Last week was one of those weeks where you look back and think, how in the world did we actually get that done?
We started putting together our first greenhouse chicken coop, and when I tell y’all it was HOT... I mean why-did-we-decide-to-do-this-in-August hot. 😂
It took us forever to put together. We struggled, got aggravated, took breaks, drank what felt like gallons of water, and at one point I think we were both getting pretty close to calling it for the day.
And then it started raining.
Normally, rain in the middle of an outdoor project would be the last thing you want. But we were so grateful for that rain that we literally just kept building right through it. 😂 After baking in the sun all day, getting soaked felt absolutely wonderful.
So there we were… two grown adults, soaking wet, putting together a chicken coop in the rain and probably looking a little crazy.
But we got it done.
Together.
And that's probably my favorite part of all of this.
My husband and I have been building this little dream from the ground up, quite literally. There have already been moments where neither one of us knows exactly what we're doing, moments where something doesn't fit like it should, and plenty of "Well... what if we try this?"
But somehow, we figure it out.
The A-Team. ❤️
This week, we moved on to the next project: the brooder!
We're repurposing a large garden bed into our brooder box, and this thing is BIG. I'm pretty confident our little chickadees and chickaroos are going to have plenty of room to stretch their tiny legs.
We still have some brainstorming to do with it. We're trying to decide what to use on the bottom so it will be easy to remove and clean, and we're planning to build a secure lid with a latch.
As for the greenhouse coop, she's standing… but she's definitely not finished.
We still need to tackle ventilation because, bless it, she is a scorcher in there. 😅 We'll be adding better airflow, installing a chicken door, doing some additional stabilizing, and making absolutely sure everything is predator-proof before anybody moves in.
After that comes the run.
So yes... we most definitely still have some work ahead of us.
But every week there is something new standing where there used to be nothing. And it's like dang…
A coop.
A brooder.
Plans scribbled down and changed about seventeen times.
And slowly, this little idea we've talked about for so long is starting to look like an actual homestead business.
And now for the best part...
WE ORDERED OUR STARTER FLOCK. 🐥❤️
Our baby chicks are officially on the way.
I don't think it's completely hit me yet that before long there will actually be tiny little chicks running around in that brooder we've been working on. These will be the birds that begin the flock we've spent so much time planning and dreaming about.
There's still plenty to build, plenty to learn, and I'm sure plenty of things that won't go according to plan.
But they're coming.
And I cannot wait.
To be continued... 🐥🌻
Love always,
Fowler Homestead 🩷🩷🩷
