Bloomin' Chicken Coop

You may remember that I posted  few weeks ago about our venture into urban chicken raising and the cute little puffballs that got us to finally commit.  Well, they've been living in a crate in my office since then, growing like crazy, and stinking to high heaven.  

We've been very busy trying to get a coop built for them outside and I'm happy to report that it's finally done!

We studied lots and got ideas from a great website called Backyard Chickens.  Many of the ideas and practical details for our coop came from others that we saw on this site.  The following is a step-by-step summary of what we did:

First we decided where to place the coop, which is under a huge rhododendron bush (almost a tree) in the back corner of our yard.  It gets sun and shade at just the right times of day.  We plotted out the space and dug a trench just slightly larger than the perimeter of the coop.

We used treated wood and cinderblocks for the foundation.  We attached galvanized wire mesh to each of the four base boards.

We set the treated boards on top of the cinderblocks and leveled everything with the help of pea gravel.  The wire mesh looks sort of like a bedskirt that surrounds the foundation, under the soil.  It keeps predators and pests like raccoons and rats from being able to dig under the coop and get to the chickens or the eggs.  We also tossed a goodly amount of pea gravel in around the base to help keep any diggers out.

Then we filled in the soil all around and leveled the ground that was inside of the coop foundation boards.  This made a nice even, clean surface for us to fill later with bark and wood chips.

Next I kept a hose running over the whole thing to make it nice and muddy.  This allowed me to continue squishing soil down into all the cracks and crevasses and pack everything in tight.  I did this whole bit barefoot.  It was pretty fun, actually.

Now we could get started on the framing.  My husband built each of the four sections separately and attached the wire mesh while they were lying flat on the ground.  I think this was much easier than trying to do it after they went up.  The one thing we regret was that we didn't do the wood staining before the mesh went on.  That became a lot harder to do later and doesn't look as clean as we would like, but oh well.  These aren't royal chickens or anything.

We decided to use metal brackets for many of the joints.  This was partially because it's easy, and partially because we really liked the way it looked with a mixture of wood and metal together.  It cost us more, but I suspect this may be the only chicken coop we'll ever build, so the splurge was OK with us.

Here's a picture of all four walls framed.  Next came the floor for the interior portion of the coop, followed by the solid walls that enclose the roost and nesting area.

We added the pass-through doorway and some ventilation holes on the back side.  Those holes were later covered with wire mesh.

This shows the nesting boxes that hang off the back end.  We later added trim on the inside so that the chickens have to jump over a little ledge to get into their egg-laying space.  Apparently they like it dark and cozy and separate from the rest of the coop area.  

By this time in the process they were getting quite large.  Did I mention that they smell bad?  Sheesh.  I needed them out of the house in a bad way.

Here you can see the finished front with both doors and a window, which is covered with wire mesh.  I read that chickens need lots of ventilation because they produce a ridiculous amount of ammonia gas.  No kidding!

Let me just go on public record here and say that my husband's carpentry skills impressed me quite a bit during this project.  We had a great time working together.  The kids were a help too.

The doors swing beautifully and the whole thing is incredibly solid. Nothing cattywampus here!

The last steps were to add the galvanized metal roofing and a nipple-watering system underneath in the walking area, then stain the whole thing.

Viola!

You can see the little pull string attached to the pass-through door.  We can easily open and close it from outside the coop this way.

You might also be able to see in this picture that we have a piece of plexiglass with a foam "bumper" hot-glued on around its edge.  This can be slipped into the window opening if the temperature is too low, but still lets in light.

All we have to do to gather eggs is lift the nesting box lid and reach inside. That strange edge detail was the result of trying to use some scrap wood, not some other practical purpose.  Maybe the hens will be able to visit through the opening while they're busy laying though.  I bet chicken chatter increases egg productivity.

I think they like it!

Hockey Soap

Probably because of the northern latitudes where I’ve lived, I’ve always preferred the cold-climate sports like skiing and ice skating.  It’s a bit surprising that I never had much of a connection with hockey growing up.  There weren’t any rinks or teams near us in North Idaho, so the sum total of my hockey exposure involved playing pick-up games on a frozen Coeur d’Alene or Fernan lake in the wintertime, using a Stick Up air freshener as a puck.  I always loved it though.  I think if I’d been able to play hockey on a real team, I would have gotten sucked in easily.

A few years ago my son was introduced to hockey through a friend whose parents are expat Canadians.  He was hooked, fast.  It’s been so fun for me to watch him over the past six years as his skating skills and strategy have improved exponentially.  I truly enjoy watching the games.  The sport of hockey takes multitasking to a totally new level.  It’s awesome. 

