Kitchen Cabinet DIY - Cut Trim

One brave hen laid her egg in the top divided nest box and the other egg was laid in the bottom nest box next to the plastic crate I put in there yesterday.

Here is a link to photos of the nest box set up I built that shows the doors to the nest boxes open and shut. I like being able to walk in the front part of the coop and open doors to check for eggs, but I think I have too many nests for our sixteen chickens.

The two ground eggs were laid in the wood shaving I put down under the roosts. I'll have to put a layer of dirt down over the shavings. I think the hens may get confused about where to lay their eggs?

The kitchen was dark and had dark wood cabinets. I thought I would try open shelving and paint the cabinets a light color. So, that's where I am... still in the DIY process, but nearing completion. The upper cabinets are the last step.

I was at the miter saw or in the kitchen all day getting the cabinets emptied ready to paint, and trim cut and nailed.

Trim? Oh! Good grief... I had forgot about the trim. I searched through all the scrap trim wood and it took pieces of four different kinds of trim to make it all the way around. Tomorrow I can paint!

I'm going to have to take a day or two and spend them at the computer catching up on blog reading and commenting. I try to do a few every day, but I am way behind.

Peek at the Past

click here

It's been a year since Morgan was hurt.

(August 14, 2009)

(4 eggs today)

2 on the ground.

I guess it will take time for the hens

to get used to the new nest box setup.

~:>

Smiles

The Other Hen/Roo

This morning Kristine pointed out the other hen that is sex changing. It is the buff Orpington. I'm not sure if the black hen (Australorp) is the other Hen/Roo. I don't think so because the comb is not very big. You can see the Orpington has an enlarged comb and Kristine called my attention to the fact that she doesn't have a fluffy hen bum and she has gotten thiner. You can see she kind of has feathered pantaloons instead of the fluffy hen bum. I tried to get a photo of one but I found it very difficult because I got no cooperation from the girls. At all. I'll keep trying. I would like to get a photo of this one and another Orpington to compare their characteristics. 

This is the second photo of the hall tree I have posted. The reason it is here again is because I have been thinking about the things we do all the time that we never think about because they are so much a part of our life. I call them the invisible things because they don't get recorded because they are taken for granted. So, here goes with this answer to, "Gee, I wonder how they used to collect eggs?" question. Sounds dumb, but somewhere down the road someone may wonder? I wonder how my great grandparents did stuff. Well, this is what I do. I come out of the house, sit down, pull on my boots, get my coat and egg basket and head to the coop, put the eggs in the basket, come back here and do it all in reverse. Maybe this sounds dumb, but I'm going to try and record the invisible stuff when I can recognize it.

These two photos are of the top nest box (with me holding the door open) showing the opening for the hens to get inside (top) and the scrap boards (bottom) on the other end of the nest. When I say I closed in these boxes I don't mean that they are very dark. It is just that now they are closed in on three sides and little bit on the fourth. The hens seem to like them a lot.

Smiles

~:>

[8 eggs today]

Progress!

You can see from the comparison of yesterdays's photos that I have made progress. At least I have kept working which is a good thing. First I gathered my tools then worked on the bottom

nest box and enclosed it on both ends and made a flippy door. I also cut thick boards and made a wooden floor for the bottom nest and filled it with straw. Then I put a piece of board over the broken plywood that the bear tore. Then I took the plastic cover off of the screen door to aid in ventilation.

Then I peeked in the middle nest box and found two hens!

So I guess they do like a quiet dark place to lay.

Hope they lay here instead of in the pen or in the woods.

This is a look at the inside of the coop

or the backside of the nest boxes

showing the boards I nailed up to partially enclose the area.

This may not be a beautiful coop

but it is cosy

and it's made out of scrap wood and stuff

Reuse is good.

I think it is amazing that some of the hens

came and laid eggs even though I was hammering

and sawing and making all kinds of noise.

Before I quit I filled the feeders

and checked the waterer to make sure it was clean.

I only got eight eggs today so I think

that some of the hens laid their eggs out in the woods.

I hope the girls like their new digs.

Got another egg!

[ 9 eggs today]

Smiles

~:>

Those are the keystrokes for a chicken.

Cute!

Here is a short video of the girls getting a lettuce treat!

They make a lot of noise pecking at the lettuce. It sounds like me hammering.