We're gonna build a chicken coop!

There are 24 baby chicks arriving in a couple of weeks and the VP5 Farm needs a place to house them. We are lending a hand in turning the first stall of the barn into the "Hen House" and extending the chicken yard out the front side of the barn. Jen and the kids have been excited about having chickens and fresh eggs as a 4-H project, and she and KL have been helping where they can. The last couple mornings have been spent dismantling an eight-foot long shelving unit that was already in the stall (which used to be a tack room). My job was to remove all the nails so we can salvage the wood.

Today KL was busy sweeping out the stall and hauling the loads of hay to the burn pile. Yesterday Jen bought the truck-load of wood and supplies like iron cloth and chicken wire from the local lumber yard, backed the truck up into the barn and we all helped unload it. Today we got a little bit done today, but now we're churned up and ready to really get serious . . .

But wait! The V-Party-of-Five are leaving for a family reunion in Missouri and won't be back until next Wednesday. K and I are going to house-sit and take care of the animals while they're gone. I guess it's up to us to see how much we can get done while they're gone!

There are lots of things to think about when building a chicken coop, especially when you've moved from the big city to the country and have never lived with—or even near—a chicken coop. . .

And there are lots of things to learn about as far as things like what creature comforts chickens need —such as how big should the nesting boxes be for hens to comfortably lay lots of eggs? . . . or how many nesting boxes are needed for two dozen hens? . . . or how many square feet of living space does a couple dozen laying hens need? Thank goodness Jen has gotten to know a few very knowledgeable folks through the 4-H Poultry Group meetings she and the kids have been attending. And she is anxious to share all the information with her Dad so he can figure out how to convert one stall of their barn into a happy hen house.

The hen house will be on the other side of this wall of the barn..

And the chicken yard will extend out 12-15 feet from this wall. The VP5 farm, a.k.a. "Simply Country," will have some very happy chickens, that's for sure!

We removed this shelving unit in order to make room for the chickens and selvaged the wood which we'll be able to use.

KL is a good worker and is glad to help any way she can. Soon this barn will house the chickens, a couple baby goats which are coming next Friday, and some day KL hopes to have the horse of her dreams live here too!

Carefully removing what seemed like hundreds of nails we will be able to use the shelving unit wood to make all the nesting boxes.

It was PD's idea to use the stall for the chicken coop. And what a good idea it was! They were able to save a lot of money by not having to build a separate unit outside the barn.

With all the lumber off the truck and in the barn we're ready to start building.

The whirring sound of the saw lets us know that progress is in the works!

K and Jen work well together. Jen is a go-getter nothing-to-it-but-to-do-it kinda gal —just like her mom! She was better at this than I . . . her height worked well with the shorter ladder.

Life is good . . . especially when working together in anticipation of having farm-fresh eggs!