The Scrapinator: May 2013

Well girls I have finally lost my mind....lol I have decided to raise chickens. Ten of them. So far it has been a very fun learning experience. The chicks are about 7 weeks old now and are in the coop we just finished building.( Pictures to follow)
A few things I have learned: 1. Never I mean NEVER have your chicks in the house, we had them in the basement and they are SO VERY dusty. It will take me a week to get the dusting done down there, and they stink! lol I enjoyed watching them grow and change and fight over a treat! :) 2. I learned they are messy eaters and they love to knock over their feeders a lot. 3. They scratch the pine shavings into their water so I bought poultry nipples and made them the kind that hang,( much better) 4.I learned you can kind of train a chicken by feeding them out of your hand and talking to them......It was so sweet the first time I took them outside they stuck to me like glue they sat in my lap or on my shoe and didn't get to far away from me. Now they love it outside and don't need momma to sit on...lol. 5. They are kind of like your kids you hate for them to leave the nest but you know they have to, so we put them in their new home (inside the coop as soon as it was finished). I think they are doing really well. 6. Our dog Samson doesn't like them,,,,yet... I am hoping he will adjust soon. We had to put up a secondary fence to keep him from charging the fence. 7. I learned that Pintrest is a treasure trove of information on raising chickens. LOVE IT.

May 3rd 2013, it snowed all day, but the chicks were nice and warm with the heat lamp inside the coop.

This is the girls trying to decide if they want to come out or not, it was a little chilly outside. I need to build them a better ramp. Yes I am handy with the power tools. While my husband was at work, I worked on the coop by myself. I built the nesting boxes, the roost, the chicken door, the windows and the vents. We did the rest of it together. I still need to paint it! :)