All in one day - chooks, first eggs and one boy asleep on the step

We're 'chooksitting' for about 6mths, then when the 'chook-Mum/Family' comes home, we'll be putting our own in. The yard was built (by Michael) almost all from scrap (trampoline frame, swingset frame etc mostly found on the verge) except for one roll of wire because we didn't come across any in our 'lawn shopping' hunts (verge chuckouts). The wire is in below the soil all round because we have one Border Collie who thinks she's three (but is really 13+) and would LOVE to 'play'... *ahem* she is sure if she looks hard enough she will find a way in...

Brooke and Zeke and I went to A&M's place and caught the chooks. Thanks to M for catching 'Psycho' (who's just a scared and slightly lala chook... possibly with neuro issues but that's another story/question for another day). So here are two of the new guests, at our place in their from scratch run.

There is one big white (this is the one that made it known that she was laying), one smaller white, one big white with black flecks, two browns, one boss black one and one black one that has 'issues' - 7 altogether. They all seem to get along ok. This is up one end of the run...


Chooks were in and fed by about 1ish o'clock and the first two eggs were there by 4pm ish (no boys, we'll wait until the sun gets lower before we check them... oh... all right, we'll do one check and then no more until the sun gets lower... okay... oh... two eggs... 'told you Mum!' LOL) Here you can see the 'nesting box' that was made from a modifed dog kennel. Here's Jake and Zeke checking in the nesting box...



and here is what happens when the day is all too exciting... Quinn fell asleep on the step... awwww.

Nesting box - reclaimed materials and mods

Pretty simple and nothing extravagent but here 'tis. Michael doing the mods. This was our 'so we don't get poo on our feet' nesting box for the chooks... loved collecting eggs and feeding the chooks at Nanna's as a kid but not so much dodging the poo... and didn't relish the idea of having to 'poo police' the feet and shoes after our kids checked the eggs. Thanks to a fellow Freecycler for the kennel. This is it without the catch/lock on it.



Pics of it installed to come.