The Best Things In Life

I framed up the grow bed this week and set it in place to get an idea of how I want to mount it.   First thing I noticed is that it seems much bigger than it did on the drawing.   There is lots of garden space and I expect good production out of such a large area.  That said, it is a little close on the sides for getting around.
Yet to do:

• Sheet the bottom of the grow bed
• line the pond
• line the grow bed
• mount grow bed
• install plumbing & electrical

It’s hard to get a sense of the size from the picture, but the grow bed is 10′ x 4.5′ and will sit atop of the fish pond which is 5’x4′.    The front portion of the pond will have a slatted lid which should make a nice bench to sit on while out there.    In the upper left you can see I’ve run my electrical providing a utility outlet and switch for the pump.

The required picture of the Chicks.  Here they are enjoying a plum and butternut squash.  They are almost 15 weeks now.  We are hoping they will start laying around the end of August / first of September.

It is a little more than 10 weeks since we received our chicks.   They seem huge compared to the day they arrived.   I’ve been surprised that there really hasn’t been any squabbling to establish a pecking order.

I’ve still got a lot to do on the yard, but they don’t seem to mind.  They love to roam around the entire yard always searching for something good to eat.

2 weeks ago I had a water leak in the hen house.   I’ve been amazed how little there is to do in the way of care for keeping chickens.  My entire family has been amazed at the complete lack of smell and noise from the girls.

Then a couple of weeks ago, we noticed it was starting to smell a bit.   I found the water regulator I had purchased began to leak causing a moldy stink in the hen house.   I shut the water off and removed the regulator, cleaned the house out and let it dry out in the 110 degree heat here for 3 days.   I next constructed a bucket regulator to replace the one I purchased from Farm-Tek.   New pine shavings, clean fresh water, and a dry house and everything is back to normal.

I picked up these nest pads this week for $3 each.   Looked like a great way of keeping the nestboxes clean.   I’m hoping in a couple of months they will start laying.

The shade is now complete and part of the coop.   Left to do is build the fish pond and garden bed.

The girls are 2 weeks old now.   After just having them one week, they had grown so much that we had to move them out of the brooder bin and into the hen house.    Since the move they have seemed very comfortable and happy.

It was a long day but I got lots done!   I finished the hen house, framed the windows, cabled up the pop door, and painted almost all the green trim pieces.   I just need to get the roof on and put up some roosts and I’ll be done and ready to move on to the aquaponics garden.   I should have the entire coop completed just in time for our pullets arrival Friday.