Jordan and I were getting into the new rhythm of life in Tennessee but anxious to start our farm. We both agreed that chickens were the perfect animal to start with but the coop wasn’t ready and we hadn’t decided where the chicks would go while that project was being completed, but of course that didn’t stop us. We have learned that if you have a dream sometimes its best to take the first step without having all the pieces in place and trust the process. This doesn’t apply to every situation but we felt confident that we could finish the coop by the time the chicks were old enough to move out there. And the words to one of Andy Mineo’s songs kept repeating in our heads:
“… If you got a dream don't sleep on it, uh If you got a dream don't sleep, yeah If you got a dream don't sleep on it, uh If you got a dream don't sleep, don't sleep, yeah
… Do it (Do it) Do it (Do it) What you waiting on (You can do it, yeah) Do it, do it What you waiting on”
Shibuya Roll Call by Andy Mineo
We were ready to take that first step and Jordan, who is always researching, found a nearby farm that was having their “end of season” sale! This particular farm had great reviews and we trusted we would not be getting any surprise roosters, which was a prioity after hearing many stories from those who had not had such luck. So with our coffee in hand we hopped in the car and headed out to meet our new chicks.
Since we already knew what we wanted we went through the list of available breeds and picked out our chicks. As they gathered the chicks for us we went into the farm store to get supplies… because we had literally nothing prepared. We purchased a small stock-tank for the brooder box, a heat lamp and bulb, a chick feeder, water dish, chick starter feed, bedding, and some probiotics just in case.
Jordan packed all the supplies in the trunk and I got in the car holding our new chicks. Opening their little box and saying hello for the first time was unreal. It might sound crazy to most but these girls were the start to our dream farm. The Matriarch’s of Redeemed Coop and Co.
The whole drive home we were brainstorming names for the girls. I sent a picture to my family to get their opinions and my sister immediately named Truffle. The rest of the girls got their names after we got home and spent some time with them. Bellatrix is named after the infamous Harry Potter character, Thelma and Louise is just a cute duo name so it stuck, Princess Lay-A is my ode to Star Wars, and Buttercup was just the cutest fluffy yellow chick and that’s the name came to mind when I held her.
We spent the next hour getting the brooder box set up and making sure the girls would be safe and warm. After the girls were safely in their new home we wanted to introduced our anxious gang of animals to their newest family members. Beau, Carl, and Jasper had been whining and meowing outside the door as we prepped the brooder for the girls. We decided it was safest to place the box inside a large kennel to prevent any unwanted dog or cat contact. We brought the animals in one at a time to introduce them. Once we knew they weren’t going into predator mode we allowed them to sit and watch the girls with us.
Exactly one month into our Tennessee journey and we had started our little farm. Now we just needed to get the coop ready! I’ll share the coop project on the next blog post.
For those wondering about the breeds of chickens we chose:
Bellatrix is an Olive Egger
Thelma and Louise are Cream Legbars
Princess Lay-A is a Lavender Orphington
Truffle is a Speckled Sussex
Buttercup is an Americauna