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You are here: Home / Backyard Chickens / It’s About Time…

March 24, 2009 By Candace Godwin 1 Comment

It’s About Time…

Welcome to the Coeur d’Alene Coop! I’ll be sharing my experiences at “urban” chicken farming and gardening on our expansive .16 acre lot in Midtown Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

We’ve been “chicken farmers” for about 10 months now; getting our girls last May at one day old. We have six beautiful hens – Buttercup (Golden Sex-Link), Flame (Black Sex-Link), Harriett (Australorp), Helen (Rhode Island Red), Henrietta aka Henny (Barred Rock) and Penelope aka Penny (Barred Rock).

Below is a picture of the girls at about 3-4 days old. Their “brooder” consisted of a plastic tub and heat lamp. This worked well for about 3 weeks and then they were ready to move into their new coop.


I chose these breeds specifically for brown eggs, their cold-hardiness and egg production during colder months. So far they have all exceeded my expectations and survived the second snowiest winter in decades!

Our first eggs arrived in early October and before winter set in we were getting 5-6 eggs per day. During the winter months we averaged between 3-4 eggs per day. Now that spring and longer days are approaching, we are back to about 5 per day.

The girls came through the snow and bitter cold very well. We insulated the coop and covered it with a tarp and added a heat lamp for warmth. We also added “disco” rope lights to help simulate daylight. Not sure how effective it was, but I did catch the girls doing the hustle on one snowy night.

If you use a heat lamp, do choose an infrared light. It’s not bright — and that’s important as we found out when the girls were crowing at 3 am!

Yes, they do “crow” or cackle when they lay…and it can be quite loud, especially at 3 am.

And finally, the most asked question I get: Don’t you need a rooster to get eggs? No, you only need a rooster if you want baby chicks. Eggs happen regardless!

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Filed Under: Backyard Chickens Tagged With: chicken breeds, coeur d alene Idaho, egg production, raising chickens

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Comments

  1. Darren says

    May 16, 2009 at 1:57 am

    Nice coop! My fiance and I live in Coeur d’Alene and we are trying our hand at urban chicken farming as well. It’s quite the project. She found your site, and she has been watching it too. I have a blog I am keeping up about the progress of my little urban farm. http://darren.thiesen.us I added a link to your page.

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A 24-hour transition from garlic to veggies! The garlic was harvested in the morning and is curing on racks in the shade. In the afternoon, the bed was lightly worked with some organic fertilizer, compost, and watered deeply. This morning, veggie seeds were planted: arugula, chard, carrots, and beans. The chard and carrots will grow well into the fall. The mesh fencing is temporary to keep the cat and squirrels out until the plants establish. I'll add mulch once the seedlings emerge. No bare ground!#thecoeurdalenecoop #garlicharvest #sucessionplanting #nobareground #fallplanting #fallplantingseason ... See MoreSee Less

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Garlic harvesting is complete. πŸ§„ Big, beautiful Garlic harvesting is complete. πŸ§„ Big, beautiful bulbs this year: 134 total; 98 Music and Susan Delafield; 36 Russian Red. These will cure outside in the shade for about 4 to 6 weeks. In about 3 weeks, I'll trim the roots and remove the dried leaves. Once fully cured, I'll do a final cleaning and cut the stalk off before storing in a dark, cool place

A few tips for garlic harvesting:
1, Do not cure in the sun! Unlike onions, garlic should be cured out of direct sunlight. 
2. Do not wash or clean harvested garlic with water. Gently bush off any soil and allow it to air dry. 
3. To make harvesting easier, stop watering garlic about 4 days before harvesting. 
4. Begin harvesting when there are about 5 green leaves remaining. Unsure? Dig one up and see how it looks.
5. Replant your garlic bed with carrots, radishes, beets, or beans. Top dress first with a little compost or organic fertilizer. 
6. Don't forget to save your best bulbs for replanting in the fall!

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