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What’s in a Name?

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I’ve often heard that “A name says it all.” Is that true? I once watched a documentary about peoples’ names and came away with the understanding that our names actually affect the behavior of others. Don’t get hung up on the fact that I watched a show about this. The point is, names matter. They sway our judgement. In fact, in some cases we make judgements solely based on a name.

Why, oh why, am I dedicating an entire post on this issue? Well, it all comes down to this . . . what are the Barkers going to call their chicken coop? I know. I know. It’s not a life altering decision, but it is one that may (or may not) stick. Now that the Coop du Jour is finished, we would like to paint a name just above the door. The kids want to personalize it. Plus, I think it would be a nice touch.

Back to naming this beautiful building . . .

Do we wait and see how the chickens manage their coop? The Tidy Tudor. Or name it based on chicken personalities? Loco Pollos.

Or do we just go ahead and give it a name? And what kind of name do we give it? Serious, utilitarian, funny, satirical?

We spent some time talking about this the other night. The kiddos took over and decided to draw names out of a hat. They got Matt and I to do the same (sigh). We each put in two pieces of paper with our name choices written down. The lucky winner was Tristan. Yay! He chose one of his names”The Big House”. He said the coops sort of looks like a little prison. Matt wasn’t too keen on that name. I think it’s funny, but Matt is adamant that he did not build a prison. He built a home. End of discussion. Amen.

So, we all decided to do another drawing. But Tristan just couldn’t pick a name to write down. Well, that’s not completely true. He just didn’t have our stamp of approval on any of the names he chose. For instance, “The Big Red Microwave”, “Annie’s Diner”, and “The Big Square Building with Chickens in it.” Yeah, so those didn’t make it into the hat. Can you see why?

On the other hand, Gavin wanted “The Happy Rooster.” Sounds good to me. I think that may be a very fitting name in the future. He also chose “Cute & Cuddly.” Okay, see this is where we have problems. We have two extremes here: Cute, fuzzy peeps versus chicken torturing area 51. We also had to put the kibosh on “The Chicken Ranch,” because this isn’t Las Vegas after all. “Why not mom?” Try explaining that one to your little sweeties.

Matt’s choices were all in Spanish. Some of them didn’t even make it to the brainstorming paper. The boys vetoed those at once. Nothing in Spanish. Nothing in German. Nothing in Greek. English only. Sheesh! What bossy kids! I’m not sure I actually had any of my choices written down. I just kept yelling them out, like I was going to overwhelm the crowd with my wittiness. Not in my house.

In case you are curious, here are some of the names that didn’t win anyone over:

Poultry Palace

The Big House (as described above)

The Looney Bin (great name for a duck house)

Chick Magnet

Casa Roja

Casa de los Huevos

Chicken Shack

The B & B

The Breakfast Club

Hen Hotel

The Happy Rooster

The Happy Roost

Cute & Cuddly

The Big House

The Big Red Microwave

Chick, Chick, Chick

See what I mean? 

Ciao –

Chicky Momma

Baby Chicks

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The objectives: Get chickens, have eggs, and eat chicken.

The steps: Get chickens, collect eggs, “process” the chicken, and eat chicken.

It seems simple doesn’t it. Well, there is more to both the objectives and the steps.

It is true, we are building the home for the ladies. That part is nearly done, as I’ve mentioned several times. The part I did not mention is this: The Chickens.

It turns out that you actually need to have chickens to lay the eggs and to physically be present to eat. Of course, we did not forget this part of the formula (chicken + coop = eggs & meat). That was the formula, in case you didn’t know.

But where, oh where are we to get such fine, egg laying, meat birds? Why not from our fantastic and generous neighbors? I mentioned them before and I will say it again – they are so nice! They gave us a ton of eggs and lent us an incubator. I still cannot believe their generosity and help. Wow!

Okay, let me back up. I totally freaked when Matt suggested that we hatch our own eggs. I mean, can’t I have a pullet (teenager) first because I have no idea what to do with a baby chick? Heck, I have no idea what to do with a chicken that still has feathers on it! Breathe, breathe, breathe. I’m okay now. So, right now, and I mean RIGHT NOW, we have a dazzling array of chicken eggs that are sitting in an incubator in my garage. I am not joking. I have proof.

I have been told, that if they hatch, we will have some cute, fuzzy baby chicks by the end of the month. I say if they hatch, because there is no way to be 100% sure that they are all fertilized and if so, some may be duds. Anyone remember Charlottle’s Web and Templeton?

I’m nervous, anxious, and super excited.

We have dark brown, light brown, light brown with speckles, light green, darker green, white, and cream colored. Yes, I said green. Green eggs and ham, Sam I am.

Oh, and I will share with you what “processing” a chicken is. Later. Much, much later.

Farmer Girl Out,

Ginger

 

Nearly Finished

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The chicken coop is close to completion. I had considered turning it into a bunk house for the boys, but the desire for chickens won out. Hey, maybe they all can sleep out there. Just kidding. Maybe. Matt has worked really hard at finishing this baby up. He goes straight out to work on it when he comes home. A little here. A little there. Don’t worry. I have more projects in mind to keep Matt busy. See, I told you not to worry. Matt built the nesting boxes for […]

All Cooped Up: Are We Done Yet?

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The days are all starting to blend together. I’m trying to recall what exactly we did on the chicken coop construction yesterday and I got . . . nothing. Granted, I haven’t had my coffee yet, but . . . Okay, things are better now. My eyes are open and my mind is starting to clear. Day 4 of this whole chicken coop operation was spent painting AGAIN! And Matt constructed the support beams for the hen house. We also took another trip to the lumber yard. I think we […]

Chicken Coop: Day 3

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Yesterday ended with some real progress. Truth be told, everyday has ended with progress, but Day 3’s progress was made evident by the appearance of a real chicken coop shape. And I must say, it is rather shapely. Rectangular shape-ity, shaped shape. We were able to assemble the three other walls of the frame before noon. We were able to build the first walll yesterday. The walls were a quick task. Then we laid them out according to their respective locations and attached them to the base. Then the roof […]

Chicken Coop: Part Deux

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For Day 2 all I have to share is that we painted all the boards. Yep, painted and painted. The boys painted. I painted. And Matt painted. Annie did not paint. She is the supervisor of this whole operation.

Near the end of the day, or more like the end of our day light, Matt and I decided that since we painted all of the boards, we could be done for the day. We wanted the boards to be painted before they were assembled to the frame but after they were cut. So, ending the day with a full day’s work of painting sounded reasonable. Why take on something new when the sun was about to disappear?

Right?

Nope. Folks, my husband’s thinker never stops working.

He disappeared into the barn (a.k.a. shed) and reappeared with renewed vigor! I was already celebrating the end of Day 2 when I was rudely pulled back into action. Just kidding. I was just as excited to see the next step put forth.

With the help of our little Minions and I, Matt assembled the first wall of the coop. Thank God that Matt is the one walking around measuring things. I’d be more of an eye-baller – “Looks good, ” I would say. And that is why I am not in charge of measuring anything important.

The end.

 

 

DIY: Chicken Coop

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It’s Columbus Day and we’ve decided that today is the day. We have been dreaming, reading, planning, thinking, and well. . . dreaming about raising chickens. We have spent many hours pouring over chicken literature. Studying the various needs of chicken habitat and coming up with our own ideas of how we want to set-up our chicken endeavor. We also have the privilege of having neighbors who also raise chickens. How awesome is that? It’s awesome, trust me. Today was Chicken Coop Day 1. It’s safe to say that this […]