Chickens!

This post has been sadly delayed by the lack of pictures. I have finally overcome my laziness and taken them....

I got chickens! They are Golden Comets, which the seller tells me is an exceptional layer breed. At very least, they are adorable.

They are going to be layers, once they mature. In the meanwhile, I am working on the house and the feed and water systems.

The house is going to get a window to let more natural light in, as well as nest boxes that stick out of the front wall, making everything cleaner and easier to manage. Previously, we had nest boxes inside the house, and the chickens could roost on top of them. This made for a much messier house.

Feeding and watering are always the most annoying daily tasks. To fix some of that, I am going to make those systems as automatic as possible. For watering, that is fairly simple: there is a hose-end waterer on the market that works well. For feeding there is a lot more complexity to take into account.

Pellet or crumble foods can be poured in from the outside, and go down into a feeder tray on the inside. However, if you want to feed home-grown feeds, like vegetables and/or greens, you need a way to toss them in. Most likely, I will just throw the green matter into the run, in a sort of compost pile, and let them have it during the day when they are let out.

There, at last the chickens have had their proper introduction.