How I did it: Building the coop was the hardest part, but my adorable partner made me one for my birthday. Next was making a fence to keep the dogs away from my fuzzy fluffies (lost several to an over-eager Chuy ... made me sad). The next easiest was getting my girls ... I got two from my sister, two from local feed store, two from craigslist, and a lot of guinea hens from a mail order -- had to find homes for all but three. I buy organic feed (Coyote Creek), line with grass cuttings and mulched yard trimmings from my neighbors, added a little space heater to keep them warm in the winter, a fan to keep them cool in the heat, and get lots of advice from a meetup group when I need it. Totally worth it! 

Lessons & tips: I got chicks that were barely a few days old so I could tame them, but they were "sex links" and I knew they would be hens. Next time I would get an endangered breed. I also have learned my mini flock is amazingly destructive when it comes to gardens, so a chicken tractor is on my list of things to make, as well as a smaller fenced "chicken yard" so they still have plenty of scratch space. A chicken health book has proven vital to help me through a couple of dog attacks since there aren't many vets in Austin that work with chickens LOL

Resources:

• Austin Funky Chicken Coop Tour
• Buck Moore Feed 
• Austin Backyard Poultry Meetup 
• The Chicken Health Handbook
• Coyote Creek Farms
• Austin Craigslist.org 

Feb 17, 2010, 08:10AM PST | 0 comments | 1 cheer