Healthy Self Reliance
By now, you all know that we are raising our own chickens in the backyard. The idea is to gain more self sufficiency and “buy local”. It is important to know where your food comes from. Some are unfamiliar with the concepts, but for those of you who do and think you are living in solitude, think again. There are many beginning to understand the changes that are going to have to take place for this world to go solidly forward…
Well, it’s a sad day at our little homestead today. I left the dogs outside for what was to be a warm night. I thought they would enjoy it. Mr. Red had been aggravating the hens so badly, that I had turned him out of the chicken coop last weekend.
From the chicken run side closest to the house you can see how much progress we’re making! I will be able to go in the gate and be out of the rain and they will have some shelter from the rain and still be able to be outside… so long as the rain is not blowing sideways.
What a long day, getting things square against all odds. The entire chicken coop frame was off square from the chicken run due to the fact that I wanted to use the 4×4’s from the garden fence to build off of… seemed such a shame to let all that wood, cement, and hard work go to waste.
We worked on the chicken coop. All of us together and we had a ball! Well, okay, Aiden only kept the dog occupied, but he had fun watching his dad. This has been such a fun family project.
I wish I could have taken a better video, they hop and jump so fast and you never know what is going to get them going… it’s hard to capture the moment. But they had so much fun and I had a blast watching them. I sat down for a break and just laughed my butt off at them.
This will have to do for a bit. We’re not making really great progress on the chicken coop. Red is still in the chicken run and I don’t trust the dogs to leave him be. The babies are so small, they can escape through the chicken wire.
Guess what my mother informed me she found while perusing my favorite ag store today? BABY CHICKENS! in the fall no less… I was really torn. Starting baby chicks in the fall… getting them grown up enough to face a cold surly winter. Should I? Mr. Red is so lonely… he needs some more of his own kind. What is a rooster, without hens?
Isn’t he wonderful? He now has his very own run… no real house yet, but his run is safe and sound. He crows day and night. I have been hoping my neighbors won’t complain, but he starts up around 5am and doesn’t stop until dusk… I mean off and on ALL DAY long!
This is where I sit and take a break in between digging post holes and stapling wire. This was so much fun doing with the girls. Well, at least two of them showed up for the hard work. 😉