Farm Fresh Eggs!

 Remember these guys I told you about a few months ago?? Well, they are all grown up into big girls now!  We are happy to announce that the dogs are being remarkably good with their new free range friends and nearly all are still accounted for!!  You might also recall that we carefully studied the requirements and worked really hard to get a nesting box all ready for them so they had a nice quiet place to lay eggs...

Who wouldn't want to start laying eggs in this beauty?!?!?!  But chickens are apparently independent thinkers... who knew??  Here's where this guy comes into the picture...

They found one of these to make their own nest and lay their eggs!  If you aren't familiar with these, they are protein tubs that you put out for cattle.  The empty ones can be used for all sorts of jobs around the farm.  We happen to be using a couple out by the chicken pen to hold some extra grass hay to bed the rabbits.  You guessed it... that is where Miss Hen decided she would start laying her eggs.  Once she did, the others followed suit and now that seems to be the nest of choice.  So when the book said they need a nice, quiet, private, dark place to lay their eggs... it was lying.  When the book said it didn't have to be anything fancy... it was right on!

For the record, this isn't my picture.  We only get one or two eggs a day so far but we have great expectations for more!!

And my friend Lyndi was right about the math lessons... so far we have gathered 6 eggs.  Nate has broken 2 of them.  How many have we gotten to eat?  Ally says 4.  Isn't she smart?? 

The chickin coop...

Remember these guys from the big chicken sale?  Well, the experts tell me they should start laying eggs soon so we needed a chicken coop.  We found some for $150 - 300 but much to the hubby's dismay, I was convinced we could build one for next to nothing.  So I took a handy dandy piece of scrap paper and engineered a very ROUGH plan.  We already had some leftover plywood from the house remodel so I went to the hardware store and bought $13.33 worth of wood screws, L brackets, and a couple of 1x2's. 

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and the hubby was home from work a little early so we set out to build our nesting box.  Since I love power tools, I was in charge of all the cutting.  Go Me! Ally was in charge of photography but all I got was 14 pictures of the power saw (all very up close and personal) so she got demoted.  Actually... she got mad and went inside to read a book.

Gail was in charge of all the measuring.  He had trouble reading my blue prints so I had to translate the little scribbly lines for him.  "... Of course that is the top piece... isn't that obvious??"

Nate was a big help.  He even got to use his own drill.  Doesn't every 6 year old have their own power drill??  I see he is using a screw driver here... battery must have been dead.

Ally finished her book and returned to help us finish up the project.  I think she really came out to see how  much longer I would be so I could come in and make supper.  Anyway, while she was there we put her to work.  She measured and cut some of the dividers.

Here we are putting the dividers in.  Apparently chickens like privacy to lay their eggs.  So privacy we gave them.  They better get to work.

Here's the finished box.  We stole the hinges off the old rabbit cage and I still have my 1x2's left so we made the whole thing for less than 5 bucks!  YESSSSS.  I think we should go into mass production.  You can send me your orders via the comments below.

By the way... I am selling them for $150.  Labor is expensive you know.....

Now go buy some chickens!