The great chicken experiment

I have wanted to have chickens for a while now.  I knew when we moved out to the country that it was a much bigger possibility.  Captain came around to the idea recently and we decided to buy some chicks in the spring and give it a go.

We told my wonderful niece about our plans, as she has previously raised chickens she is a go to gal for info about it.

Well, yesterday, she texted first thing in the morning because she saw an ad in the paper for year old red laying hens, for only $1 a piece.  Typically, hens of this age cost way more than this, or so we are told.  We consulted several people and decided the value was too great to pass up.  So boom, we now have a small flock of laying hens.

Captain called up his first mate and they got to work building an amazing tractor coop that allows the chickens to constantly have fresh ground to peck at and a super comfy place to live.

A similar sized pre-made bought coop could easy cost over a thousand dollars, and they spent only a fraction of that.  They got it together last night well enough to keep the hens safe.

The next morning, they removed the hens to a small fenced area to work on the coop some more, adding nesting boxes and hinged panels for easy access to get the eggs.  The birds loved their new home so much they kept jumping over the fence and up onto the coop.  Finally the guys just let those determined ones stay inside while they worked.

We were told that because of the stress of relocation, we shouldn't expect any eggs for the first few days.  Imagine our surprise when there were 4 eggs waiting for us in the morning, and 3 more throughout the day!  We are SO excited.  You just can't beat farm fresh eggs.

So far, this adventure is turning into a crazy whirlwind success story!