Earlier this year, Donovan purchased around 50 chickens. Those he ordered online were mailed to us through the postal service. Ahnalaya Ann and I drove to the post office early one morning to pick them up.
Some chickens he purchased locally. Half of the brood were meat chickens which have already been butchered and we are consuming. Mighty tasty birds!
Donovan built two chicken coops from a trailer load of free pallets. This small chicken coop is a permanent structure behind the house. It may be small, but I love the thing. He built a door behind the roosting boxes, so we have easy access to the eggs. Smart.
The roof is sloped for the snow and made of a transparent material, so they still get sun. Super proud of the young man for his building skills and the forethought he put into it.
I seem to have taken over the chicken chores in the morning. Last night, Donovan announced he was moving the chickens into the small coop because the temps were supposed to get down in the 30s. When I opened the chicken coop door this morning and saw the little hennies in their new home, I was delighted. It made me smile. They looked so happy, and it was warm in their new home.
Ahnalaya Ann
Little Ahnalaya loves the chickens…she loves the country life. All summer she would gather clover and sit at the coop fence and feed the chickens the clover she gathered. She is like her father…they have become her friends. As a child, Donovan would chase one of our Barred Rock Hennies down and put her under his arm, and carry her around…talking so sweetly to her while petting her. I thought it would kill him when we butchered the chickens the first time as they were his pets, but he was fine. Same with the rabbits. Didn’t bother him a bit.
Ahnalaya Ann does the chores with me…she does just about everything with me. She is my buddy and connected to my hip it seems. When feeding the chickens this morning, Vanessa and Archer were still asleep in bed. I had no idea where her coat and gloves were…so I improvised. She is wearing her brother’s coat and my gloves…while still in her jammies. 🤣
I am head over heels in love with her. Cute and sassy! My type of girl.
Yesterday, we sat together and worked on character. We spent some time talking about what certain words mean…obedience, selfishness, manipulation, control, patience, etc. I was amazed at how well she understood what I was teaching her when she is just four years old.
It is working. Her little heart is softening. The results of character training are spectacular. It is best to start teaching them character when they are young.
Chicken Trailer
The second chicken coop is also considered a chicken tractor or as Donovan calls it…a runner.
It too is made from pallets, but it is much larger and is surrounded by chicken wire. it is movable. We would move it daily to a new grassy area so they could have new vegetation to pick at every day.
Donovan put a hitch on the back of it and we would pull it using the vehicles or the 4-wheeler to the new location every day.
He plans on utilizing both coops through the winter. I am not sure what his plans are. I am anxious to see how this goes with the cold winters here in Northern Michigan. And how it works with snow. Wondering how much snow we will get.
While we started with 50 chickens, we are now down to 12. He recently sold a few of the chickens because he felt like we were going to be overrun with too many eggs if we kept all of the chickens.
I am having a ball watching my son manage his little homestead here and I am thrilled to get to be part of it. We have reversed the roles we once had. I have become his helper now. The circle of life can be a beautiful process.
A Little Fun and Public Humiliation
After lunch, Ahnalaya Ann started pushing off the couch with her feet just for fun…so I decided to get in on the fun. First attempt…hilarious. Second attempt not much better. We got it though. You are never too old to have a little fun!
Before you watch the video…let me explain my attire. It is quite appalling. I have no problems with public humiliation, but I do want to explain myself.
The glasses…are blue light-blocking prescription glasses. I use them when working at the computer. Since I spend an enormous amount of time in front of the computer…these glasses save me from having headaches and tired eyes. They are WONDERFUL!!!! On the downside…I look like a hipster chick who is way out there in this world. Not far from the truth but still…I look a bit ridiculous wearing them. I tend to forget I have them on instead of my normal glasses. I mostly wear them all day long when at home because I am going right back to the computer after I take a break for food or for a little family fun.
The robe on top of the clothes…I am skinny and that means I am often cold. This robe is warm and snuggly, so I wear it when I am feeling a bit cold.
The hat…I love hats and wear them often. I wore this hat this morning out in the cold to take care of the chickens. It is still on my head while typing. Adds another layer of warmth…besides comfort. 😍
2 thoughts on “Chickens”
Y’all are hilarious…and easily amused!
I am easily amused. Easy to entertain for sure. Children keep you young if you will let them.