You remember I was supposed to get baby chicks this month right? Well….. that didn’t happen.
The chicks were due to arrive on April 4th. But they were shipped to Michigan.
Which would have been great! If I was in Michigan.
But I’m in Virginia.
So….. needless to say, I didn’t get those chicks. And it is a VERY long story, but after many hours on the phone I was promised chicks on April 11.
Only I got an email on April 10 telling me that 4 of the 5 breeds I had selected weren’t available. And the story is even longer, but suffice it to say, I’m not getting chicks.
I’m getting my money back.
And I learned a very important lesson.
DON’T DEAL WITH THE MIDDLE MAN.
Deal with the hatchery.
They may not get it right the first time, but I would have stood a better chance of them getting it right the second time.
Lesson learned.
Anywho…… since we had the new coop addition and there weren’t any baby chicks to raise in it before integration, we went ahead and rearranged the coop to make more room for the chickens, and to make it easier on me for collecting eggs and cleaning.
Before I continue and post pictures, I want to apologize for the crazy big white blobs in some of them. I was having problems with big black blobs showing up in pictures with my camera, so I got a new one. But…… I wanted to stick my camera in my back pocket so I would remember to get pictures today, and I decided to use that old one so I didn’t mess up the new one. And NOW the old camera not only has big black blobs in some pictures, it now has big white blobs in some pictures.
Sigh.
It really is time to retire that camera.
So…… this is how the coop looked before we added on and rearranged it:
See the nest boxes on the left? Right. Now notice the long roost above and right in front of them.
Do I need to tell you what a pain it was to check eggs in those nest boxes? There was ALWAYS a fresh layer of poop in front of the nest boxes. And, even though that roost has been there for a few years, I bonked my head on that thing at least three times a week while checking eggs.
Before I show you how we rearranged things, let me show you this.
That little thing is Bernie’s idea. We bought it for just over a dollar at Lowe’s. In fact, we bought eight of them.
And when we hung the roosts we just slid the 2 X 4′s right into those little things.
We didn’t nail the roosts into them, we just slid them right in. They won’t move. AND when it’s time for me to clean that part of the coop, I can just lift the roosts out and then shovel out the litter.
Isn’t that great? I’m tickled pink.
Oh, and just a quick note, we sanded the 2 X 4s – if you’ve ever dealt with bumblefoot, you will understand. If you haven’t dealt with bumblefoot, please sand your chickens’ roosts.
So now, the original 8 X 8 coop that had the roosts and nest boxes just has roosts.
And the new 8 X 8 addition just has nest boxes.
We raised the big nest box thingy five inches. So now the brooder box doors are up off the ground – and above the litter line – which makes my life a whole lot easier when I’m using the brooder boxes.
Oh, and did you notice the girls got new curtains? They did – and they really seem to like them. I pleated them and everything.
Nothing is too good for my girls 
So, there you have it. We don’t have new chicks (yet) but the chickens have officially moved into the new addition of their coop.
They seem to like it.
I know I do!
Oh, and if you don’t have chickens and are thinking of getting some, do yourself a BIG favor. Build your coop at least twice as big as you think you need.
Because you’re gonna need that space.
Seriously.
You are.
Trust me.
Chickens are a little addicting.
Or maybe even a lot addicting.
Don’t say I didn’t warn ya
I love it !!!You & B done a great job and all the photos of the before and after are great !!!!!! I love the new curtains, they are so pretty. I can’t let my girls see those or they are going to want them also.
It is heart breaking the way you were done by those people. I will have Big brown eggs here for you when you get a broody, that way you get some brown egg layers to add to your flock of girls.
I am so sorry about you not getting your new babies.
Love you all XXXXOOOO
Stinky old chicken folks! Don’t they know your need for tiny, fluffy chicks is profound? Your new addition looks fabulous and well thought out. Love the roost idea!
As for the spots on your camera—they look like water spots on the lens. See if gently cleaning the lens with a soft towel will get the spots off. Be sure to blow the lint from the towel off the lens as well.
Looking GREAT. This also means you can start keeping more of the babies! woop woop! Come on girls, get to workin so Penny can have some new occupants to the new and improved coop!
Love the makeover! Bernie is a genius! But remember what they say….”behind every genius man, is a genius woman”
You are so right about chicks being addictive! But then again so is everything I fall in love with! Our bees are growing as well
XXXOOO!
ps/ I’m w/CeeCee, I have to constantly clean the lens on my camera, well the whole thing because of propolis and bee stuff
Charlotte – thank you! And I will definitely let you know when I got a broody – I’m excited to let them hatch out some of your eggs so I can get some brown egg layers. XXXOOO
CeeCee – I was really disappointed that I didn’t get my chicks – especially since I ordered them in December and have been really looking forward to it! Oh well, there’s always next year, right? Actually I have a special cloth I clean camera lenses with – the black blobs appear to be on the inside of the lens and it been getting worse over time. I think you may be right about the white spots being from water – but again, I think it was inside the lens. I cleaned the outside several times and it wouldn’t go away! Marcee has the same camera – and the same problem.
J.P. – Right? And now that I have all that room, wouldn’t you know no one has gone broody this year yet? I am certain it’s on purpose, too!
Julie – awwww, thanks Cuz. I’m happy with the coop makeover too. So much easier for me now. I’m constantly cleaning the camera lens too, but I think it’s something wrong with that model that allows dust/moisture/whatever to get inside the lens. I’ve got the new one, but I didn’t want to take it into the coop so I put the old one in my back pocket. I need to just quit using the old one! XXXOOO
Love your blog! I got 7 chicks end of February–my first experience keeping chickens and I’m loving it! Thanks for sharing all your experiences and great ideas. : )
And that’s sort of how I ended up with 60 guineas and very unhappy neighbors; messed up shipping from the hatchery. Wow.
Your coop looks terrific! I love the roost brackets – why didn’t I think of that before?
)
Mesa – 7 chicks! How exciting! I do think you’re going to love those chickens. So much fun. And always something to learn!
Faith – Oh dear! 60 guineas???? Wow. Just wow. Cute little buggers though
60 guineas that she didn’t order?! WOW. I know how noisy 7 guineas can be. LOL
Penny, I love the coop addition, and I really love those bracket thingies you got at Lowe’s. What an awesome idea for the roosts.
And I heartily “AMEN” your ending statement. BUILD THE COOP TWICE AS BIG AS YOU THINK YOU NEED.
We’ll be adding on soon. Or building a 2nd coop. *sigh*
Love it! We just finished building our coop so our first chicks (3 of them) could finally move out of the basement. Phew, what a relief. I heard so many people say what you said about building big that that’s what we did–and I’m so glad!
What is that bracket called? It looks like the perfect thing for us to use to install roosts.
Hi Katrina – thanks for stopping by. I’m not sure what the brackets are called, but we found them in Lowe’s where the cinder block is sold and decking hardware. Congratulations on getting your chicks! And it was very wise to build your coop bigger than you think you need. I just don’t think there could be such a thing as a coop that’s too large! At least not for very long…..