I've gathered some chicken raising resources along the way. I thought I would share them with you, since the first thing I hear from people when they find out I have chickens in the city is....'Where do you buy feed?' Very easy and simple!
Resources: There are a lot of great websites and books with information on raising chicks and caring for chickens...hey, even ‘harvesting’ chickens! Look at the sidebar on my blog page to see some books I recommend!
Supplies and Chicks: I recommend using the ‘breed selection tool’ on MyPetChicken.com to get an idea of what type of breed fits your needs.
Here are a few places for supplies and to purchase chicks. I recommend getting your chicks between February-April if you have a specific breed in mind. Otherwise options become limited in May-June;
-Seattle Tilth has a great page of resources as well
You can always mail order chicks! MyPetChicken.com is a great resource.
Classes on caring for chicks/chickens: Rule #1, don’t get overwhelmed. Raising chickens is very easy! There are many classes in the area about raising chickens. (Some are even FREE!)
-Seattle Tilth has a great chickens 101 class. Minor fee but well worth it!
Purchase any Kippen House Chicken coop and get a brooder package + 3 chicks for FREE!!! (A $99 value!)
You'll be able to raise your little chicks from only a few days old in this handcrafted 16” x 32” x 16" Brooder Box With Screened Top and Lamp Bracket. Comes complete with;
-Heat Lamp -250 Watt Infrared Bulb -1 Quart Waterer -Small Feeder -Small Bale of White Wood Shavings (1500 cubic inch) -10# Bag of Chick Starter Feed -Grit -2 oz Bag of Mealworms
It's Winter...we've all got the Winter blues. But wait...what appears in our mailbox this time of year? It's the light at the end of this dark, dreary, wet, COLD tunnel! Yes, Spring is approaching when we start getting our seed catalogs in the mail.
I flip through the pages envisioning a warm summer and fantasizing about my huge bounty of produce. Yes, that's what girls fantasize about!
I then snap back to reality and realize that all the fancy, new seeds I have been lusting over will most likely do what last years fancy, new seeds did...nothing. Gotta stick with the tried-and-true for success!
Here are a few fun ways to start seeds this year. Include a lil' one so they can have as much pride as you when they see that thing growing in the garden. Ahh, and then there is harvest time! They will feel as rich as you when they have their arms full of the seasons bounty!
The main theme with all of these fun projects is you have to HORDE! Yes, for some that may be easy. But your hording for a fun project and you're also saving money by not buying those darn peat pots!
Toilet Paper Pots
Keep those toilet paper rolls. Run to the recycle bin and snatch up all those wrapping paper rolls too!
Here we go again...chickens and gardening colliding again. Its like peanut butter and jelly! Someone should REALLY make a product that lets you enjoy both! ahem...how about you just decide what you'll plant on the roof of this while you're making your eggshell pots.
This one is fun. Save eggshells and egg cartons to hold them in. I love how you can use colored Easter eggs for this! Color your egg chartreuse and then grow bright red beets. Green + Red, again another perfect combo.
Or just plant a mini-garden
You could also buy a mini coop and plant an herb garden, micro greens or succulents! Can't you just picture your little micro green garden growing in your mini coop on your desk at work. What? Hungry for a snack, just pick off some micro greens to snack on!
Transplant starters
When you're ready to transplant your starters, think of that whole peanut butter and jelly analogy. There could be that perfect combo of chickens and gardening awaiting for you outside!
**Here is what is so cute and clever about this mini greenroof 'coop'....I can hold your Kippen House coop until after the holidays and only mail you the 'mini coop'. Wrap up the mini as a Christmas gift and you won't have to hassle with hiding a large purchase around the holidays. The 'mini coop' is a cute little replica of the real deal. Made of basswood modeling wood with a plastic bag full of soil and sedums.
FREE local delivery and installation (Seattle area) or FREE shipping (to lower 48) for all chicken coops.
We took on a HUGE project this summer. A custom chicken coop for 15 ladies!!! These ladies are living it up in their tongue and groove cedar chicken coop with a GREENROOF!
Although this chicken coop is in Tacoma, WA (think RAIN), the location actually does get some extreme climate. We focused onusing as much rainwater runoff as we could with plantings, while also taking advantage of our planting locationto provide some insulationfrom these extreme temperatures. The greenroof is planted with drought tolerant sedums which will use up much of the rainwater. Once mature, the plants will also provide insulation from the summer heat and then in the winter help towards retaining the heat inside the coop.
The chickens even have an attached sheltered space that eases them into the outdoor climate before they enter their large open courtyard (ahem, I mean run). The sheltered run has a garden roof that provides an 'almost' pest-free area for growing vegetables for the family. Any garden clippings can then be given to the chickens. And to complete the cycle, any chicken manure can be composted and added to the garden roof as fertilizer.
