Chicks Get A New Home

The chicks moved into the coop this weekend. Here's the official tour.

When we were thinking about where in the world we were going to build the chicken coop we sort of thought that we would build on an existing structure which meant either the boat house or the kids' playhouse. Then, we had to think about how we were going to get electricity to the chicks if it was too cold for the chicks, which it just might be in Northern Minnesota. In the end, we decided to build the coop in the corner of our shop because a) there were already walls in place and b) the shop is actually pretty warm in the winter. We're hoping that it's relatively easy to clean because the garage door opens so we could either spray it out or just sweep into that general direction. You can see the nesting boxes that open from the outside so we don't need to go in to collect eggs and the fake window that will allow some natural light.

The kids were pretty excited to show the chicks their new home.
The chicks didn't really know what to think. It was a lot cooler and bigger than their cardboard box, but it seems like they're already enjoying their space and are starting to venture outside a little bit.Mabel (and Sadie) trying out the nesting box.

Here is the view from outside. There is a run with bird netting over it. Part of the run is under the overhang so part of the run will stay dry during the winter.

Checking out the door and ramp. There are doors that latch on the inside and outside of the chicken door in hopes to keep all sorts of critters out at night.
We will put the chicks in their coop at night and let them run during the day. There are way to many predators in the woods and a curious kitty named Belle.

The chicks are still working on their chick-skills. They scratch and peck, but they don't know what to do with themselves otherwise. I have noticed that when one is inside and the others are outside that they start looking for the missing chick. I guess they're already become a little family.

Our entrance:
Dennis did an awesome job building the coop. He really wanted to make sure that the chicks had all of their needs met. We used backyardchickens.com as our lone resource. They were able to answer every question from "what can a chicken eat?" to "how big of holes should the chicken wire have? to "how high should a roost be?" to "how many square feet does a chicken need?" and about a gazillion other questions we came across as we built our coop. It's a great resource.
Come July we should have fabulous eggs to eat and enjoy. We can't wait.