The 31st was Tweedle Dee's due date.
But, nary a peep was heard, not chick was spotted.
I feared that her three week semi-starvation was all in vain. Was Tweedle Dum not up to the task?
I felt so bad for her...
An anniversary gift from Tweedle Dee - the sight of a baby chick :) |
A baby chick :D
What excitement. S'truth! You'd have thought RMan and I had won the lottery lol
Such proud "parents" bwahaha. T'was the easiest childbirith ever!
In anticipation of the arrival of a chick (or two) I had been voraciously reading up on all aspects of making Tweedle Dee's first experience of motherhood as "perfect" and as comfortable as possible.
Most sites advised keeping the hen and baby chicks apart from the rooster.
The chicken coop we made out of the frame from the water container |
I even resorted to googling buying a new chicken coop, or small garden shed...
Until I had a brainwave.
I sent the local tile shop an e-mail, asking them if they had any pallets for sale. I knew that tiles were delivered to them on pallets, and wondered if they had to return them to the supplier, or whether they kept them?
Sure enough they e-mailed back giving me the name of someone to call / speak to the next time we were in the area.
RMan, in anticipation of woodworking chores ahead, is not always keen on "quickly stopping to see if they have anything suitable" but I managed to get him to drop in.
They had pallets which were very solid, and had to be returned to the suppliers. But, then they also had these:
Less study pallets, but they would certainly do the job.
Five were loaded in our trailer.
George, the carpenter from "The Wood Shop" had offered us some old nesting boxes which he could no longer use because the otters in the nearby river, kept eating his chickens.
Those got loaded into the trailer at the same time.
Offloading everything at home we got to work.
The new pallet chicken coop in the making |
We added one of the two nesting boxes to the one side of the coop. |
Collecting eggs from here in future is going to be a breeze :) |
A door was added...
Apart from the roof, the entire structure was covered in chicken wire - even the floor - so that if any otters fancied digging underneath they would find their way blocked.
We placed the new coop next to the old one, and covered both of the roofs with a piece of IBR sheeting (corrugated roofing), and a double layer of shadecloth - to prevent the coop from becoming an oven in the hottest time of the day / year.
"His" and "Hers" chicken coops lol Tweedle Dums is on the right, and Tweedle Dee and the chicks pallet coop is on the left. |
Literally, as we finished that coop, Tweedle Dee became a mama. Of 4 chicks (clever Tweedle Dee - and Tweedle Dum lol) :D
And, watching them, the chicks started clambering all over the quaddie tyre nest.
They wouldn't stay in there long.
I was concerned that they would get out of the nest and fall 2 - 2.5 feet to the floor. Would they survive? I doubted it.
Plus, when Tweedle Dum came near Mama hen rose up menacingly with wings widely spread.
Definitely time to move them.
But - how do we transfer her and the chicks to the new coop?
Three days after we had spotted the first chick, 4 chicks were toddling round the nest, I said to RMan that it was time - we couldn't wait for the other two eggs to hatch / not hatch.
He carefully picked up the tyre and base and tried to manoeuvre them out of the frame coop and into the new pallet one.
Naturally, the chicks leapt out of the nest - together with mama. Now they were running round the frame coop.
Oh, how to catch a chick. Not bloody easy, is it, but, bless RMan, he did it.
Transferring all of the chicks (and the two remaining eggs) to the new coop, all that was needed was for Mama to now locate them but their frantic chirps.
Finally, they were are securely ensconced within their new dwelling.
We have fenced off the area outside the coop so that Mama and the chicks have access to outside without fear of Tweedle Dum interferring |
Mama wasn't interested in the last two eggs, so they ended up being sacrificed for the good of the 4 chicks.
Clever Tweedle Dee - teaching the chicks to scratch for their food |
The first couple of days the chicks couldn't make it out of the coop - the lip under the door was too high. Strategically placed bricks soon sorted that out.
Tweedle Dee is forever going inside and out of the pallet coop - I reckon she love it :) |
Firstly, when she was sitting on the eggs, she only got off them for about 10 minutes every 3 days. Every THREE days?! I kid you not. Her comb went almost colourless, and her feathers lost their lustre.
What dedication!
Now they are hatched, she does not let them out of her sight for a second. When chick feed is sprinkled on the ground, she rushes up and "pretends" to peck at it. Naturally, the chicks follow suit.
