The long discussed day has arrived! After watching hours of YouTube videos about building a roost, the advantages of chicken tractors, the joys of fresh eggs, we are now proud parents of 6 laying chicks. (Cue the "Green Acres" theme song.) Yes, we added animal husbandry to our growing list of new farming skills. These chicks are only a month old and have at least 5 months of eating to do before they will deliver the goods. Yet, we are very excited to have our own fresh eggs.
The 5-star accommodation for our little friends was constructed about 3 weeks ago. M was scouring the internet for information on different styles of chicken coops: PVC tubes for lightweight, metal sided to protect against predators, 2 stories to give the hens a roost. In the end, Tico ingenuity and found materials were used for construction.
Last year, Negro, Lilo's brother and a neighbor, felled a couple of Molina trees on the edge of the property. Lilo brought a chainsaw and planed the round trunks into 4"x 4" posts
about 7' long. M walked them along the road and up the driveway next to the garage. Roy had some old corrugated iron siding that he gave us. It was a little rusty and had a few screw holes and in serviceable condition. M and Lilo scraped off a level "building envelope" from an area on the east side of the garage. This area is close to the house, yet, we can't see the coop.
In permaculture, a farm has various zones and sectors. For example, the placement of a herb garden bed or a chicken coop is informed by the amount of labour it requires and attention it needs. We want the chicken coop to be close enough to visit easily first time in the morning and last thing at night. However, we don't want to hear or smell them.
This area is shaded in the morning by the trees that line the quebrada (creek.)
M & Lilo got the structure started in the morning. Later in the afternoon, Lilo and Celina came over and worked on the sides and the roof. I was the documentarian and handed out nails. The corrugated siding will hopefully detour most of the slithery predators. We hear tell of boa constrictors in the area that enjoy a chicken dinner. There is a type of weasel that if determined could scramble up the side and rip the screen.
We are very grateful to Lilo and Celina for their help and ingenuity in using materials that were available and free. They were also helpful in purchasing the chicks at a feed store in Paso Canoas and setting us up with the feeder and water-er.
We purchased chicks that were just a couple weeks old for a $1.50 USD each. Celina kept them at their house for a couple of weeks. Our coop isn't built for teensy chicks. It was also handy that the coop is close to the garage. Even now the chicks need a warming light at night. Jorge, another neighbor, suggested a mosquito repellant plug-in. The light attracts mosquitos and the chicks can get sick if bitten too often. With a very long extension cord from the garage, we have a work light and a Baygon "plaquita" in the coop. Also Jorge suggests that the chicks will eat more with a light shining overnight, they grow faster and start producing sooner.
When the chickens are older, we will feed them all our green waste to supplement the chicken feed. We have lots of scraps from the fruits and veggies that we eat. Chickens are particularly fond of papaya. When the chickens are older, we will let them roam the property to eat insects and worms during the afternoon.
When the old vivero (nursery) came down, we saved the green screen and it was enough wrap around the top half of the coop. Lilo fashioned a door from left over construction material. "If you build it, they will come"... and a "gallinero" is born. Until our chickens start laying, we are lucky enough to receive many eggs from Jorge. This week, he gave us turkey eggs from Mario, his humongous Tom.
I'm very excited about the chicks. I pick up a couple each time that I see them. It is good to get them used to being handled. We open the door for a few minutes in the afternoon so that they can lie in the sunlight. We don't want to let them run outside now, as we've been warned that a raptor will happily swoop down and capture a chick for a meal. M spotted a huge harpy eagle sitting on a high branch at the edge of the property yesterday. It is the first time that we've seen one in our neighborhood. We have several turkey vultures that drift lazily over the property on the thermals. Occasionally, one will fly very close to the 2nd floor deck rail while we are drinking coffee.
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