Our Chicken Adventure

The weekend before Easter the Dahl Family became 'backyard' farmers.  It was purely coincidence that we got baby chicks right in time for Easter, but it was really fun to have them for the holiday! Mark and I have been planning for chickens for at least a year (reading books, asking questions, planning a coop).  

We ended up with 6 baby chicks.  Some will lay brown eggs and others will lay the blue/green eggs.  I am pretty certain that one of the chickens is a rooster.  One of the Jersey Giants is a lot larger, has a really big comb and now is developing these beautiful tail feathers.  We can't keep a rooster in the city so once we hear the 'cock-a-doodle-doo' he will have to find a new home.  My heart is really sad about losing one and I am hoping to find him a home where he can live and not a home that will make him a meal.

Mark designed and built our movable coop.  He had a good friend of ours come and help as well.  I am really impressed with the design, although both of us wish that he had built it a bit taller as we have each hit our heads pretty hard.

Bella picked out the paint color and we each had a turn painting and helping build the coop.

I am proud that we raised them as babies.  They lived in the shed for many months growing and changing.  They've all been held and will eat out of my hands.

This was the day we "officially" moved them from the shed to the coop.  We still had their light on a timer outside for night time for another month.

As you can see our kids really love the chickens.  They have been a big part of raising the chickens too. We don't have any eggs yet (too soon still) but I look forward to the day that the kids can see and enjoy what we were working towards.  It is rewarding.  None of our chickens have names.  We opted not too but I do find myself very attached the chickens.  I love it that at a certain time of night they all head up their ramp to roost and they all come down early in the morning.  For the most part their care is very easy and maintenance pretty low.  The enjoy eating the grass (we move their coop each week), vegetables and they really love watermelon rinds.  This has been a fun adventure.  Can't wait to get those eggs!