You know how sometimes pictures don't truly express what you were feeling at the moment?
This one does.
It perfectly captures my reaction to the Easter present I got this year.
Shock, surprise, fear, glee.

What could a cardboard box hold that would create such an extreme reaction?
This ...

And not just one ... a bunch of them.

Now I'm sure you have questions so I'll answer a few off the top of my head right now.
What are those things, Karen?
- They are live Peeps. They're chickens.
Did you always want chickens?
- Yes.
You must live in the country.
- Um, no.
Then you must have a big yard.
- Um, no.
Do you have any idea how to take care of chickens?
- No.
Will your chickens lay eggs?
- I hope so. That's the plan.
Do you like eggs?
- I'm actually allergic. Just kidding. Yup. I like eggs.
Do chickens have to live in a chicken coop?
-Yes.
Do you have a chicken coop?
- No.
Do chickens make a lot of noise?
- I dunno.
What kind of chickens are they?
- Mutts kind of. Rhode Island Reds and 1 that's a cross between a Rhode Island Red, a Columbia Rock and an Ameraucana.
How many are there?
- Six. Problem is I only have room for 2. Once I know if they're male or female I'll pick out two females and then I'll have some chickens to give away.
But not this one ...
Would you like to save this stuff?

Or this one ...

Or this one 'cause he has such a cute bum.

Or any of the ones that are cute. Uh oh.
So how did this come to be exactly? How did I end up with 6 chickens in a cardboard box on my counter Easter morning?

As I've mentioned before, my boyfriend is a very conscientious present buyer. It's remarkable really the things he picks up on.
Turns out I've been talking about chickens a lot over the past few years without even realizing it. Mentioning that I'd love to have a chicken. Talking about how much fun it'd be to go outside and bring eggs in from our own chicken. I'd show him blog posts from people who had chickens in their backyard. I'd mention how the side yard would be the perfect place to keep chickens.
So I guess he figured ... Karen wants a chicken.
Now here's the thing. I DID want chickens. But never in a million years would I have gone out and bought myself some chickens to keep in the backyard. Especially not without some kind of plan. And a coop. And a plan. He on the other hand would.
I apologize for sounding like a proud, new mother but I think they're the most beautiful babies in the world. I don't want to completely inundate you today, so I've saved some of the best pictures to show you on Friday. I'll also have a short little video of the day the chicks arrived for you to watch.
I imagine there's going to be a huge amount of hijinx and hullabaloo with this new hobby. A lot of hullabaloo indeed.
And by hullabaloo, I mean chicken poop. Crap.

