beloved chickens

last spring, I came home with 10 tiny baby chicks

they lived in the garage for a bit, and in the laundry room on cold nights, with a heat lamp

i wasn't sure how many of them would survive

three disappeared one day, but i found one in the bushes in the front yard

then the neighbor kids helped me chase it back in

so we ended up with EIGHT

two Orpington, and six Red Star (I think)

i didn't see one earwig last summer

they eat everything

BUT, they eat everything

so my garden was dug up

baby corn plants, peas, tiny cabbages, and other plants disappeared

oh, and they poop on everything

so i've been working on a design for a new chicken coop

LT wasn't as excited about my plans as I was

"flower pots? really?"

i would like to use mostly salvaged/vintage materials for this chicken coop

a little 6x6 chicken house, with a 6x6 run

compost bins in the front

a nesting box, with rusty corrugated metal roof!, and a place to roost

i feel a little guilty cooping them up, but we can always let them out

when it is safe for our garden