When she is happy that they are all eating, I then scatter her normal chicken feed down, and she then proceeds to fill her stomach.
And - whoa! Have you ever given your baby chicks ( and Mama of course) some cottage cheese? They absolutely love it - the baby chicks grab a mouthful and rush away to the corner to eat it - so that no-one can steal it from them. They have even swiped Mama's mouthful straight out of her beak!
Bed time - everyone safely ensconced in their bed |
With the new coop, in the late afternoon Mama toddles inside when she's ready, settles down in the nesting box, with the baby chicks rushing to join her as fast as they can.
All I have to do is close and lock the door behind them.
The new coop is a brilliant success - everyone is happy, and have accepted it as their new home.
What did it costs us?
A pair of hinges and a dead bolt for the door, a packet of screws, 10 mtrs of chicken wire - and some of our time. The IBR roofing and the shadecloth we had already.
And the wood shavings - well, it's nice to have a friendly carpenter in town - he's only too happy to get rid of his waste :)
What about Tweedle Dum? He has settled down into his coop on his own - well, the rest of his family is right next door, aren't they?! He probably enjoys having the entire roost to himself, if the truth be told...
I have a sneaky suspicion that one of the chicks is a rooster - it has a dark "line" on it's head, and it's wings have dark markings which the others don't have. So, for a period, Tweedle Dum may have company - until the "spare" rooster is ready for the pot.
Happy Anniversary! Love the new coop & the new chicks.
ReplyDeleteDallas - Thanks, my friend. The coop rocks lol
DeleteCongratulations on your new family.
ReplyDeletexx
Bwahahahah - thanks Mum ;)
DeleteI love your solution of the problem of a new coop. Too many of us just go out and buy state-of-the-art expensive solutions rather than figuring out ways to do what is needed without spending a truck load of money. Congrats on the new chicks. Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteAnd a belated Happy Anniversary! That one snuck past my radar.
Vicki - I battled with buying new when old can be successfully re-purposed. We both very happy with the way the coop turned out. I'll have to add some (cold) wind protection on the northern / north western side for winter though.
DeleteCongratulations, it's girls! And maybe a boy, LOL! Your coop solution is brilliant, I love thinking outside the box like that. Happy day!!
ReplyDelete1st Man - Bwahahaha!
DeleteThanks - it's not as pretty as your barns, but it'll certainly do the trick :)
What a wonderful gift, and a wonderful coop, chooks dont need fancy housing I have know people spend £800 on a coop decide they dont like not the chooks, and go and spend another fortune on having the right look, yours looks just the business :-)
ReplyDeleteDawn - £800 translates to +/- ZAR 19 000.00 That's hectic! Yeah, this one will do, and, what's more important, Tweedle Dee likes it :)
DeleteWhat a wonderful anniversary gift, new life, and fantastic that you were able to cobble together such a wonderful coop out of virtually nothing.
ReplyDeletegiggletreedesign - I'm just grateful that RMan and I were up to the task ;)
DeleteNew chicks are so cute! And I enjoy watching how a mother hen cares for and teaches them. Great use of materials and a nice-looking coop!
ReplyDeleteBill - They are the cutest things ever :) As fussy as a monther hen is 100% accurate.
DeleteThanks, Bill ;)
Happy Anniversary and what a great post. Such cute little chicks and love the coop
ReplyDeleteChickpea - Thanks. Yeah, we're happy - it turned out well - much better than the "frame" one. We may need to make another pallet one... ;)
DeleteYou've done a wonderful job of taking care of your chicks. A word of warning, the biggest loss I have in chicks is due to other hens killing them, and to snakes getting the babies. Mine are free range so I have much less control than you do. I actually have a hen with three chicks right now, way out of the season. I put a box out for them under some brush and the mom is taking them in there at night.
ReplyDeleteHarry - Thanks for the warning - I'll keep my eyes open. Strange your hen has chicks - I heard they stop laying in early winter, so am also surprised to hear you have chicks so late. Hope they survive the cold weather...
DeleteI forgot to say "Happy Anniversary."
ReplyDeleteThanks Harry :)
DeleteHappy Anniversary and CONGRATULATIONS on your new chickies. They look very happy and healthy :)
ReplyDeletexTania
Tania - Yep, they're growing amazingly fast - and are a source of wonder for RMan and I. Such townies, aren't we :)
Delete