Posted by Annie in Activities, Family Fun, Organic on February 26, 2013
Yesterday, my hubby and I bought 12 chickens — and to tell you the truth, Shawn was not all that excited about it. We got the chicken coop all set up, it’s already falling apart. We got it a TSC for $99. It’s not well made. But we can fix it.
We picked up a plastic feeder and waterer — I should have bought the metal ones. I don’t know what I was thinking. And we got some pine shavings. All they had at TSC was medicated chick starter, so we decided against it and went organic. They had organic starter at Sonora Feed Store but it wasn’t cheap.
The birds are all settled in. We’ve had fun trying to keep them warm through the night. It’s still getting down in the low 30’s. We’ve got a red heat lamp inside and some heavy blankets on the outside of the coop. That seems to do the trick.
I’ve been monitoring them, if they’re huddled tight together under the light it’s too cold. If they are panting and looking for the air conditioning, it’s too warm. It’s hardest for me, because I want to watch them and I can’t while keeping them warm at the same time. They are just so darned cute!
I feel really good about having the chickens. I may not be able to grow a garden up on this mountain, but I can raise chickens for eggs and meat — well at least I think I can. Time will tell.
I’ll be talking about our chicken adventures from time to time. I look forward to hearing from you, too. Does anyone have backyard chickens?
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