13. The Great Outdoors.

The summer coop needed to move a little farther farther from the house in order to provide the girls with fresh grass and lessen the wear and tear on the earth. Every few days I move the cumbersome contraption.

The Sisters and Sparrow are very difficult to tell apart now that they have their first full set of feathers in.

Which of them is below? (Me thinks Sister 1)

12. Summer Residence

While Dad is away...

I had to take measures into my own hands since the builder is trekking in Alaska and the chicks -now more like chickens- are quickly outgrowing their kiddie pool indoor home.

I started with an old baby crib.


But the chicks squeezed out through the slats, so I attached the Macaw's seldom used outdoor cage turned on its side, creating a daytime pen.

I fixed 1/2" hardware cloth around the crib for protection.

So far the girls enjoy the sun, wind, grass, dirt and bugs very much!

11. It's all in the details...

It is now June, if you can believe that... Our coop is AWESOME! But...not totally finished. The Dad is almost on his way to a month-long Alaskan backpacking excursion so there will be a hiatus in coop progress until July.

Below, he is working on the frame for the door and two hatches.


Aside from a small set back due to a Vizsla paw going through the glass pane of one of the coop windows (doggie is ok, but very in trouble), we are pretty much on track!

Most recently, the door has been tediously put together. Dad/designer/builder decided to make it a Dutch door, very cool!

My job, aside from coop/bird documenter and tool-getter/supply-hauler is now hinge-finder.