A Surprise in My Chicken Coop

This Egg Should Hatch Within the Next Week

Mid summer is upon us here and it is hot, hot, hot! Yesterday was 104.4 Fahrenheit and today was 102.3 Fahrenheit. I have thought on more than one occasion this summer maybe I should have chosen a state further north, but alas, summer heat is only a couple of months and the rest of the year is rather pleasant. I will just suck it up and do my best to stay comfortable until October arrives with its promise of more pleasant daytime highs and cool nights. Heat is rough on livestock, so I have been checking the water in the coop twice a day to make sure my chickens can cool off and stay hydrated.

I had always considered chicks a springtime thing, so I have been collecting and enjoying all the eggs my small flock has produced. All the hens are laying daily, so I have a bunch of eggs and never seem to run out. While collecting eggs a couple of weeks ago, I noticed a hen of mine had become broody and was sitting on a few eggs. I decided to let her play momma, after all, I have a ton of eggs right now and I had no idea if my rooster was fertile. For one full week I didn't retrieve any eggs. I have three hens, so that makes for a lot of eggs in the coop.

Broody Betty with her Clutch

This evening when I went to check the water I noticed Broody Betty, as I have taken to calling her, has so many eggs in her clutch she has to keep her wings spread. I figured I should probably try to candle the eggs, cull the ones that are not developing, and mark those that show signs of a potential chick. Broody Betty was not pleased, but I found most of the eggs are in different stages of development!

The ideal temperature for hatching chicken eggs is 99 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit and 50 to 55% humidity. Oklahoma is, I have discovered, ideal for this. Days here are warm and humid. Brooding Betty can get up and move about if she chooses and at night it is not too much work to keep the clutch warm and snug.

Early development

So now I wait. I will continue to check the coop twice a day and as the chicks hatch I will remove them for protection from the rest of the flock until they are big enough to fend for themselves. I will need to enlarge my coop a little by next summer to accommodate the new additions, but my egg selling will ramp up next summer and I can expand to pickling and drying the eggs as well.

Farm life never ceases to amaze me!

Chicks and Coops!

I have been threatening to do it for some time. Last weekend I finally sucked it up and bought a new coop and some chicks. I planned to build a coop because the materials costs really aren't that high, however I just could not seem to find the time to make it happen. I stopped by my local farm store and took a gander at what they had to offer coop wise. I found this coop made by Precision and fell in love. It matches the buildings on my homestead and is just the right size for a small flock of chickens. I purchased the coop, 6 chicks, mash, grit, meal worms, a heat lamp, bedding, and a heat lamp. Out the door cost was $390.

The coop comes in two flat-packed boxes for ease in getting them home. You can pay someone to assemble them, but the fact is you can do it yourself in just about an hour. Easy-peasy. You can get it done even faster with a couple of neighbor kids to assist, like I did.

Here are some photos I took as I assembled this backyard beauty just so you can see how quick and easy you too can have a small flock where you live:

Empty the boxes and make sure you have all the parts. In this case we opened up both boxes and looked over everything carefully.

An electric screwdriver made short work of the assembly process. 

 Don't be afraid to undo something you did wrong. Take things apart before you assemble the entire thing and discover a problem. It took two tries for me to get the nesting box floor correct.

Built in perches are over a removable tray so cleaning the coop is really easy. 

I chose this particular coop because of its features:

·        Rain-resistant asphalt roof

·        3 nesting boxes

·        3 roosting bars

·        Adjustable coop ventilation

·        Removable floor pan

·        Internal nesting box with rear door access

·        Houses up to 5-7 adult chickens 

  

I am very pleased with the finished product. This coop has many great features including plenty of space for 5 - 7 birds. Now I just have to wait for my chicks to be old enough and hearty enough to be outside. 

  

What does your chicken coop look like? Share with us below!

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Check out this episode!