Pictures of our new coop (finished yesterday) and pictures of our banties:

It's a 4x8 foot coop built inside our 10x12 shed.  When it warms up a bit, we'll put a chicken door in the back and make a chicken run (that we can close each night) outside the shed.

This is our only hen, Brownie, on the new roost.

Our 3 Banty roosters and 1 Banty hen.

I put chicken wire up about 12-18" inside the door so that the chickens can't escape when I open the door.

The guineas have taken over the old chicken coop.

I'm so excited!!  I didn't think chickens laid this late in the year, but someone posted on a message board about getting their first eggs on November 5th, so I went out to check and this is what I found:

I'll be throwing them away because I don't know how old they are, but I'm going to go check every day now.

I have 3 guinea keets and they have all their feathers.  I have to get them outside because they are starting to fly out of their box in my house and I just can't have that LOL.

Anyway, the temperature here is 63 degrees and the night time lows are probably in the 50's.  The next couple of days will be in the 80's.  I have a cage that I will put them in for a couple weeks so that they don't just run off.

My question is, are the temps OK right now to put them out?

Thanks!

Country Blessings,
Jamie

The sunday before last, we were outside doing yardwork.  I heard a cat meowing frantically in the hay field next to us.  So I started calling it and I could see the vetch moving and then I saw a kitten tangled in the vetch.  I was about to go get him, but he got out and came running to me.  He is such a friendly loving kitten.  Either someone dropped him off, or he got here like this:

Saturday I went to a garage sale.  After a 5 mile drive, I was in the garage looking around, when in wanders that kitten!  I had ridden under my car or hood for that 5 miles!  The little pain in the rear is scared of nothing.  He's almost gotten run over twice by the tractor, and once last night by my 4 wheeler.  He'll just sit there while the wheel is rolling over him, what's up with that?

Here's a picture of the cute little guy (I may not be saying he's so cute if he doesn't stay out of my newly planted garden)

(He's not hissing, he's meowing)

We finally got some chicks!!  That means my husband HAS to get a coop built.   We're going to make a chicken tractor (post a link to pictures of yours in the comments section if you would, we need some good ideas).  We got 4 bantams and 3 guineas.  Don't know the sexes of them though.  We got them at Atwood's.  One of the bantams is black and has feathers on it's legs, so it might be a silkie.  They're just so cute.  Here is a picture of them the night we got home with them:

This is my son holding his favorites:

My son has already named them all.  The guineas are James, John & Matt.  The chicks are Licorice, Brownie, Cracker & Bubba.

Country Blessings,
Jamie