Backyard Chicken Coop

Lost Lake Farm has more than just a hand full of backyard chickens.  We gather eggs from the hens for our own farm table, as well as other family and friends. All of our chickens are one big happy barnyard family and good neighbors with the guineas and turkeys.  They roam during the day and share a coop at night built on the end of the barn. That being said, we have decided to hatch a few of the special breeds, like our Welsummers.

In order to do that we need to move the girls and this rooster into their own little place.  Recently we were blessed with a good amount of free pallets.  I really wanted to use them in order to build the 'coop' part of the chicken pen.  Pulling pallets apart to use the boards is time consuming.  Keep in mind it would be a quicker project to purchase the materials, but also much more expensive.
Without a pattern or directions, here is our almost completed Chicken Condo designed by the Farmer.

I love it! Not that I will have to live in it or anything. I think the pallets give the chicken coop a rustic country feel.

The boards are mixed and not even the same width which delivers just the right amount of character for my tastes.  I wish I had taken a better photo of the hen nesting box.  When it is complete I will snap one and post on our Facebook page.
Did you notice even the door is a pallet?

The Farmer was able to also recycle some door hinges found in the barn.

The frame of the pen is using newly purchased lumber.  Using the pallets really cut the cost of this baby!

We finished up the side this weekend and have placed the Welsummers in their new home.  Hopefully we will get their condo moved out in the calves pasture this week.  For now they seem to enjoy it!

Next up a coop for these little chicks.

Do you have backyard chickens?


Barn Hop

Chicken Chatter

The Farm went to the birds a long time ago.  Over the years there have been numerous and varied types of chickens and other fowl roosting in the barn.   Let's start with chickens and eggs.

Meet our Mr. Rooster

Mr. Rooster is a sweetheart.  He charms the ladies in the barn and is quite the gentleman.  Very docile even for little ones.  Our own little 'chicken wrangler' can carry him around.

This fine Rooster actually lives the life of luxury in the barnyard, hallway of the barn and out of the chicken coop.  Because of his sweet manners, the other roosters tend to pick on him.  

He has lots to say about bullying.  Not cool, cock-a-doodle-do!  We have several Dominique, also known as Dominicker hens and a few roosters.  This year we added another breed of chickens to the farm:  Cochin.  The Farmer likes this particular breed and they are also very calm and friendly chickens. 

One of the young Cochins, earlier in the summer.

We also hatched off some of the eggs earlier this year and were successful in raising several more hens.

Although this is a bad cell phone photo, this is my oldest daughter - the 'chicken charmer'.  ;-)

Our chickens are able to free range with use of a covered pen and coop in the barn.  We have lots of coyotes, so we have to get them up at dusk.

A daily farm chore is gathering the eggs.  Farm fresh eggs taste better than store bought ANY day!  Even our little cowboy can taste the difference.   Recently while having breakfast at IHop, he mentions that his eggs didn't taste 'right'.  Smart kid!  Not only do store bought eggs taste bland once you've eaten farm eggs, fresh chicken eggs are healthier for you.

Once the eggs are gathered, we place them in egg crates.  We do sell 'farm fresh eggs' by the dozen and dozen/half cartons.  Plus we eat plenty of scrambled eggs!  I can't remember the last time I purchased 'store bought' eggs.

Who else is a farm egg gal?