Maxine and Ruby getting acquainted with their new home
We originally were going to wait till September to get our chickens because of the heat here in Arizona. I had also given up on the idea of getting my two favorite quiet and friendly breeds, Delawares and Dominiques, as I did not want to order like 25 chicks in the mail. The local feed stores regularly stock Australorps and Easter Eggers and we could get young pullets instead of dealing with the whole baby chick thing (and, I might add, we could save on shipping and handling costs).
I am a member of the Valley Permaculture Alliance here in Phoenix and have been watching their micro livestock message boards. It just so happens that a fellow Phoenician was selling her extra 2 month old Dominiques from her hatchery order! I was super excited. How could I pass up the chance to have my Dominiques? Even though I was without a coop, I secured 2 of them.
Ruby Foraging
Now we had 5 days to get a coop in our backyard. I had been watching Craig’s List like a hawk for months now. I contacted a couple builders with either no response or false advertising. Finally, I found a local guy who would build us a custom coop with dimensions that would fit in the back of our minivan and would be ready in time for the arrival of our flock.
the new coop
The day our ladies came home, my dear hubby went out to pick up our coop only to find that the builder fudged on the dimensions a bit. The coop was 8 inches wider than expected and, therefore, did not fit in our van. I was so disappointed at the prospect of leaving my new babies in a dog crate outside. I guess they would survive one night that way.
Max looking for bugs
The next day a pick up truck from U-Haul was rented and our coop made it home. Max(ine) and Ruby love their new home and are adjusting to life in our back yard. They are allowed out to free range when we are outside to supervise them. So far our dog, Jewels, has not shown any desire to harm our new additions. I’m absolutely loving all the bugs those two ladies are eating! Max now sits in our lap to be pet. Ruby is still a little scared but is slowly letting us pet her without too much fuss. It is so cool having chickens roam around my yard!
Related posts:
