Preparing The Flock for Spring

I finally did it…I pulled the trigger and ordered my chickens! Spring is on the horizon, so that means preparing to make the self-sufficiency jump into raising my own chickens. I ordered 9 hens and 1 rooster, lol. That is a lot of chickens for my little homestead, but go big or go home right? Sharing eggs with neighbors, family, and friends also sounds like a good idea.

Typically, you get chicks in the spring or fall. Fall, if you want to raise the chicks through winter when it isn’t really laying time and have them ready to start laying in summer. Spring, if you’re like me and don’t want to raise chicks through the winter your first year! The hens won’t start laying for 4-6 months, so I’m not expecting a big egg return this year. I’m hoping to learn from this first flock, and maybe add some ducks and geese down the road.

The biggest road block for me right now is the coop. This coop building has been standing for a long time, and hasn’t properly been cared for through the years. It is now my job to get it back into shape before my chickens arrive in 2 months!! The coop has been used as a shelter for farm dogs, and is awfully terrifying to be inside of due to the heaps of mouse droppings. I can’t allow my chickens to be running around in filth, so I got a full body suit, N95s, and goggles to face the mess head on. Wish me luck, lol. My plan is to go in guns blazing with a shop vac and get all of the muck out then pressure wash the entirety of the coop. Should be easy enough right?

My next hurdle is making the coop a comfortable living environment with sturdy roosts, nesting boxes, water, and other chicken amenities. I have a ways to go and only two months to accomplish all of this. Can I do it? Luckily, the previous owner left a plethora of lumber in the back of the property that maybe I can repurpose into a roost? They also left old tires I plan to use as dust bath containers for my chickens. Did I mention I have to crisscross string across the top of the chicken run so birds like hawks and eagles don’t eat my flock? Yeah, that too. Lots of work, but I am eager to do it!

I wonder how my sweet Kintla will do with the chickens? I plan to introduce her to them right away and make it clear they are not food, lol.