Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Been a long time since the last post...New adventures at the Zumm Zumm's!

It's been a long time since I posted!  The camper is doing well - we took the front end apart because it was also rotted out, so DH and a couple of friends took it apart and fixed it all up.  Camped this summer at a State Forest in Indiana. GORGEOUS!!! Sites right on the lake, just beautiful there.
It's always something fun and adventurous here.....our family has decided to become the parents of chickens! We were going to take this endeavor on in the spring but the town we live in wants to banish chickens in back yards!  Why would they try to take a way from families being more self sustainable?  Soooooo....quick build a coop DH because I'm driving an hour to get some chickens, I can't wait for the ones coming in the mail!
Now, let me start off with telling you I'm a lucky girl!  I do get hair brained ideas....and DH has never rained on my parade.  He accepts my wanting to do things like make homemade laundry soap for example (proved to be really rough on our clothes...don't do that anymore).  Sooooo, we have a girl in town who has chickens and I was totally interested.  My Dad had great stories of going to his Aunt Pat's as a boy and how wonderful farm fresh eggs were. Well I don't live on a farm, but I raised rabbits as a kid, how hard can chickens be?
And so our family adventure begins-
DH and I looked at building and designing a coop. We had all these great ideas and plans and then at Menard's in the outdoor area (where it's October but Christmas has already taken over!!!!) Ahhhhhhh like the golden harps we see a REALLY cool plastic shed in the same 6x4 dimension we want on sale. They have one put together all the way up above and I'm trying to look and check it out. Finally I ask if they can take it down (hey I'm spending $250 on this thing, if it doesn't work, it's a total waste). They sure can and did! It's perfect!!!!! The plastic has air pockets in it so being that we get wonderful Chicago winters, I think it will act as insulation and work a little better than just a wood box.
Yea!!!! Let the building begin! 












It's kind of like a tractor, and we made the pen run detachable so that when we want to move it we just take it off, move the coop and re-attach.

 And we have chicks!!!!  Look how cute. These are Rhode Island Reds

 Who as you can tell don't like to stay in their box where they are supposed to be!
 Making a door for the run!
 We used Dryer vents to make ventilation in the coop.
 The start of their door to go in and out.
 Door all finished up
 The dryer vents
 Their finished door


 New Babies!!! New Babies!!! They came in the mail all safe and sound. Phew!
 Soooo Tiny!!!



 Getting used to the new digs, finding their food =)
 DH making my water heater. We bought one but after reading that it could burn the chickens (?! REALLY ?! Why would I use it?), project time!
 Simple =)
 It was nice out, we finished the run and Hardwear Meshing it, so they got to check it out.
 I think they like it!
 All Done!!!!  DH did a great job!!!!  Thanks Honey!
In the spring we will add a couple more windows but for now, she's ready and waiting for her girls!!!

Follow us while we take this new adventure!!!  Have a great day!!!