the corrugated iron, but they seemed content to sleep/roost. They continue to grow & feather out. Many of the chicks are getting their combs. #46 is significantly smaller in build to the other two breeds & looks to sometimes be intimidated by them. Need to get a couple of friends for him/her.

My mum is most concerned/obsessed about the chicks. She let them out this morning & apparently, was quite thrilled by the experience.

Redneck/Hillbilly

NIGEL:
Well, we decided to make a temporary transition to the outside for the chicks. Mum & dad helped me lift the brooder around to the other side of the house under the deck. Dad & I had just finished roofing the underside of the deck, so now it was waterproof.

We then planned to build a mini outside run for the chicks to give them more room & help with the transition to the coop. The plan was to build a run that was predator & chick proof, which we can move/adjust slightly to give them different grass to scratch in. It took ages, with my Mum & dad's help to fence & wire the run so it was covered over the top.

We didn't use any duct tape, but I think some of our compromises & adaptations qualify us for being redneck/hillbilly. Check the photos & you be the judge!!!? When Susan arrived home from work, I think she was a little shocked/confused by it all?

She will be in charge of the chicks for the weekend as she enjoys her "girls" gathering at our place. The Aussies are off to explore the Outerbanks. So far (stressing so far)Austin & Boomer have been okay with them.... although there have been early signs that they wouldn't mind testing the taste of these strange little critters in the back yard!!!

Lets keep our fingers crossed.

Very Worried

NIGEL:
Well last night we were down checking on our chicks & Susan noticed that on Wyandotte was acting abnormally. It appeared that it was serious injured!!!

I thought it either had broken a leg, arm or back. It was lying awkwardly on it's side & made movements as though it wanted to get up, but couldn't! I was shocked.....wondering how I would deal with this problem. Several large Australorps came over to check on it... I thought maybe attack it as it was wounded. They just looked at their brother/sister (one walked over it). Then suddenly it stood up & walked??? Then it fell down again?!

Eventually, just stood again & walked off. We watched it for several minutes, with my Dad's help & it seemed that it had no worries at all? Very strange! Does anyone have any ideas on what was happening there or was it just then chick playing around?

They like their new larger feeder (see photo) & much less feed is ending up on the floor in amongst the pine chips.

Aussie Grands Visit the Chooks

SUSAN:
On Friday, Grandma and Grandpa arrived from Australia and were introduced to their 46grand-chooks. Much activity has ensued since their arrival, and much advice for the care of the grand-chooks!

Important to know that Grandma and Grandpa have had vast experience raising chooks.... "Back in the old days......
-"There wasn't any 'book' on chooks!!!!!"
-"We just threw out the leftover food scraps to them!"(nothing as extensive as our feeding and watering system).
-"They laid eggs for years!"
-"Winnie (Winston their farm dog... best sheep dog we ever owned by miles!!!) used to protect them all day when he wasn't working!"
-"We just threw out food scraps to them!"
-"If this bloke ever grows into his feet, he'll be a big chook!"

My impressions from the grands are that chooks "sure are a lot more complicated these days!" Grandma reminisced (as she sipped her glass of organic wine and watched the chooks) about a time when she was a little girl and her mother had made wine trifle for a party at the church. There were leftovers so she "threw them out to the chooks". Then, the family noticed that the chooks were wandering around, falling over, and were basically DRUNK from the brandy in the trifle! (more evidence of chooks being good at tailgate parties - see Nigel's earlier post).

According to Grandpa, the chooks with the longer tail feathers typically are the roosters, and the shorter tail feathers are the hens, so it looks like we may have "a fair few hens" (which is good!).

The biggest project so far has been the addition of the roof underneath our deck, so that the chooks can move there, still have their heat lamp, and have a small section of the yard to explore. This construction started on Sunday with a lot of conversation and decision-making about the best way to start. Beverages were enjoyed as the plan was formulated and analyzed. Then, a trip to "heaven" (Lowe's) and more directing/bossing - from all involved!! In true mountain fashion, we conveniently had rain on Sunday night so that we could determine that the roof did work, and the chooks would be dry.

Next project with the grands: Building the chook house!

Okay, quite worried now!

SUSAN:
Okay, the chicks (they are soooo cute & boomer likes them!!!) are growing very quickly. They are now using a lot of the brooder. Nigel tells me that we are going to move the entire brooder outside soon & add a small fenced-in area for them to play & explore in. Did I mention that they are cute??? :)

Anyway, he tells me yesterday, that the guy, Charlie, who is going to clear our adjacent (farm) lot of the dead trees & debris cant do it until the week after next at the earliest!!! All of the rain has delayed his other jobs. Well the chicks will be ready for a much larger coop by then & Nigel hasn't even started it!!! It will be a coop/mini-barn so he claims!!

He doesn't seemed too worried at this point, maybe because he will have his mum & dad here to help build it..... that should be interesting!?!?! he also claims that his mate Lance wants to help also. Well.... will see what happens... they may have to make a tent or something.

Names

NIGEL:
Well we cant distinguish the chicks enough yet to start naming (Susan wants to) too many. We have #46 & we have TOT (turn out toes). TOT, an Australorp, has a foot deformity, his/her outside toes curl backwards compared with the others. This, as per the chicken book, means that TOT will definitely be a meat bird no mater his/her sex. TOT also appears to be slower developing than the average bird. Need to check on this more.

They are getting BIG. Several look to have all of their wing feathers. head, neck, back & belly feathers are yet to appear. I have been giving them some grass clippings to play with & they REALLY enjoy this. they are also spreading out more into smaller groups around the brooder.

Anyway we will name Art soon, once we can determine the gender.

Psycho

NIGEL:
Okay, these chicks are psychotic. I change their water at least EVERY day & now there feeders TWICE A DAY!!! Wow they can eat! Almost through the 1st 50lb bag of feed. Anyway, they see me often, yet hen I go near the coop or start cleaning it or changing the feeders, one or more will decide "We are about to DIE!!!" (not yet anyway!). So that causes most of the chicks to take of in a directionaless spasm to various parts of the coop. This inevitably causes pine chips to get into the water (uugh!).... so I have to clean these out, which causes another irrational spasm, caused by one or more chicks. Interestingly, one to five chicks wont go with the rush??? Deaf, blind, tired or just plain TOUGH????

Being able to fly almost to the height of the coop & at least half the length, this makes water & food changes/cleaning a little more dangerous....

#46 is definitely one of the calmest chicks.

A Change

NIGEL:
Well it was time to clean out the brooder.
The chicks were a little hyper this morning to say the least.
They have been more subdued the last couple of days, but seem very healthy?

Anyway, cleaned everything & added some more platforms, raised the waterers a little & placed some partitions to control the movement of the pine chips (see photos). I also moved them into the direct sunlight for the first time. I don't think they liked it? They moved down into the shaded area? Not sure if that was because I had cleaned the brooder or not?

There is some dancing &/or youthful sorting of who is the toughest. Lots of chest butting.... with #46 being the winner, despite his size (see photo sequence)...... yes s/he has become a favorite.... still have to eat him/her if necessary though!! The Australorps tend to be the most inclined to be "school bullies" to the Wyandottes.

They have to be at least twice their size when we first collected them from Hickory.

Their feathers are coming in rapidly (see photo), & they can fly a decent height & distance... well a foot high & maybe 2 feet in distance!! The wired top is VERY handy now.

Mistake?

NIGEL:
Okay, so I have been misspelling coop. Sorry, very poor form.
Onto it now. They continue to grow too quickly..... as I haven't started the state-of-the art coop as yet!!!

We have ONE request for naming..... so one cockerel will be called Art... mmmm... hope he is tasty???