This Imperfect Plot

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March 4th, 2013

My second official act of gardening of the season occurred Saturday when I dragged the chicken tractor to the garden, rerouted the fence, and let the three hens have free access to the garden.

Three very happy hens.

We acquired these birds at the tail end of summer, so this is our first spring with chickens. Seems like the perfect time to incorporate the birds into the seasonal machinery of the garden.  With their continual scratching, hunting, and pecking, they will eat the bugs and prepare the ground for planting.

My first official act of garden happened two weeks ago when my daughters and I started our onion seeds in the basement under lights. I love the way these perennial rituals act as a yardstick. My youngest (almost 2) stands on the milk crate that my oldest (4) has stood on for the past 2 years to see the top of the seed-starting table but now no longer needs.

Soon we’ll be planting peas.

Tags: chicken tractor, chickens, gardening with kids, onions, spring

September 13th, 2012

I feel like I’m always in a hurry to get things done, but some projects just take their good old time. My chicken tractor, for instance. I started this in early June. It was going to take me a week to build it, and then I was going to get some chickens.

A work in progress.

And then it was July. The coop was sort of finished. Like 75% done. But still no chickens.

Then it was August. The coop was about 95% complete. Just needed a little more cage wire, a door, and some kind of ladder to let the bird get in and out of coop.  Oh, and wheels. And, of course, chickens.

There it sat in the yard. A daily reminder of every other half finished project in my life. If only some chickens would fall out of the sky. If only i had the motivation and time to finish the coop. I was tempted to tarp the whole thing and start over with peeps in the spring.

The weeds are growing tall.

But then last week, my wife got a message from her friend Ruthie, asking if we wanted a few chickens, that they were down sizing their flock and would be willing to give us a few birds.

Chickens!

It was super short notice and exactly what I needed to finish the chicken tractor. So last Sunday, my daughter and I got to work. And just when we had the cage wire and door in place, Ruthie and her family pulled down the driveway. Her husband Jeremy handed me a burlap sack containing 4 hens: one Leghorn and 3 Golden Comets.

What amazed me Sunday evening was when the chickens put themselves to bed. One by one, they hopped up the little ladder I made, right into the coop. I went out and closed the door, and learned first hand that chickens do indeed go home to roost. It’s not just a figure of speech.

When in doubt, use your boot to open the latch.

We’re still waiting for our first egg. The birds are probably a little stressed by the move. And our dog is not helping the situation. He’s so excited about the new family members that he runs laps around the coop. My kids are pretty excited too. My 4 year old is very keen on feeding them and really wants to hold a chicken. She’s still working on the names. Two of her early name choices were Leafy & Rainbow, but she’s since withdrawn those and is working on new names. Stay tuned.

Tags: chicken tractor, chickens

June 7th, 2012

I know backyard chickens are sort of trendy, or at least they were a few years ago, but I’ve always been slightly behind the times. For me it’s all about things happening when they happen. And now it’s happening.

Following the vague plans for a moveable coop that I found on OG’s free download page, I started building what will eventually be home to a small flock of Rhode Island reds—three birds to be exact.

Fresh eggs and chicken poop—an organic gardener’s dream. Stay tuned for updates on my progress.

Tags: chicken, chicken tractor, chickens, movable coop