Hubby has worked for the last three weeks on designing and creating the perfect coop so that we would have very happy hens, he based his design on a triangular coop that he saw online and sized it up so that our girls would have plenty of room to roam.
Heres a look at the finished coop before our friends moved in....
We went out today after our next door neighbour who keeps an Aviary in his back garden advised us that he had been to a local pet centre where he was getting canaries saw chickens and thought of us. We were going to go to Mr Welshegg in Caerphilly but we decided to check out this pet centre in Glynneath first, without any real intention of getting chickens, just having a look....
Well it was love at first sight when I saw them, hubby knew there was no way of us leaving without chickens. The salesperson who sold the chickens was actually the farmer that raised them on his parents farm and then brought them into the centre, he advised us about lots of various things and advised if we didn't want too many eggs at once Calder Rangers are good because they spread out their laying, and also light Sussex's were good for this also.
So I had to choose the chickens, there were two brown and one white nestled together, how could I separate them? so decision made, we bought some sawdust, layers pellets and mixed corn and we were on our way.
We seat-belted up the birdie boxes and carefully drove home, there were lots of clucks and cackles on the way. I think hubby should drive with chickens in the car at all times as it was a much calmer, smoother ride :D
When we got home we put in the feeder and drinker and then let our babies loose, however Dotty and Betty our calder rangers were happy to be picked up and put in, Mildred our Light Sussex made a bid for freedom and jumped out of the box into hubby's hands....the bigger of the birds she was very nervous, so we then let them get used to their surroundings and settle in, watching from afar.
Heres a few photos of the Girls that I have taken.....their soo cute!!
Heres Dotty, If you look at her lower beak its longer than the top, so this is how I can distinguish her from Betty.
Heres Betty, she's the other Calder Ranger like Dotty.
And lastly but by no means least, here's Mildred our Light Sussex
Oh and what sort of person would I be if I didn't show me having a Dotty snuggle?
I hope our new friends settle in and enjoy being part of the family, I think its safe to say that their definitely NOT going to end up on the dinner table, but they are going to be the most spoilt chickens in South Wales, If I have my way :D
