Chicken coop built, getting ready for the rest

 Mark built this coop over the past few days with materials we had on hand in the garage.  Some of the materials were used when he built our house.

We were offered eight older hens from someone at my work - they are getting young chickens and needed to make some room.  Since the hens were still laying, he offered to help us get started with some seasoned tame chickens, instead of trying to raise young chicks from the start.  This is all Mark's handiwork - I am like a person trying to eat soup upside-down when it comes to a drill and a saw... my ambidextrousness gets in the way and I try to do everything backwards, which is not often safe.  Mark helped me worry through the nestboxes and I have some exterior mistint paint (purple!) to paint the exterior with.

The coop is moveable so we can try out a few places - and we have some fence on hand that will work for the job, as well.  Now we just have to paint it, move it, and fence it.. then go pick up the chickens and supplies and see how we do as egg farmers :)

 We all got in on painting it - including impromptu folk art by me.  The purple was an exterior mistint and I put varnish over the the enamel paints from my art box.  Esme added flowers, and had to try out all the 'amenities'.