Everyone always asks what to get the girls. I never know. I do know they have a TON of toys so I'm always in favor of experiences. I do know I said specifically do not get me any animals, Kip will kill me. Little did I know that Kip had given his blessing and the Internet searches were going for coop plans. So, being totally unaware of the project I decided to "remodel" our upper yard. Kip kept suggesting I wait until after Christmas so that he could help me. I said, "No, no. It's okay. I don't mind." And he was like, "No really. I want to help." I didn't listen. Upper yard done. 4 yards of gravel, 4 yards of topsoil. All thoughts of chickens living up there DASHED. Whoops.
I was finally let in on the secret after I went to pick up Nonna to go and watch the girls ride the ponies. There was definitely construction going on. And it definitely looked like a coop or bunny hutch. My mom and Kip played it cool and said that Zach was building something for Sonja. I mostly believed them but was starting to wonder. When we returned Sonja started jumping around like a crazy person trying to maneuver her 92 pound body to block a 6' coop. It didn't work.
Christmas Eve I got to go with Sonja and Zach to pick our ladies. After much consideration we went with four Buff Orpingtons. They're the Labrador of the chicken breeds. Totally docile and excellent egg layers. They still grossed me out though. Part of Kip's deal to my siblings was that he would have nothing to do with the chickens. I would be their caretaker. (Thanks for the opt-out clause)
So here goes our journey into the world of chickens:
As soon as we got the chickens home I immediately began to worry about their demise. I checked up on them a million times, wondered if I should bring a blanket out, panicked that rats or raccoons were going to eat them, you name it...I was thinking it. When I went to do one final check on them they were all cuddled together on the grass. I didn't know what to do. I thought they were supposed to sleep on their roosting bars. Hello Google? Inept Chicken Farmer. What do I do? Really? Pick them up and put them on the bars? Okay... I didn't want to set Kip off and ask for help so I crawled into the coop, touched one bird and my heart sunk. It was cold. And dead. But then, HEY THERE, no you're not!
Maddie is IN LOVE. That's an understatement. She's literally spent about 5 hours in the coop with them today. I don't know if I need to worry about rats/raccoons or more of a "Lenny" type death. Just kidding. I think the love is mutual. She's learned how to hold them, herd them to pick them up, and dump out all of their food so they can hunt for it.
The only breaks she's taken from holding the chickens is to run in breathlessly to give us updates. It is quite possibly the cutest thing ever.
So thank you everyone for pulling this off. It means so much to me. And Kip, thank you for always having a soft spot for my crazy dreams.
*I don't think these are ever going to be for dinner. Names soon!
p.s. and for the record Kip seems to be in love too. He's already making plans for them.
6 comments:
That is an awesome gift. The boys LOVE their chickens. And we all survived the death of Liam's chicken after a hawk tried to carry it off (not to panic you, but keep an eye on the sky) They take excellent care of their chickens, and love them as much as if they were cats or dogs.
You can use the names of my late chickens (Steve brought 2 home, but no coop, pen or plan so they went off to a friend's coop)--Freda and Olive, excellent chicken names :-)
LOVE. even though i'm with you (or is it Kip?) and would be horrified to touch one. :D Maddie's face is SOOO happy!
Love our little Lenny. She's going to be a good chicken mama. I promise to be a good cousin and look at them from afar when I come over to visit, and pretend not to be scared of their beaks. :) And you two are good parents to do this for your daughter! PS, I love that Allie is no where to be found in this post. Nnot a chicken fan...?
My friend Karen, the Chicken Queen, says not to worry about them roosting - they may huddle for warmth. LOVE the whole post - and what a fancy coop! will you let them free-range???
it has been way too long since i've been on your blog, lis. just spent the last hour going through all the old post i've missed!! love it, and can't believe how grown up the girls are!
xoxo
Only you would have chickens. The coop is super cute though. Maybe I will ask for a coop.
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