Beginnings of a Chicken Palace

I've began construction of our new Chicken Palace.  I need it weather proof by April 19th when the new chicks arrive.  I will do it!

My construction experience is limited to the barn and house and some miscellaneous out buildings and already I have made some mistakes that will cost me time and materials.  Oh well, what can I say.

The beginnings of the new Chicken Palace

The old chicken coop is in the background

The goat kids are doing well.  I am locking the kids in a separate room at night so they can't feed on their mother's milk and milk Alure in the morning before letting out her kids.  I don't milk her dry but leave a little for the young ones.  16 ounces goes in a bottle for Windy, the rest to the refer for us (and her evening feeding).  I got a little over one quart from Alure this morning - she is probably producing about three quarts per day.

Alure's four kids - Alder Rose is one of her girls from last year, Windy is the little girl with white on her side

The idea of limiting their milk is to get them to start eating grain and hay, which develops their rumen.  I noticed Windy "chewing her cud" which tells me she is eating between milking.  Sometimes I wonder...

Nettle is due to kid the beginning of May and she is really starting to show.  Very good news for us as Nettle is a very good milker though a terrible mother.  I may need to bottle feed her kids this year as she killed one of hers last year.  We were thinking of culling her out - I changed her name at one point last year to Sausage, but being such a good milker it went back to Nettle.