Chickens Come - Chickens Go?

This is what our two chickens look like (not my picture). So beautiful and good natured. We quickly developed an affection for each other.

Well, that didn't take long. It looks like our venture into chicken rearing may be coming to an early end. 

What started as a hopeful extension of our desire to increase our food security has descended into frustration.

First of all, I would like to say that I love the chickens. They are beautiful birds, and I quickly grew an attachment to them. 

We have been visiting several times a day, and when we do, we talk. It is strangely comforting.

But there is a problem. 

The pre-fab coop that we acquired is inadequate, regardless of what they say in their advertising.

I didn't have time to discover the shortcomings and mitigate the them before winter set in.

Here are some of the issues:

- the coop is constructed with something like a slightly heavier balsa wood. A lot is held together by staples, not nails or screws. The hardware is cheap and prone to jamming or breakage.

- it is not weather proof and when we get rain it gets wet inside. I tried caulking the roof seams, but the actual wood saturates and then leaks, so that didn't help much. It needs to be painted or stained.

- we don't have any protected spot on our property so when a southeaster wind blows (gusts to 115km), like it does frequently in the winter , I am afraid the whole coop is going to blow away, putting the hens in jeopardy. 

- it looks nice, but the design is inadequate in many regards, and could result in unhappy birds.

The hens have not laid an egg since we got them in the Fall, and from what I learned, won't lay another egg until Spring. That means for now it is all the work, and none of the pay off. Except for the chicken's affection, which is nice.

I have also learned that experienced chicken people dislike these prefab coops. They unanimously say DO NOT BUY THESE, and now I know why. 

Having said that, I can see in some settings these coops might be sufficient in a pinch, and if it meant the difference between having chickens and not having them, it might be a worthwhile purchase.

But, it does not work for me in my setting. I suspect the chickens will outlast the coop, and we are not set up to build something better at this moment at this location.

A well-cared for hen can live 4-10 years. I can't see this coop lasting any longer than about a year before it rots or falls down.

Having such an inadequate set up means more work on my part. And living with shoddy consumer goods designed to wear out before they should is really not my thing.

Even with these setbacks, we have learned a great deal in a short period of time about how to keep chickens healthy and happy. 

The biggest lesson has been that at $400.00 dollars a crack for a prefab coop,  I could buy 100 dozen eggs from my neighbour across the road, a few years worth.

"But the chickens are so lovely", says Linda, and she is right. 

They are beautiful living creatures, that deserve the best possible chance of living a happy life.

Because of that, I want to provide the best arrangement for their benefit.

The people that gave us our chicken operation did so with the understanding that if it didn't work out for us they would take them back.

If we go that way, it will end a brief but special relationship. It is the closest I have been to a chicken my whole life, except at the meat counter at the grocery store.

The hens were good and gentle teachers, and I will miss them. 

If there is to be a next time, we will do it right, which I now know requires a certain amount of resources and commitment, even if it is only a small prefab coop and two hens. 

Have you kept happy chickens, or are currently keeping them? How has it been in your situation?