Holly Oak Hens- Day One

Welcome to Holly Oak Hens where I will be documenting my experience raising chickens.

Today, the boys and I drove to Half Moon Bay to pick out baby chicks at the Half Moon Bay Feed and Fuel store. We came home with six 3-day old chicks: 2 buff orpingtons (gentle breed), 1 black australorp (prolific egg layer and gentle breed), 1 barred rock (hardy, pretty, and good egg layer), 1 red sex link (guaranteed female, hardy, and good egg layer) and one other black chick whose breed I cannot remember. The chicks seem happy in their cozy cardboard box with heat lamp. Total cost for our chicks, food, waterer and feeder, lamp and bulb, and chicken book was $97.

Here are the little ladies eating. They normally have water in there too, but I took it out to change it.

Here is the framing for the coop.

While we were picking out the little cuties, Damon and my father started building the coop. The framing is partially up. It will be a two-leveled 80 square foot pen with roof and door. Half the coop will be ground level and the other half will be 18 inches higher, encompassing a raised garden bed. The roof will be 6-7 feet off the ground (sloped) covered on only half the coop, it is also protected under trees. I think it will be a nice home for our Holly Oak Hens. Cost of the coop, so far, is $146.