Chicken Nuggets~

As requested, here are more Peep pics!

They are 5 days old.

15 Rhode Island Reds. They are all healthy and skippy, only one has some poo crusted on her butt feathers. We call her Poopsy. Tried to get the poo off, but it is ON there. Any suggestions?

First Peeps!

We went to our farm store today to get all of our supplies ready for our peep arrival on Friday.

We ordered 15 Rhode Island Red pullets for Fri. arrival.

BUT... when we got there they had some in stock!

Since our redneck-hippie-rigged brooder box was all prepared we decided to bring some home today!

Here they are getting loaded into their "chicken nugget" box, as Ann called it. 

Cute overload!

Happy peepy mamma. That makes her a mother hen, right? harharhar...

Time to go into the brooder box. This one has a stripe on her head! 

 Warming under the lamp...

That is all the pics for now, the peeps were a bit stressed out so we are letting them settle in for now.

Now to plan the chicken tractor (moveable coop)~

Redneck Hippie-Rigged Brooder Box~

Every farm needs chickens... proud, feisty egg laying ladies!

Our first farm critters will be CHICKENS!

We have been deliberating what type of brooder box we will need for our peeps.

Should we use cardboard boxes or storage bins? 

(both of which I was concerned about a fire hazard with the heat lamps...)

Or build one out of plywood?

This morning we were discussing our options over coffee and Paul went out to see what scrap wood we had in the barn when he walked by THIS...

A crusty old wooden gun case left here by the previous owners. We have not had time to conquer the workshop yet, it still needs unpacked and rearranged. Good thing, because this gem would have met the burn pile!

He knocked out the gun rack part and the drawers on the bottom and laid it on it's back.

Perfection!

Perfect size and the doors work as a lid to keep the heat in at night.

Here it is all set up before the peeps were added.

We since moved it to the cellar under our kitchen.

Since it is under the woodstove, the temperature is about 15 degrees warmer than the workshop.

There you have it, the perfect redneck, hippie-rigged brooder box!

Our First Greenhouse March 2011