Go the Flock to Sleep

There is a wonderful storybook that has been written by author, Adam Mansbach, that looks very much like a children's book, but is most definitely written in frustrated parents' language wishing their children to stop delaying sleep and is called, appropriately, Go the F**k to Sleep.

After this past week with my foster flockers, I propose to change the title to better fit my situation; Go the Flock to Sleep. Four days in a row this past week, the little ones have woken at 4:00AM, waterer dumped and dry, food strewn every direction and peeping loudly. This activity, of course, wakes the other resident critters in this Mama Clucker's home and it means that I'm awake far beyond what I would like to be. I think that my coworker, who I share an office with, is probably beyond tired of hearing me say almost every day "I'm so tired."

I shouldn't only pick on the little flockers for my continuous state of hopeful slumber though; the weather has finally turned warm enough that I can start working in the yard again. I was so excited about the warmth that I've acted on my thought to build a coop for the two lavender orpingtons, that I'm still waiting on arriving, and my hope was that the foster flockers could maybe enjoy it before they head to their country home in little more than a week.

Kreg Jig in Action

If you have read my recount of building the first coop last year in another blog, you know it was quite the production and took many weeks longer than I thought it would and ended up being more expensive that I had planned. You can read about the build here if you wish. Most of this unknown expense came from lack of experience and I thought this go round I'd be able to put a new coop together quickly. After all, I was going to be making the coop smaller with a slanted roof and I had all of the tools at my disposal this time unlike before. No more needing to use a jigsaw to cut 2x4s (you builders out there are probably laughing at that thought, but hey-- it worked!), I have the most wonderful joining tool available-- a Kreg Jig, and I actually have a circular saw this time.

I confessed my need for devouring chicken last week and this week I'm going to confess something else. I've already built a wonderful, sturdy-so-far, Taj MaCoop with nesting boxes and a wonderful run. One would think that I can rattle off measurements like Bob Villa without hesitation and never get a measurement wrong after such a feat. Okay, this is a hard one to confess-- I can't read a measuring tape or ruler beyond knowing what the inch and 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 marks are. It's not like I haven't tried-- my poor father tried one afternoon to get me to count off the marks in between those markings with their proper identifying measurements and I think I did have it for maybe 15 minutes and then it was gone. I've tried with YouTube videos to learn, friends have tried, it just doesn't happen. How do I manage? I find the marking that I know and then count the little marks after it or before it (depending on which is easier to remember).

So, imagine me reading the measuring tape as "this is 3 and 1/4 inches and two little marks after that." This is literally the phrase that goes through my head as I'm measuring the 2 x 4 and getting ready to make the cut. It's both sad and hilarious at the same time I think. Something must be working with that process however, I'm not having to cut two and three boards to try and get the right measurement for the piece that I need. I consider that a building success! Maybe there's still hope for me!

Crazy measuring technique aside, I started building the new Koop 2.0. I drew up the design that I thought I wanted and the frame went up rather quickly after I got the stud boards (I don't spend a lot on lumber and I'm a nightmare in Lowe's because I go through the pile of boards looking for the least bowed ones) painted and cut to the proper lengths. I've returned to working on the new coop every evening after work if the weather allows me to and it's been very kind for the past few days.

I'm excited about the freedom that this new Koop 2.0 is going to give me when the lavenders finally arrive. The temperatures by that point should be in the low to mid 80's when they are 3 weeks old, even in the evening, which means that the little flockers won't have to spend nearly the amount of time indoors that the foster flockers have and can move outside. Trust me, I know I've said it before, if you have chicks-- after they pass that three week old phase, you're ready for them to be outside!

Combine this new building activity with the daily care of the foster flockers, the adult cluckers, two dogs, two cats, and pond fish that now need food because the water temperature is warmer and it's no wonder that I just want to Go the Flock to Sleep at any one given moment.

Perhaps, in a few weeks after Koop 2.0 is finished-- I'll get to do just that.

Koop 2.0 shadowed by the Taj MaCoop