I vote for this one...
http://www.materialicious.com/2010/09/egg-shaped-nogg-chicken-coop-is-sculpturally-cool.html
Michelle - I know! When I first saw the Nogg I loved it. Still do! But for the life of me I can't figure out how you're supposed to clean inside the thing. I'm afraid it's more pretty than practical. It is beautifullll though. ~ karen
http://www.nogg.co/
This one says it has a removable base tray.... and hidden wheels!!! I just love pretty and functional.
Aside from the annoying fact that I would have to buy this as I have no hope of creating a decent copy-cat myself (which is usually my raison d'etre)... I have a feeling that you could only have one of these things lest your yard start looking like a scene from Cocoon. Unless you REALLY want to freak your neighbours out with a few of these, late night squawking and glowing yard orbs... I think that we are both smirking right now. Am I right?
This looks like an adventure truly worthy of you, Karen! My sole helpful hint: I'm thinking that the prosthetic leg lurking in your basement might make a really great perch in the henhouse.
::snicker::
Pam'a - That's gross. You're gross. Gross, gross, gross! Maybe I could turn it into a flower pot, though. ~ karen
So, I just bought the plans for this chicken coop: http://www.mypetchicken.com/catalog/Chicken-Coop-Plans/Green-Roof-Building-Plans-up-to-4-chickens-p659.aspx
while not as "craftsman" as I might like, the size is perfect (w/the run) and I love the idea that I can plant an herb garden on the top.
Shauna - Nice! But where do you live that you don't need the chickens to be in an enclosed shelter? My little chickens would freeze to death in that coop in any months other than July and August! I just ordered Chicken Coops for Dummies and a book on shed building in the hopes of finding something. ~ karen!
I live in just about the best weather location EVER - San Diego California. If it drops below 50 degrees, I'm pretty sure San Diegans would revolt:) We pay a hefty sun tax and we demand to get our money's worth. So, now, I've printed off two plans I found for free and the one I bought. I've taken it home and will sit down with my husband so we can hash it all out. He's a planner, so maybe by next year, I MIGHT have a coop and chickens;)
I don't know if you listen to CBC Radio One, but there is a Debaters episode about chickens in the city as I type. Timely!
PS - I lived on a farm as a little girl and the chickens were my job. I was NOT a 'chicken person'.
O M G they are SO CUTE ♥
They are THE cutest peeps i've ever seen.
{ i regularly read ur website,but i've never commented.couldn't resist now. :P }
Thanks Angelchinky! So it took baby chicks to make you comment, eh? So what do I have to do to get you to comment again? Puppies? Kittens? OH wait! I know! A duckling! :) Off to check on the chicks now. :) ~ karen
OMG! do we have the same boyfriend?... (I've had mine for over 20 years & 3 children, so I guess he's MANfriend now?)
almost 2 years ago, he randomly came home... a day late (without calling!.. with my child....grrr) and with 4 baby chicks. Turns out, for years I had been waxing poetic about how cool it would be to have chickens.
He had to take the next day off to build them a coop! (& work overtime to pay for the materials!)
He feeds em & changes their water, & trained our dog not to eat them & he eats most of their eggs.. but somehow they are still MY chickens!
have fun! they are worth it (the boyfriends & the chickens!)
Hey Karen, Here is a link you will love. When I saw this I wanted chicks! Am jealous.
http://heatherbullard.typepad.com/heather_bullard_collectio/2010/03/our-chicken-coop.html
Wow - what a great boyfriend! I once mentioned to my husband that I always wanted my own etch-a-sketch when I was a kid and low and behold I got one for X-mas this year. It too was a 'crappy' gift. Everything's made in China now and they don't make things like they used to so it wasn't the etch-a-sketch of my youthful memories ... but I love the fact that my husband picked up on it. I was beaming for days. Aren't we lucky?
Shari - Yes m'am. We are. :) ~ karen
http://lindycottagehill.blogspot.com/2010/10/summer-backyard-sharefest.html
In this post on the Cottage Hill blog about their backyard, she refers to the coop that was made with a satellite dish for a roof. Brilliant.
Okay, I found this site that has free plans - actual plans, with pictures and while ours won't be quite this big, it looks to be a nice standard place to start so I can start to draw up my own plans (with our measurements), yet know what and where and how I might need to go about planning and designing. Maybe it will help you too: http://www.buildeazy.com/chicken_coop_5.html
We just got our very first chicks about 3-4 weeks ago and you will be SHOCKED at how fast those little buggers grow! Looking forward to learning along with you!
reach out to Ashley who does a post every week on designsponge, I believe she has chickens (and bee's) on her property in NC. I beleive her blog is small measures with Ashley, i think she's even written a book!
Angela - Thanks! Yes, Ashley does have a book. We've been in contact a few times when I had canning questions for her. She's very nice and always very helpful! ~ karen
Oh wow! Where do i start? Love the look on your face, priceless! Kudo's to the bf for reading you so well and acting upon it!
I have been going on about chickens for some time, see here http://theras.ca/homesteading/clucks-allowed/
and there is a book you have GOT to read...(a snippet of my review)
I borrowed this delightful book from the library, expecting to find a few ideas and maybe some recipes. What I got was a great book that follows the author's adventures in homesteading. Some parts are definitely sad, most will make you smile and it is definitely inspiring.
Now I want chickens, angora rabbits and bees, in our city backyard, someone say a prayer for my DH!
see book here
Oh Congrats!! I love my chickens! You will find they are so darn entertaining! I'm so happy for you!
I can't wait to see the unbelievably cool coop you will build...
Here are a bunch of building plans for small coops, that little yellow house one looks adorable.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/chicken-coop-small.html
Oh my gosh Karen, we are in sync. I keep on pestering my husband about how I want to have chickens. I've done all sorts of research - this site has a good free e-book on raising chickens and what you will need: http://www.mypetchicken.com/.
Unfortunately, with 2 full-time jobs and a 3-year old, we are in no position to start off with cute little baby chickens, so I am terribly jealous of you. I've read that Rhode Island Reds are really great chickens to have;)
Can't wait to see all your plans on building the coop - I'm sure you'll be sharing it all with us including the drawn plans that you create - wink wink;)
Hah! I'm feeling a tiny bit overwhelmed at the moment! I wish I just had some plans in front of me. I'm pretty darn handy but I've never built a building from scratch, and essentially that's what a chicken coop is. You need a foundation, and to frame walls and windows and doors ... it's a "thing". Eek. I feel the need to nap. ~ karen
Oh! And thanks for the e-book heads up. I've been to that site *many* times but never noticed the ebook!! ~ k
You bet. Well, it sounds like a few of your readers are in the same boat. I like to call my husband the uber-researcher, so while our plans are far less imperative than yours (we don't actually have baby chickens pooping in our house yet), I will send you any links I think may be useful to you. I am just so excited to think we'll be reading all about this new venture of yours.
Dear Karen: Could you go to Craig's List under Farm and Garden and advertise for a ready made coop?
There has to be a recycle place for such things.
Unless, like a new Mom, fresh and new is your cue.
Love your posts.
Thanks Jeanne! I have limited space for my coop and pretty specific tastes. :) So I'd like to build one that's exactly right for my site and my eyeballs. Most premade ones are icky and the ones that aren't are thousands of dollars for the coop plus the run. I have some decisions to make. ~ karen
ZOMG!! CHICKENS!! Oh I would love chickens!!
Have you seen this chicken coop up on Design*Sponge?
http://www.designspongeonline.com/2011/04/nogg-hen-house.html
Squueeee! As *the* Jenn from *the* Pint-sized Pioneering, I'm honored to have inspired you to add 6 wee little fuzz butts to your household. You are guaranteed to love them and hug them and call them George... or Henrietta, or something like that.
I also guarantee that they'll only get crappier with time. hehe We love our girls... and they love the nommies we provide for them.
Jenn - Squueeeeee, is right! And I'm only keeping 2. Don't ask me how I'm going to get rid of the others. I wanna start out slow to make sure this works for us. Besides, my side yard where I"m going to build the coop is NOT very big. I'm sure I'll have many, MANY questions for you. The first of which is, did you use plans to build your coop or did you wing it? I don't wanna wing it. I want plans. Less stressful that way. Squueeeeee. ~ karen
Devil's advocate here. You might think about three. Check the blogs and see what hen mortality is, seems they sometimes die fairly young for no apparent reason. If one dies, you want the other to have company. Can't think of anything sadder than a solitary chicken.
Think about it. Two's a good number. I'm just thinking.
Jenn - My reasoning for 2 was that I'd really like to be able to pick up a Cochin or an pure Ameraucana. If all 3 live, then I'm outta luck for one of those until one of them dies. :( That was my reasoning anyway. I'll give it some thought. Chances are I'm going to fall in love with all of them and won't want to give ANY away. I *have* to force myself to remember I do NOT have room for 6. ~ karen