"It all started with Chickens"

After browsing countless blogs, reading the books, watching the videos on youtube....my wife Katie and I finally decided it was time to begin our off grid homestead adventure. Although jumping straight into a full on "Off grid" way of living wasn't a realistic option at the time, taking baby steps is a great way to start.

Baby step #1: Lets build a chicken coop!

When it comes to coops, there are literally HUNDREDS of designs out there! A quick google search yields countless sets of plans, pictures, and pre fab options that will make a new flock owners head spin. Although some of the fancy plans caught our eye right aways, my lack of building abilities, and Katie's lack of desire to deal with me cursing and throwing things.....led us down the path of converting an already existing structure into our new coop. This little gazebo was the perfect choice! It may look nice and usable for other purposes, but in reality it was simply too small in side to be of any practical recreational use. A small table in the middle with a couple lawn chairs around it were so cramped, everyone would have to exit the gazebo just to let the back person in or out. No worries though, we have other plans :)

With the shelter aspect of the coop done for us, all that was left to do was construct an outdoor enclosure. We found the simplest way to do this was to build a basic frame from 2x4 lumber and attach it to the side of the gazebo. The local hardware store carries 50' rolls of chicken wire fencing and one roll was plenty to do the whole space. We simply attached the wire with a staple gun we picked up brand new for $24.99.

Ignore the creepy hologram view of my face :P

The interior of the coop was quite basic as well. Basic 2x4 build on the fly construction and some poorly cut plywood was all it took to make the nesting box and a fairly long roost that sits across opposite windows (braced under the center with a 2x4). Its worth noting that we made a significant error at this step. Chickens will always look for the highest place to roost at night. This is also where they will shit at night....whoops.

Simple fix though, we put chicken wire across the top of the nesting boxes up to the wall at a 45 degree angle. This stopped them from getting up there without having to tear down and redo the boxes.

Baby step #2: Bring on the birds!

Our flock began with a group of eight Rhode Island Reds that were about 4-5 days old. After reading up the many different types of chickens, we settled on the Rhode Island Red for a number of reasons.

Being here in Manitoba, Canada means that our winters get ridiculously cold. How cold? -40 Degrees celcius actually happens a few times a year. -20 to -30 is a realistic average temperature for several months. That said, a cold hardy variety was an absolute must for our situation.

Rhode island reds are great layers (aprox 300 eggs in the first year), are cold hardy, tolerate confinement, and our considered to be a docile bird. They are also dual purpose, so they can be great for meat as well. Looks like we've found our winner!