And if you thought we ran out of places to grow veg, think again. There is also a custom trellis attached to the southern wall of the coop that is growing grapes...to feed individually to the chickens of course. Ok, just kidding! The grape trellis will help towards blocking the intense, low summer sun from heating up the inside of the chicken coop. The sloped greenroof lets any unused rainwater from the rooftop sedums to drip into the sheltered run and down to the grape trellis.
The chickens have their choice of 6 nesting boxes made of reclaimed Oceanspray cranberry boxes. There is a sexy sliding barn door for human access into the coop and the egg collection happens outside the coop so the owners don't have to get chicken poo on their feet when collecting eggs!
The chickens also have a nice surface to walk on inside the coop. We used mid-century concrete pavers for the floor and spaced them just enough to allow the water from a good coop-scrub-down to naturally percolate back into the soil. We used a layer of sand and gravel to infill this space and help with drainage. Naturally, chickens need bits of gravel/sand to help with digestion so this proved to have a dual purpose.
We are so pleased with the outcome and so are the chickens! I heard one laid a golden egg to help pay for the cost! Now we just need to find out which 1 out of the 15 laid that egg!
Hey kids (ok, adults can too!) Kippen House is having an old school coloring contest!
You don't even have to color in the lines! But you do need to do a little freehand by drawing something growing in your garden!
I'd love to hear what you have named your two chickens and what you planted.
Colored pages are due Saturday, September 17, 2011. Either email to me or post the completed page on my facebook page. Winner receives a free t-shirt!
*Click on the image to open picture in new window. Right-click on image and select 'print picture'. Adjust your printer settings to print Landscape. Print!
**You do not need to completely fill in the contact information if you post on facebook and do not want to show everyone your contact information. I will know who posted.
***A highly skilled, 5-year old will pick the winner. I'd like to say it's at random, but I'm sure he'll have a logical explanation for which one he picked!
Buy a raffle ticket at the Seattle Tilth Harvest Fair!!
Harvest FairFestivities An amazing day of urban farm fun awaits you on Sat., Sept. 10! Bring your family and friends to Meridian Park for a memorable celebration (4649 Sunnyside Ave. N), 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Read on for all the dirt or find out more here…
Urban Farm Activities -
§Visit the urban livestock area to hug a goat, bunny or chicken! See the amazing bee hive!
§Cider pressing – stop by for a taste of fall’s sweet nectar
§DIY herb crowns – bring herbs and flowers!
§Bring your seeds (labeled) for the massive seed swap
§Garden craftsgalore in the children’s garden
§Compost Wonderland – compost food scraps from lunch, learn how to compost
§Author book signings – check out the list of local authors who will be present to sign books!
July marks 1 year of cutting wood, drilling holes and slapping on paint!
Can you believe in one year we have been published in numerous blog postings; including the absolute, most humorous by Grist. Published in Natural Home Magazine and Seattle Magazine...topping it off with being asked to provide a coop for an exhibit at Sunset Magazines Yearly Celebration!
We have had such a successful year and there is no better way to celebrate than to give my loyal fans $100 off a chicken coop!
$100 off a Kippen House chicken coop if ordered between July 1, 2011-July 31, 2011!!
It doesn't get any better than this! Remember, FREE Shipping!!!
Here are a few pointers for planting your garden roof. It's best to simply think of your garden roof as a raised garden bed. (it just happens to be on a chicken coop!) One of your main goals is to retain moisture and eliminate water. Sounds conflicting, huh?!
Eliminate Water: In order to eliminate water, you need to create a layer in your garden roof where water can drain through the soil and move to the drain spouts. Packing peanuts do a fabulous job of creating that drainage layer. The peanuts are strong enough not to compact from the weight of the soil and they allow water to move freely to the drain spouts. I have also used inverted nursery trays! This layer should only be for the first 1-2" of the garden roof.
Laying a piece of landscape fabric between the soil and the drainage layer will help keep the soil from washing down the drain.
Retain Moisture: Raised garden beds can dry out quick so it is VERY important that you use potting soil as your main soil. I mixed in a bit of compost, but limit that to 20% of your total soil. Potting soil helps retain moisture and it's light! (You don't want to load the roof with too much weight.)
Kippen House is a joining of my dutch heritage and love of modern, dutch design with my curious interests in homesteading and urban farming. All in the form of urban garden chicken coops!
Check out theKippen House Swag! Everything from t-shirts to coffee mugs to canvas totes! Any graphic you see can be applied to any product. Just contact me for your request!
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