A few weeks ago, before the pandemic really took off, we were dealing with some really stressful times. My computer stopped working. A delivery driver hit the side of our house. Both of our cars stopped working. It was the perfect storm, before this actual perfect storm. As soon as I replaced the starter in the CR-V and had it working again, we hooked up a U-Haul trailer and drove out to Thibodaux... to pick up a chicken coop… for chickens!
Everyone who lives here always ask us “why?” when we tell them that we bought a house in Terrytown. With us being from the two biggest cities in the country, they probably expect us to live in the (French) Quarter, Metairie or Mid City. That isn’t the case. Living on Hollywood Blvd, staring at the Walk of Fame from our window, the last few years really gave us enough of that. We wanted to live close enough for a quick commute to the heart of the city, but needed a slower pace of life and more space. We really wanted a yard for Noke.
The house was a bit of a fixer-upper when we moved in, with a totally neglected back yard, but after months of hard work it is starting to come together. We have fruit trees and a garden of vegetables and herbs. Hopefully, this year, we’ll be eating some of the following from our little farm: mandarins, lemons, peaches, apples, kumquats, figs, plums, bananas, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, passionfruit, cauliflower, lettuce, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, ghost peppers, banana peppers, hybrid peppers, fennel, lemongrass, basil, peppermint, etc, etc, etc, you get the idea. I’m most excited about seeing the fruit grow while Alana spends more time focusing on the herbs and vegetables. We also have flowers to help our pollinators and we’re going to install a bee house, but not too close to the bat house. We have a lot going on but there is one thing missing… chickens!
If it was up to me, we’d have goats, chickens, horses, cows and anything else we can legally manage here. Fortunately, Alana is responsible and set some guidelines. She said that we can get some chickens, once I secure the yard. Well, if you’ve been following me on social media, you’d know that I’ve spent a lot of time building fences and we’re nearly chicken-proof. We have to put the coop in place, build a proper run, make sure it is totally shielded from the possible predators here (opossum, raccoon, hawks, snakes, lizards, cats, dogs, etc.) and then find some chickens.
We got a pretty large coop on that stressful journey to Thibodaux. The former owner of the coop recommended 8 (I think?) but we’re aiming for 4-5 since the coop is 4×6 and I plan on building a run that is 14 feet long. We want hens that can lay eggs. Alana wants them more for eggs and I want them more as pets so we’re looking for hens that lay about 180 eggs a year (which research shows is common) and live well together, aren’t too stressed out by dogs being around and don’t mind possible being touched by people. We don’t really care what they look like or what color their eggs are as long as they fit those criteria.
I’ve been trying to find rescue ones but have not been getting call backs from the organizations that I’ve contacted. If need be, I’ll try to find a local farmer or feed store. Our goal is to have them running around the yard by the end of the month, but we need to move this massive coop into place first. It is so incredibly solid. We’ve chicken-sat once when we had the pet business running back in Boulder, and we’re both totally comfortable around them. I know some people are scared of birds, but I like them.
If you know anything about chickens please feel free to leave us some advice below! Stay hungry and fit!
That’s so awesome! I’ve always wanted chickens! Sounds like you’ve made all the right steps and are well on your way! Congratulations, and can’t wait to see the sweet little chickens!