I've wanted chickens for years. If you've spent any amount of time with me you know this because I always talk about it. I knew my Dad would need something to do while he visited us and so I found my chance to put his building and architectural genius into use. I told him what I wanted and he and my husband made it happen. 

the front

the back with three nesting boxes that open from the outside for easy gathering

our chickens inspecting their new home.

New Hampshire Reds: Josephine, Beatrix, and Fanny

My little helper

Its been such a good feeling having our chickens. They are so easy to take care of and so beautiful. I've enjoyed sitting out in my yard just watching them peck and scratch. My children have also found our hens intriguing although I will say they tend to get a little upset about being pecked at. And our eggs? well we don't have any yet. They are still only 5 months old and don't usually start laying until now and because of less day light I'm not really expecting much from them. In fact I'm taking this really slowly and just seeing if we are really chicken people. So far so good. If you are interested in raising your own I recommend Living with Chickens and Keeping Chickens. They are both fairly basic books but delightful to read.