It's official! We will have the chicken coop inspected Jan. 29. Yesterday I received a call from Ferndale City Hall asking when I planned to submit my permit application. I was confused since I had just filled out paperwork in October. She politely explained that I had submitted for 2013, and it is now 2014. …
Installing the door
So we installed the door. I'm impossibly excited about it.It looks awesome. I mean, we had an idea it would look good, but now that it's in place, it just looks so official. We really have a chicken coop in our yard!!The install only took about 10 minutes. We already had screwed one side of …
Building a door, Part 2
Second time's a charm. After about two hours of work, Matt and I built a door for the chicken coop. It's gorgeous. And sturdy. And ready for install. We started out by replacing all the 2-inch screws with 3-inch. Since everything was basically pre-drilled, this went by quickly. Before we went any further, Matt ran …
Building a door, Part 1
So our work on the chicken coop today lasted about 45 minutes. I swear we started out strong. Of the two doors we still need to build on the coop, I decided the one leading into the run area would be easiest to build. Or so it seemed. We did everything right. We measured the …
Inspector’s sneak peek
So this morning, as I was snuggled in with my cup of coffee, I noticed two men clomping through the snow in my neighbor's yard. They stopped near the back, and pointed at my chicken coop. My heart jumped to my throat. I wondered if there had been a complaint. I ran to the front …
The nesting box
Never underestimate the power of a dozen doughnuts. That small box from Dutch Girl Donuts on Woodward in Detroit singlehandedly fueled a productive five-hour day on the chicken coop. Today Matt and I worked like a well oiled machine. Each task seamlessly led to the next; the only loss for the day was a busted …
Back to the grind
The pumpkin pie was barely chilled from Thanksgiving, and we were back out in the yard working on the chicken coop. The decision to get out there was a painful one. Matt and I curled up on the couch, imaging the cold air nipping at our fingertips. "Can't we just wait until tomorrow?" Matt asked. …
The final stretch?
Seven hours of work in freezing temperatures got us ahead of the curve. Matt and I bundled up in ski pants, winter boots, hats and gloves ... and worked until the sun set in the sky. Two cups of hot cocoa and sheer hustle kept us from freezing solid. But the payoff was big. We …
Installing mesh
Wow, what a day. I'm really loving how I started out with the delusional thought that we'll come close to finishing the coop. And then reality kicks in, and we accomplished about half of what we set out to do. Such is life. Today, we *almost* finished installing the wire mesh on the chicken coop. …
Raising the roof!
The chicken coop is coming together ... with a little help from my friends. Today my  grade school buddy Tom came by to help install the metal roof. I hired him a little over a year ago to put on the roof for my house, so I know his work is impeccable. When he offered …
Chicken Scratch Fever 