The Chicken Casa

I realize that I left you hanging with Lyle's work on Chickenville.   Thankfully the hens are not still residing in the front room, or even in the garage.

Back in the Spring, when the goats came home, Lyle was in the beginning stages of enclosing the overhang that had sheltered the horses, and was turning it into separate goat and chicken quarters.

He finished a few months ago, reusing some old windows.  He added the mullions to match the windows on the front of the barn.  The goats have their own little home on the right, which Lyle is bravely cleaning in the photo.  The left side and the whole upper portion is all for the chickens.  (Can you spot Franklin, checking things out?)

To keep the chickens safe from the many critters who frequent our property, Lyle built a run, burying chicken wire several feet into the ground.

The chickens can come and go as they please.  Even on rainy days, they prefer to stay outside, huddled under the hen house.

Lyle and my dad devised this watering system with tubing and PVC.  

I wish I had a better photo of it, but the blue that you see on the left is an adorable bird house that Lyle made which sits over a large water bucket.  From the bucket, you can see the tube which goes down to the chicken run.

Inside, there are 4 nesting boxes which you can access from the outside hatch or by walking into the coop through one of two doors.

We have three chicken breeds in our flock.  There are two Australorps--Ginger and Gabby.  In the light, their black feathers take on a pretty emerald tinge.

Our three Silverlaced Wyandottes, posing here for a group photo, look like they're wearing fancy ball gowns.  They are Annie, Mr. Beefy, and Chicken (XiXi's English wasn't so great 5 months ago when we asked him what he wanted to name his chicken.  "Ummm," he said, "Chicken!")

And last but not least are our two Buff Orpingtons--Clarkson (our only layer) and Cholita's hen Mrs. Howell.  

True, they can be a bit stinky, but being that these are our only pets willing to provide us with breakfast, I think they're keepers.

 It won't be long before we have 49 eggs a week.  

Omelette anyone?

quiche?

over-easy or scrambled?

cholesterol-lowering medication?

Anyone?