My chickens

Our Backyard from Start to finish....

Some of these are the pictures from when we first moved in, almost.....there are quite a few trees already missing from these, as we didn't really think to start taking pictures until after we cut them out. I will try and show 3 shots of the same area, the first will be when we first moved in, 2nd will be after we made some changes, and 3rd will be our final changes. Hope you enjoy our hard work as much as we do...

Here is our wonderful shed that was full of trash ('04)


Another view ('04)


Built a patio, added sod and put the patio cover up and planted a nice shade tree ('04)


The canvas broke, so we decided to build something. Here is the picture we took before last weekend when we started the project. ('10)


And here is the patio with the new cover we built and the fountain with some more plants and an Avocado Tree, Persimmon Tree and Apricot Tree. ('10)


Back right corner ('04)


We laid the shed foundation and built the shed in the same day with a garden on the side ('04)


Here's the shot today with the coop in the corner and the garden in full swing.


Right side of the yard ('04)


After Sod and trees were planted ('04)


Same side, same trees minus 1 to make room for the coop.


And a closer look at the patio we now fully enjoy.


Water feature.

Coop constructions and Chickens

Here are the pictures from the construction process of our 4' x3' chicken coop that is 3' high in the front and 4' high in the back. It was made w/ 90% recycled materials, using pallets that Stacy brought home (I pryed them apart gently to reuse as much wood as possible) the framing and feet were done with wood we had purchased a long time ago and hadn't used, and the pop door was an old tv Tray. The locks and hinges on the people door was something we had previously, but the hardware on the pop door was newly purchased, as were the hardware on the run. I will include the cost list at the end of what we spent.

























purchased-
Plywood Floor and roof - $28
2 sets of hardware - $6
Chicken Wire - $35
PVC Corrugated roof - $12
Small basket for the nest box - $2
Nails for siding - $8
Red Paint - $10

Already had -
1 full set of hardware
locking latches for all 3 doors
1x2's for framing and run
4x4's for feet
1/2 of the 2x4's for the base
Roosts (Tree that I cut down to make room for the coop)
Large tub to cover the nesting box
Screws/nails (most)
White Paint
Staples
Wood treatment for the feet

Free materials -
Pallets used for siding
Pallets used for the 2x4's for the other 1/2 of the base
Pallets used for the door
(I could have used pallets for more, but it was VERY time consuming to pull them apart and I was starting to just want it finished)

Total Spent on the coop: $101
Total spent for Chickens: $30
Total Spent for *Finishing touches: $76
Grand Total=$207

*Finishing touches are = Feeder, waterer, Organic Chick Starter, pine shavings for bedding.

We will start getting eggs in a few months, along with all the free pest control and fertilizer for their lifetime...can't beat it.

Part 1 - Train Ride

Here is the first part of the trip, I broke it up into 3 sections so there wouldn't be an overload of pictures on one post. Second part is Michigan, and the last is Chicago. These are a mix of pictures taken from the camera and from my phone so the quality of some wont be as good.