Coop Upgrade

Baby chicks, why did you get so big?

We started out with good intentions.  We wanted just four bantam chicks.  Just a small flock, perfect for our backyard.  We picked out a coop that had plenty of room for four of the small-sized bantams.

And then I learned that the mill we bought the chicks from doesn’t sex bantams.  If we wanted to be assured of hens, we’d need to buy standard sized chickens.

Oh, and they have to sell them in increments of no less than six.  State law.

But don’t worry, people assured me:  day old chicks are very delicate.  The chances of all six making it to maturity is slim.

Tell that to my chickens.  All six survived – thrived.  And they are HUGE.

Much bigger than their little four-bantam coop can accommodate.

So this weekend marks the beginning of our new coop build.  While I pictured us slapping something slightly larger together, my husband had other plans.  He has drawn up diagrams of the new coop.  He has been collecting discarded pallets from around town for the frame.  And on Friday night we bought a stupid amount of lumber from the Home Depot.

Our goals are to make the coop big enough for our six HUGE chickens, and make it warm enough for them to be comfortable in our Wisconsin winter.

Progress pictures will be forthcoming as progress is made.  Wish us luck!