The pieces are falling together

The watering system fills from the gutters
then when the tank is full, Josh built in an
overflow that will allow the water to go back into
the gutter drain and move away from the workshop
so we won't have floods.

Nothing like bleach and a little elbow 
grease to clean out an old coop.

We are all set up for the chicks inside when they arrive.
Just waiting on the ceramic heat bulb from Amazon.  It is supposed to keep
them warm without producing light so it won't disrupt their sleep.

Our permit was approved!  Now we are ready to stake out the building site and start drilling holes for the supports.  Today I gave our inherited coop a good scrub down with some bleach to make sure we are moving our ladies into a sanitary home.  Tomorrow I'll be ready to start painting it.  It is going to be "Schoolhouse Red" to match the workshop.  Josh started to set up our watering station for the chickens, which will collect rainwater from the gutters on both ends of the workshop.  We also got our home set up for the chicks inside the house so we will be ready to bring them home after spring break.  All the pieces are falling together!

Plans and Plants

My husband designed the shelter for the coops.

My husband submitted plans today for the shelter that will house our coops and the run for the chickens.  It will have enough room for 28 chickens in the larger coop and 8 in the smaller.  We are planning on getting our chicks from Mt. Healthy Hatchery, here in Cincinnati.  We would like to have a mix of Rhode Island Reds (brown eggs) and Ameraucanas (blue-green eggs).  Tomorrow we should hear if our plans have been approved; then we can move forward with the shelter! 

The first spring crocus, planted last fall.

Our first flowers are blooming too.  I planted these lovely purple crocuses in honor of my mother's passing last Fall.  It warms the heart to see new life spring up from the ground. 

A Fabulous Day

The "new" used coop we got today.
It's in good shape, just needs some paint and a good cleaning.

Inside the coop.
It came with all kinds of goodies too like feeders and bedding.

Each of these will hold 275 gallons of rainwater.

My husband had a fabulous day today.  He procured these two large water tanks for us from a church who didn't need them anymore.  Each can hold 275 gallons of water.  Now we can gather rain for the garden and the chickens - an economical and ecofriendly solution to our water needs!  He also got us this small coop, trailer and some miscellaneous supplies from a man who had to give up keeping chickens.  Now we can start our flock sooner, before we complete the build of our larger coop.  The smaller building can house about 8 chickens.  It needs some paint and cleaning so we plan on getting our chicks in a few weeks!

Tilling the Garden

Frank tilling the garden with his old but reliable tractor.  
He used to own our house but now lives across the street.

My first row in the garden - always an exciting moment!

Our lovely neighbor came and tilled the garden yesterday so that I could plant my first row: the cold-friendly carrot.  I made seed mats for 600 plants in three varieties - Dragon, Danvers and Red Cored Chantenay.  They take 65-90 days so we should have an abundance of carrots come June.