Hockey does have a downside though.  It stinks.  Literally.   I’m sure that other sweaty sports are the same, but I’m astounded every time I walk near a locker room (or my son’s hockey gear drying out) at just how fragrant it is.  They work hard on the ice, and they produce the sweat to prove it.  I've been thinking for a while that a hockey soap would be a great idea.  Plus, the round shape of my soaps have often been compared to hockey pucks…so the union was clear.   All I needed was a great, beneficial ingredient that turns the soap a deep hockey-puck shade of black.  Activated charcoal was just the thing.  Add to it the refreshing scent of peppermint and tea tree essential oils and you have a winner!   

Slap Shot Soap

Rice Krispie Treat Surprise Cake

We're not huge cake people in my household.  It's OK, but generally pretty low on the list of favorite desserts.  Rice Krispie Treats, on the other hand, are very high on the list.  This year we decided to try something new for my daughter's birthday "cake".  She didn't tell any of her friends what was on the inside, so they were all very surprised to see that it was a Ginormous Rice Krispie Treat!!

Huge Hit!!

I know I'm not the first person to think of this, but I must admit that we were pretty pleased with the outcome.  

Butterfly Craft Projects

So, what can you do with the cool butterfly wings from your Butterfly Smooch Stick favors, once the lip balm tube has been removed for use? Don't throw them away!!  My daughters and I came up with a couple of fun craft ideas that would be great for a kids' party.  Just think...you can get the favors and the activity taken care of all at once!

The first technique is probably the easiest.  Just take jumbo craft sticks (the size of tongue depressors), some paint, and adhesive magnet strips .

Cut the craft sticks in half and round out the corners with your scissors, then paint them a dark brown color to match the brown of the butterfly wings.

Once dry, insert the painted craft stick into the slits on the butterfly.

Turn it over and apply your adhesive magnet.  This will help to hold everything in place, so that the wings don't slip around at all.

Add some decoration on the top using 3D "puff paint" and/or little self-adhesive jewels.  You can bend the wings up just a little to make the butterfly look more realistic.  Easy and fun!!  

The other idea takes a little better manual dexterity,  but is also very kid-friendly.  Just take brown chenille pipe cleaners, regular size craft sticks (Popsicle sticks), and little suction cups .

Cut the sticks down to the appropriate size and round out the corners, like you did with the other project.

You can add a little hot glue to hold things in place, if you'd like. 

Wrap your pipe cleaners around the stick to form the body of the butterfly. We used three pipe cleaners for each craft stick.  

You can even make legs.  The pipe cleaners give the body a cute, fuzzy texture.

Slip your butterfly body into the slits on the wings.  If you decided to make legs, you may have to bend them down temporarily in order to slide the whole thing in easily.

You could just leave the butterfly like this to play with, or you could add a suction cup to the bottom so that it can be affixed to things.

Attach your suction cup to the bottom using hot glue.

The butterflies look great attached to windows because the translucence of the vellum paper allows the light to shine through.

 Do you have any other good ideas?  I'd LOVE to hear about them!

Guess What? ...Chicken Butt

If you live in another part of the country, (or in the countryside, for that matter) you may not be aware of the wildfire that has been sweeping our Northwest urban landscape: backyard chickens.  Keeping city chickens has gotten so popular around these parts that there's actually an advertising campaign that lovingly spoofs it.  

Well, I've been going back and forth in my mind for a few years about the idea of keeping chickens.  We eat LOTS of eggs (2-3 dozen a week), so it makes sense from a practical standpoint.  Also, my son has been pestering us for a pet bird.  Admittedly, he was talking about a parrot, not a chicken, but beggars can't be choosers, right?   On the downside, I've always been somewhat repulsed by fads.  In high school, I would stop wearing my hair a certain way or choosing certain clothes if more than a few people started doing it.  My husband has also been a hard sell in the chicken debate.  

Anyway, after much deliberation and the suggestion that learning all about chicken care would be a great focus for our urban 4-H club, we have decided to take the plunge.  So I introduce to you:

Ginger

(a Speckled Sussex)

Kyriarcho (a Silver Laced Wyandotte) 

The name apparently means "dominant one" in Greek...my son's bird.

Luna

(a Delaware)

Rose or Rosie

(a Red Star)

and Trixie

(a Golden Sex Link)

It's been pointed out to me that all but one of these is a stripper name.  Oh well.  We are looking forward to our great new adventure.  I'll let you know how it goes...

St. Patrick's Day Rainbow Cupcakes

Here's a fun kid project to do for St. Patrick's day, or spring in general.  I bet there are lots of snowy places around the country that could use a little rainbow cupcake magic right about now!

Start with separate but painstakingly equal batters and spoons.  I divided half a batch of yellow cake batter evenly into bowls. The girls stirred in the colors.  Using professional food colors (like these) is a good idea.  They have much more vibrant  colors and are very concentrated.

Painstakingly clean hands, of course.

Next layer: make sure not to stir it into the previous layer.  And so on...

All six colors done!  Perfection not required.

Some sky blue frosting goes on top.

Add some sprinkles, because everybody likes sprinkles.

VOILA!