Henbogle Coop for sale

I’m thinking of putting Henbogle Coop on the market.  I need some help with the price.

This coop from Anthropoligie is $3,000.  Shipping is an additional $200.  It’s kinda small.

This painted chicken-decorated coop, from William-Sonoma, is a mere $1289.90 including the run.  Shipping is $130.  A bargain compared to the Anthropologie Coop.  That roof doesn’t look very snow-worthy.

So, how much is Henbogle Coop worth?  Features include an antique window, stainless steel roof, front and side door, and lift-up egg-access.

A little chicken

Looking out, but not venturing out, yet…
This morning, we set up a smaller hen pen for the girls right outside Henbogle Coop.  Bucky raised the girls in a large barn, and the girls are therefore not used to being outside.  A small pen will give them room to explore, but make it easier for us to herd them into the Coop at bedtime.

Meet the new girls

Our fabulous neighbor/mechanic, Bucky, decided to retire from the egg business.  Fortunately for us, he started a new flock of chicks earlier this spring.  He offered us eight and we said you betcha, especially since the girls were our favorite Golden Comets.  They were hatched on May 24 so should be laying in a few weeks.

The girls are still a bit shy, but they will get used to us I am sure.  No names yet, but that will no doubt change as we get to know them.

Since the weeds had overtaken the hen pen, Dan weed-whacked then mowed, and yesterday we picked up some very nice mulch hay to suppress the weeds, and give the girls something to scratch through.  It looks so much more inviting.

I so missed my hens!  Hooray!

Sprucing up Henbogle Coop

Henbogle Coop was beginning to look a little sad.  The yellow stain had faded and the Coop was in need of a thorough cleaning.

Dan Man power washed it last week when he did the decks.  Now that it has had a chance to dry, time renew the stain and paint the white trim again.  New hens are on the way!

We also mowed the weeds and will spread a giant bale of mulch hay for the new girls to enjoy.  Eight Golden Comet pullets, 12 weeks old, will be arriving this weekend.  They’ll be laying before you can say eggs for breakfast!

Chicken Littles

We got some snow yesterday.  The girls were NOT impressed.

OMG!!  The sky fell, the sky fell!  BRAWWWK!

 

What is this stuff?

 

I don’t like it.  I’m going back in.  Let me in!

 

Alright, maybe it won’t hurt us.

 

OMG!  Where did she go?  Are her feet melting?

 

She’s getting scratch!! I want some!

 

And later, in the hendome, all are happy.

 

 

Winter comes to Henbogle.

 

The hengineers

Sunday we put up the hendome for the hens to have a place to roam this winter. Of course we had LOTS of supervision.  We have used a hendome for a number of years, but changed our design a bit this year, making it much wider to give more floor space.  We added a coupling and an extra 2.5 feet to each 10′ length of pvc pipe, fiving the girls a 10 foot wide run that is about 10 feet long.  The blue cord in the background is the extension cord bringing power to Henbogle coop for the water heater and a simple light fixture for light and warmth.

We set up the hendome up just in time for a ferocious wind and rain storm Sunday night into this morning.  We got a lot of rain, it looks like over 2 inches in the rain gauge, and wind gusts of up to 60 mph.  I kept waking through the night on Sunday, thinking the hendome might blow away, but I was relieved to see on Monday morning it was still in place, as was my hoophouse.

We closed off one end completely, and stacked straw bales in the other end, leaving a hen-sized opening, and adding structural support to the hoops by wedging the straw bales against them.  The inside has a deep layer of straw for the girls to scratch around in; the straw will make an excellent addition to the compost pile in the spring.  We add a long straight branch propped on concrete blocks for a roost, and the dome becomes a light-filled, cozy snow-free area for winter days.

The whole process proves quite entertaining for the hens.  We will put the pumpkins I grew for them and other treats in the hendome to provide entertainment during the dark days, and they will be snug and happy all winter.  Lucky girls!

 

Eggs

Claire at Whispering Acres in Iowa has a good post about commercial egg factories today.

A close call

After Monday’s mild weather, winter returned to boot me firmly in the potting bench Tuesday.  Snow overnight was following by free-falling temperatures and a wind that would blow the hair right out of your follicles.  BRRRR!

Nonetheless, the hens were out and about, scratching in the hendome alternately with visits to the Coop for food and water.  When Dan went to close the Coop later in the day, though, he only counted 5 hens in the Coop.  His heart sank, and he raced to the house to get me to help look for them in the growing dark.  I shoved on my boots and ran out, heart in my throat.  I was so afraid we’d lost them to a fox, or they’d gotten out and were roosting somewhere in the woods and would freeze to death overnight. (Predicted overnight temps were as low as -16°F with the wind chill.)

It was COLD, brutally cold, winds howling.  We saw hen tracks in the snow along the garden fence, then another set leading into the garden (we removed the gate for the winter) but the tracks did not lead out.  There were no signs of a struggle, no feathers, or worse yet, blood.  Then, Dan realized the tracks disappeared right by Henbogle Coop.  He looked under, and there they were, Lily and Lucy, huddled together under the Coop.  We shooed them out (they were not happy to be shooed) and after checking for frostbite, got them into Henbogle Coop to join their sisters and warm up.  We left the lamp on for extra warmth, closed them up, and thanked our lucky stars.

We determined they must have flown out of the pen looking for more of that delicious grass from Monday, then didn’t have enough sense to fly back in.  We were lucky they found the Coop to provide shelter.  We checked them over this morning, and thankfully, saw no signs of frostbite.  Lucy and Lily both got their wings clipped to prevent any future flights of fancy.

Now, we just have to make a plan for taking care of the girls during a big three-day storm, if it materializes (please no!), with forecasts calling for between 24-48 inches of snow between Friday night and Monday.

Is she or isn’t he?

A rooster?  I’m beginning the think the crow I heard two weeks ago was an anomaly.  For the next week, I dutifully took my digital camera with me every morning when I let the girls out for the day.  Nothing.  Not even a raucous “braawwk!” just a whole lot of flapping and fluffing and racing around after a night in the coop.  Now, 14 days later, and still no sign of crowing.

I’m beginning to think that one morning there was a little surge of male hormones, but the female hormones kicked in later.  In other words, I’m think we have all hens.  I hope I am correct in this!

One handsome cockerel

in need of a new home.

Henbogle already has a rooster, his name is Dan.