Crowd Sourcing to Get the Job Done

The following bit of photojournalism captures the daily activity inside the Coeur d'Alene Coop.  Madge is quite the attraction to the younger girls when she in on the nest.  I wish I could have recorded the "chicken purring" that occurred during this session!  

Who knew chicken's crowd-sourced this daily hen-house activity?

Hmm, maybe I could use a little input...

Yes, I agree...we need a few more like minds in here...

Everyone, please, come in and have a seat...

Standing room only!

The finished product...job well done one and all!

Flock Integration: So Happy Together

Over the weekend we moved our 16-week old pullets into the main coop with our two older hens.  I'm happy to report it was a great success with no bloodshed, no loss of feathers or any real discomfort for anyone (especially me).  Amazing.  I'm crediting this successful flock integration to the "meet and greets" and other factors mentioned previously. 

Combining flocks is something that all urban chicken farmers will have to face at some point if you want the eggs to continue.  It's a fact that younger hens produce more eggs than older hens. The most productive laying period is the first 18 months of the laying hen's life, after that, production tapers off.  

We've been fortunate that Madge, who is just over two years old, still produces an egg every day. Helen, who really is an old biddy at 3 and a half, is a little more sporadic in her laying.  She currently appears to be on vacation...again.  Can you say "Coq au vin?" The good news is that our pullets will start laying in just a few more weeks (laying usually begins between 20 and 24 weeks).  Maybe all that new activity in the nest will spur Helen back into action.

One last minute, secret weapon I pulled out to assist with the move-in was the Flock Block. The older girls love this salt-lick sized block of corn and molasses -- that is, after they get over the initial fear of it being in the coop.  They say "dumb cluck" for a reason!  

After we moved the pullets in the coop, I placed a fresh Flock Block in as a diversion tactic (often a head of cabbage or other special treat is recommended during integration).  Madge set out immediately in what can only be described as major hand-wringing worry...oh my...oh my...somethings different...oh my...what is that?...oh my.... Of course this translated to crowing loudly from the safety of the roost.  In the meantime, Helen took refuge in the back of the pen madly pacing back and forth. The pullets were oblivious to it all!  

Eventually, the youngsters began pecking at the block and of course the older girls jumped right in once they discovered it wasn't going to eat them! Nothing like a little corn and molasses to sweeten the move-in!   

I won't be able to actually test my integration theories until we do this again (in another 2 years), but I'd like to know how you have combined flocks or if the meet and greet idea has worked for you.  Let me know. 

The Mighty Claw

The giant claw suddenly appeared over the roof and one mighty bite left a huge, gaping hole in the roof. Wahoo - we're on our way to a new garage!

I did get the chives and the clematis moved and I agonized over what to do with the tulips and the alliums, but then, I came to my senses with the help of a glass of wine. "Look," I said to myself, "you bought these bulbs at Costco in a giant bag -- so just go to Costco this fall and buy more!" Problem solved. So early Wednesday morning, with scissors in hand and a 5 gallon bucket, I proceeded to cut 75, on-the-verge-of-blooming, tulips. I currently have 20 beautiful pink tulips in bloom in the house. The rest are waiting to be given as friendship bouquets. "Nature" will take its course with the bulbs during construction and afterwards I will dig any survivors and relocate.

The Girls have been pretty freaked out by the giant claw just a few feet away, but not enough to stop laying -- we've been getting five eggs a day. Thankfully, the claw has finished its job in the back yard and has moved on the the front yard to tear up the sidewalk and rip the front porch off! Things should be a little calmer, until the framing starts.

It's a mess, but it is temporary and the outcome will be a new garage with an indoor potting area (yippee!) and raised beds that will hopefully out-produce the former plot. In the meantime, I'm going to concentrate on sprucing up the flower gardens and I just bought three hydrangeas from Albertsons (of all places -- $6.99 each -- they are beautiful) to put on the north side yard.

Even with all this disarray, I find tranquilty in seeing my hostas peeking out of the earth, the bleeding hearts leaping out of the ground and mowing the lawn for the first time in 2009 (even if it is to "make-tidy" a place for building supplies).

Hens and Housekeeping

Mother Hen. Every flock has one (animal or human) -- ours happens to be Helen, a Rhode Island Red; who also happens to be a homebody and an extraordinary housekeeper. She was named in memory of my mother - but not for any of those reasons. As a chick Helen was the bossiest - and it just seemed right that she should bear my mother's "given name."

Helen out grew her bossiness when she was no longer the largest of our girls (there's that pecking order!); and became quite the henhouse keeper. While the other girls are out enjoying a romp in the yard, Helen stays nearby the coop - running in and out of the pen and coop making certain everything remains in order.

She's nearly obsessed with what goes on in that coop. The other girls can just forget about any privacy while laying an egg. She's right there with you sister! Checking your progress and happily chiming in with you as you announce your success.

Imagine my surprise when I opened the coop's egg door to find two hens jammed in the 10 inch by 10 inch nest box. Buttercup neatly tucked in on the inside, and Helen, squeezed in, on the outside. A few minutes later I retrieved two fresh eggs. Now that's teamwork!

Helen likes things tidy and I often find a single egg in the middle of the coop floor. I suspect that she has rolled this egg out of the nest and away from the others for a reason that only makes sense to a bird brain. Lately it's been the egg of one of the Barred Rocks. Perhaps this is her way of getting back at the pecking order.

I guess we all have our idiosyncrasies, but she's a good reliable layer and an excellent housekeeper. My Mom would approve.

It's About Time...

Welcome to the Coeur d'Alene Coop! I'll be sharing my experiences at "urban" chicken farming and gardening on our expansive .16 acre lot in Midtown Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

We've been "chicken farmers" for about 10 months now; getting our girls last May at one day old. We have six beautiful hens - Buttercup (Golden Sex-Link), Flame (Black Sex-Link), Harriett (Australorp), Helen (Rhode Island Red), Henrietta aka Henny (Barred Rock) and Penelope aka Penny (Barred Rock).

Below is a picture of the girls at about 3-4 days old. Their "brooder" consisted of a plastic tub and heat lamp. This worked well for about 3 weeks and then they were ready to move into their new coop.

I chose these breeds specifically for brown eggs, their cold-hardiness and egg production during colder months. So far they have all exceeded my expectations and survived the second snowiest winter in decades!

Our first eggs arrived in early October and before winter set in we were getting 5-6 eggs per day. During the winter months we averaged between 3-4 eggs per day. Now that spring and longer days are approaching, we are back to about 5 per day.

The girls came through the snow and bitter cold very well. We insulated the coop and covered it with a tarp and added a heat lamp for warmth. We also added "disco" rope lights to help simulate daylight. Not sure how effective it was, but I did catch the girls doing the hustle on one snowy night.

If you use a heat lamp, do choose an infrared light. It's not bright -- and that's important as we found out when the girls were crowing at 3 am!

Yes, they do "crow" or cackle when they lay...and it can be quite loud, especially at 3 am.

And finally, the most asked question I get: Don't you need a rooster to get eggs? No, you only need a rooster if you want baby chicks. Eggs happen regardless!