Curbstone Valley Coop

It is a little difficult keeping a flock of hens here, because there seems to be an endless stream of predators wandering through, or flying over the property, including coyotes, bobcats, and various raptor species. So one of the first projects we engaged in here was to build a custom chicken coop for 'the girls', our first flock of Buff Orpington hens. We'd never raised hens before, but loved the idea of stepping out of the kitchen to retrieve fresh eggs from our own chickens daily.

While the young chicks were housed in the brooder, we began construction of a very sturdy chicken coop and enclosed run, all 2"x4" construction, complete with a 30 year asphalt roof, and a skylight!

Once 'the girls' were old enough, we moved them outside into their new home. They are outside during the day in a secure enclosed run. When one of us is available to keep a watchful eye on them, we let the girls free-range around the yard to their hearts content. They're excellent bug catchers, consumers of weeds, and efficient kitchen waste recyclers. In return they supply us with lovely fresh brown eggs, and an almost endless supply of free fertilizer for the gardens.

In spring of 2010 we decided to expand a little, and add some more chickens to the farm. We love the Buff Orpington breed, and have added more this spring, but have also obtained some different breeds this year. Our new flock consists of Buff Orpingtons, Delawares, Partridge Plymouth Rocks, Golden Laced Wyandottes, and Black Australorps. For more information about Curbstone Valley's new chicks this season, check out our blog!