Cluck, cluck, cluck
Posted: November 21st, 2008 | Author: Nathan K. | Filed under: | 5 Comments »By popular demand, here are the “ladies” (as Marissa refers to them):
Two of the "Ladies" Henny and Mo
And Eggy:
Eggy the Queen Chicken
Yep, we named our chickens after the Three Stooges. Mo’s full name is Mo Mit-Mit St. Cluck. Named after Mit-Mit St. Claire, a dog I used to know. If you are wondering, they are really easy to take care of, but not exactly an engaging pet. There is no fetch, teaching of tricks, cuddling, taking for a walk, and as of today still no eggs.
As for their humble abode, here is what I built to take care of them:
The "Ladies" Coop
It is two stories with the loft housing the Perch and Nest. There is also a ramp, which you can see behind the water and feed. The front door opens upwards and allows easy access to the hanging feeders and the ramp (for cleaning and modifications). We are using wood chips for bedding in the loft and on the ground floor, which they seem to like quite a bit.
I also used a clear corrogated roof to allow as much sunlight as possible into the coop. Sunlight is what determines when they lay eggs or not so I figured it would be good to put in a sunroof. Only time will tell how the whole setup works.
We also let them out of the coop as often as possible, thought they are more than happy to chill out for a number of days inside the coop. If you want plans for the coop feel free to post a request in the comments. I designed it myself and pulled from lots of other plans that I found online. It took about one day to build about cost about $100 in materials.
We have also created a google groups called UrbanChickens to share ideas, feedback and determine where the best deals are for feed and the like.
I know I sound like such a city slicker but I have to ask, you just leave them outside all winter? Are they okay in the cold?
Most certainly
I had to look it up myself! They are fine as long as it doesn’t go below 0 degrees or thereabouts. We also have a heating lamp that we will do should it ever get close to that cold.
Thanks, Nathan. Good luck with your urban chickens!
I’ve never had a chicken myself, but when I’ve met other people with chickens, they were super-cuddly and fought to sit on my lap when I was on the computer. Maybe cuddling is an acquired skill?
I’m interested in your coop designs, as I’ve been looking for plans for only one or two chickens, and yours looks to be the right size. Most of the plans I’ve found online are for more chickens than I want/need. Thanks for the post!
~Aleta