Raised Garden Bed update

I love it when the weather person predicts rain and then they are completely wrong. Today was one of those days! It ended up being a beautiful day and perfect for working in the yard. We made some progress on the raised garden bed, even though the progress was slower than we would have liked, we are happy with how it is shaping up. You can see the base of crushed gravel, to ensure a solid foundation for the retaining wall blocks to rest on.

New Garden

With the chicken coop project all wrapped up, it was time to get busy with the garden project. We have talked for years about having a raised garden bed instead of trying to fight with the extremely rocky soil in our backyard. Since the chicken coop is now occupying part of the old garden area, this seemed like the perfect time to finally get that raised bed done! Earlier today we had 5000 pounds (80 blocks at 60 lbs each) of retaining wall blocks delivered (I'm standing on them as I take the picture below) for the perimeter of the bed. It will be about 15 feet in diameter and about 12 inches high. More pictures to follow as we make progress.

New chick arrived

Yesterday we picked up our 4th and final chick. She is 3 days old and is a Black Australorp. She doesn't have a name yet..... she is only 11 days younger than the other three. Amazing how quickly they grow!

Hen house and run complete

Today I worked on getting the run put together and in place. There is quarter inch hardware cloth fastened to the bottom to keep any varmints from digging under and up into the run. I dug down about 3 inches so the hardware cloth will be covered by a few inches of dirt.


It's taken longer than I thought it would, but it's finally all done and ready for the hens as soon as they are old enough to go outside. (I actually still need to cover part of the run so it stays dry in the winter.)


It's been a fun project and we're all looking forward to seeing the hens out there laying eggs!

Still Growing...

The chicks are still growing. On Wednesday, we will be getting a new chick. A black Australorp. When she arrives, you will really be able to see how much the first three have grown in just a week and a half.

Hen house moves outside

Today we moved the hen house to it's final location in the backyard. By the time we got it there and I thought to take a couple of pictures, it was starting to get dark

Yep, I left some tools inside....



Next will be installing the chicken run so the hens can be outside when no one is around to make sure they don't leave the backyard or become lunch for a predator. It will be 3' X 10' and 3' tall. It will attach to the back of the coop where the chicken door is located.

They're growing....

We've had the chicks for 4 days now, and it seems like they have grown a lot in that short period of time. They can run about 60 miles an hour, or so it seems. They jump and flap their little wings and are generally very curious about everything.

Silver Laced Wyandotte


Barred Plymouth Rock


Rhode Island Red

Hen House Progress

We are nearing completion on the Hen House. Painting is about 85% done and then we just need to install the roof and a bit of locking hardware on the doors and windows.

The Chicks are Here!!

Today we got three chicks and are planning to get one more when that particular breed is available. The Henhouse is partially painted and will be completely done soon. Pictures of the henhouse to follow soon. The golden colored one is named Hufflepuff, the black one is Pepper and the black and silver one is Oreo.

Henhouse nears completion

Today Matthew and I did quite a bit of work on the hen house. We finished today by caulking some of the seams to help with weather-proofing the unit. We are now ready for paint and then some hardware on the doors and windows, install the roof and we'll be all done. Next project will be to build an enclosed run area that will be safe from predators. Chicks should arrive on Feb 12. They will be inside the house in a brooder until they are 6 to 8 weeks old.

Clucking right along....

Seems like we have finally gotten some traction and are moving along. We put the flooring on....



Left, right and rear walls installed.......


Matthew Models the access door.....


Front wall is under construction, nest box is in place....


Nest box detail......


Now we need to finish the front wall and install the roof, then we are down to some detail finishing and paint!