Delaware Pullets and Fall Garden Plantings

 

(from Mcmurrayhatchery.com)

We searched out new pullets this morning and found five 12 week old Delawares in Colorado Springs.  Right in a downtown backyard which I think is wonderful to see!  The owner had bought too many and was looking to "relocate" some of them.  And they're very healthy and friendly.  So now we have replacement hens for those that Wiley Coyote took for her own.  We've seen her sneaking around the hen house and I know that she's some pups somewhere.  The best we can do is only let the hens out when we're sure to be right there with them.  For now.  I'm looking into some chicken tractor plans but the only ones I've seen online cost money to download.  sigh.  Everyone wants money.  Have you noticed?

The new pullets are now resting from their relatively long journey in the back of Jerry's Ford pickup and the other hens are quite put out with the new arrivals.  The new chickens have stayed in the hen house and the older ones came out into the chicken yard for the day.  They will get used to each other. 

It was fairly hot today - sunny and breezy.  I worked on a new sun screen for the chicken coop and when I felt my face burning I came in and got the seed trays ready for the fall crop of lettuces and such.  I'd heard that germinating the cool weather stuff in the house at the end of summer guarantees success in your fall garden.  You simply let the seeds pop up and then plant them in the lettuce beds with lots of mulch. 

 

Comments

[christine]

We have a few different books with chicken coops and maybe even movable tractors. We aren't using the books right now, but I could send them to you until we need to borrow them back.

sorry to hear about the loss of your chickens, but how wonderful to be able to replace them with ones that should start laying soon!

christine

[Scribhneoir]

http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-Old-Pallets-Into-A-Chicken-Tractor/
I don't know if this is any help to you, it's always great to be able to take someone else's scrap and turn it into something useful.
And here are lots of cool pictures to inspire- http://home.centurytel.net/thecitychicken/tractors.html

[C]

Thanks for this...chickens are on my short list of projects. We have coyotes, too, but I'm more concerned about my own Belgian Malinois. It is going to take some powerful training to tame that predator instinct. C