In April of 2021 we converted an existing shed into a chicken coop with an attached run. We repurposed pressure treated lumber from a deck we took down and added hardware cloth around the chicken run to keep out critters. The interior walls were constructed out of 2x4s and hardware cloth to allow the exterior doors to be opened while keeping the chicks inside. It also provided interior space for storage without birds walking all over. A portion of the area was later converted into a triage space for sick chickens, or an area for new birds to live in before adding them to our existing flock.
We started out with unsexed chicks from Sugar Feather Farm. Interested in winter hardy Heritage Breed birds and supporting local businesses we ordered three Rhode Island Whites, three Salmon Faverolles, and two Hedemoras. We picked up the chicks from Sugar Feather Farm in early May and kept them inside a bathroom shower stall using the bottom of Kepler’s dog crate as a temporary home until they were feathered enough to move into the coop. We moved them into the coop at the end of May.
In the beginning of July we lost one of the chicks to illness, likely Marek’s Disease. Heritage birds take longer to develop and this one was always the smallest. Maybe she wasn’t able to get enough food or maybe she was a slower grower compared to the other birds, either way we separated her once she showed signs of lameness and kept her in a box with food and water. After a few weeks she did not improve and was unable to walk. We ended her suffering and buried her in the orchard. Ryan called her Limp Biscuits.
Kepler got one of the cockerels when he broke free of his make shift dog leash / clothesline that was around a tree out back. That was my bad. I never should have left him outside unattended. He wasn’t interested in the bird after he got it. Puff Ball was also buried in the orchard.
Out of the eight chicks we ordered and nine we took home, (Sugar Feather Farm threw in an extra chick), we had four pullets and three cockerels. We removed the cockerels from the chicken coop and they free range around our place. They live in one of the barns roosting on stacked pallets and announcing the sun proudly each morning. The girls can be seen roosting on top of the well in the chicken run most evenings. They prefer fresh air and watching the sunset to roosting inside the coop.
