Please Don't Eat the Daisies

I thought it was time to post a few pics of our chicken coop and occupants...

Our breeds so far have included Easter Eggers (Americauna Xs), Barred Rocks, Gold Wyandotts, Rhode Island Reds, Cornish Rock/Xs (meat birds), pearl and slate guineas. I'll spare you pics of the nest of sparrows on the cupboard, field mice in the feed bin and elusive bunny family that live below...

From time to time I redecorate. Did you recognize the metal chicken and flower that I bought at Lucketts last spring? Only I would feel the need to add 4 more colors of spray paint to my chicken. I gave him a green neck, yellow eyes, blue chest and pink feet!

* oops pic problem *

I added a floor and shelves to the feed area to hold treats n pens. The chicken pump dispenses Purel for all the worried moms. I've also taken a few of my old signs n collectibles out there.

The ladies are fenced 'til noonish so they lay in their nest boxes and not the hayloft! Then they have free range of the farm and put themselves to bed, waiting for me to lock them in safe after dark.

My coop is actually divided up with 1/ 2 for the hens and 1/4 for supplies, 1/4 for guineas or rehabs... The guineas need a whole 'nother post of their own. Actually they seem to need most everything "their own!"

The chickens are so popular with my family that I've even got my little brother, a previous city slicker, keeping chickens too! And my sweet mother loves to come visit with all her farm babies.

In June I added "landscaping" by planting daylillies, lilacs, viburnum and clematis around the outside of the run. Our hot DRY summer has made them slow to settle in tho. I had some leftover lattice and fence that helped cuten  up the wire run (which was actually an old carport frame, wired n  set in a trench). I'm hoping flowering vines will create more attractive (than plywood) shade by next year as they grow over the top.

As I set out the pumpkins and changed out the pots I also planted some bulbs between the lillies...  It'll be interesting to see if the birds let any of these live for long!

As this has been an ongoing project it's been impossible to get a picture of it all looking great at the same time. (That pretty much is the problem with most of my work here!)

Rushed to get this posted for a coop party hosted by the super talented photographer Tiffany at http://www.thefancyfarmgirl.com/
Go check our her coop ~ it's glamorous n gorgeous!!!!

* would love links to your coop in my comments also! *