Cool'n Under the Porch

The hens have found a nice cool spot under the porch on the east side of the house. Pretty smart chickens. I wondered where they went off to during the hot part of the day. I spotted the girls leaving their cool spot this evening when I went to make another check for eggs. I bet there are lots of eggs under the house. If so, there must be critters coming around for eggs.

Today I worked in the chicken coop and pen. These are the tall nest boxes. This used to be a bookcase that I found at a flea market. I added the roosts and boards to hold in the straw. Since I would like the hens to lay their eggs in a nest instead of in the dirt I am going to turn this around against the roost area and hope they will lay eggs in a nest.

I love power tools! I took the roosts off and cut away

the chicken wire over the bottom open area

so the hens will have access to the nests.

Then I cut an opening so the hen can get in the bottom nest. Hopefully, the hens will not stop and lay their eggs in the dirt. I spent a long time with a pitchfork and shovel getting chicken poo and dirt cleaned away from under the roosts. And I took the branches away. They didn't work to stop the hens from laying their eggs in the dirt. I hope the girls will be lured into the nests by the comfy straw. Maybe?

Here it is turned facing the roosts. Tomorrow I need to make an opening of some kind so I can reach in the nests and search for eggs. And figure out something to block the light from leaking through that opening. One reason I think the hens are laying their eggs back there in the dirt under the roosts is because it is dark. Well, it was dark. And it is cool back there too. So, I need to block the light. Or not. If the light is on the dirt, that should be a good thing. I need to make the nests dark. Duh.

I hope I can come up with some great ideas tomorrow. Maybe I will even turn the gate in the pen around. Maybe? If I can figure out how I can remove the hooks that the gate hangs on. I'll need to find a really big pliers or wrench or something like that. I would like to be able to get the wheelbarrow in the pen to remove the old chicken stuff and to bring in some new dirt to make a new clean surface for the hens to scratch around on. Taking the chicken poo and dirt out a bucket full at a time is great exercise, but boring. I would much rather use the wheelbarrow.

[9 eggs today]

Smiles

~:>

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.

Chickens Want Privacy

Today I felt good enough to get outside and play around in the chicken coop. I wanted to enclose some of the nest boxes on three sides for the girls who like to be alone. So I thought I would give them a choice of open boxes or privacy.  There are a bunch of open next boxes out of sight to the left. The top photo shows the doors open.

I like the chicken wire door, but I think the hens will like the dark.

Well, it will be interesting to see where the most eggs are laid.

Here are the top two boxes with their wooden doors closed. Tomorrow I will first saw open and then enclose the bottom nest. I will cut away where the bear ripped the plywood and make a flippy door

I didn't have another metal latch, so I made a wooden turner thing.

I made two. Another one for the bottom nest door.

This is the inside of the nest boxes. I added the plastic box on the bottom 

because there were a few hens who were laying their eggs in the dirt. Goofy girls.

Instead of having to go through the pen and into the inside of the coop I would rather have a door on the other side like the other two. Much easier to collect the eggs. Tomorrow I will put some wood on each end and make a wooden floor for the box. 

Maybe I will add some wood on each side of the opening to make it a little cozier? I'll see how much wood I have left and how creative I feel.

See the pile of straw and dirt behind the little ladder? I shovel the stuff I rake up in the coop back there under the chicken's roosting area. It gets raked out turned over and shoveled back. It breaks down. I suppose it is a little composting area right where it does the most good. During the winter it is supposed to add some heat to the area. Sometime in the summer I do clear it all away, dump the stuff in my little garden and get this started up again for the winter.

[11 eggs today]

Smiles

Be Happy!