This is their great new home. We looked all over the internet for an small-ish, affordable coop and stumbled upon a local(ish) guy who builds them.

There is plenty of room for five hens. We started with six but the smallest one didn’t make it. The chicken house has wheels so you can easily move it from place to place in the yard. The ladder can be lifted by pulling the rope from the outside.

The coop has a lamp inside to keep chicks warm while they are small.  It also has a nesting box with a removable panel to collect the eggs.

You can also see the board running down the middle of the coop that they can use to roost on at night. The red in the picture is the light from the lamp.

Pac Man, Princess, Darth Vader, Cheap, and Pigeon love their new home.

Check out the segment the Today Show aired this morning on keeping chicken as pets.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

We have been thinking of getting a few chickens to keep in the back yard for a while. Bantam is the perfect breed for our suburban yard. They grow to only 1/5 the size of a regular chicken and are really more for pets than for eggs and are definitely not for meat. But, it would be nice to get a few eggs. Chickens are a natural pest control and even their poop helps to fertilize the yard. They are also fun to watch!

We decided we couldn’t leave the store without them. To heck with the homeowner’s association!  But shhh…they don’t really need to know.

They really are cute, and fun to watch.

So now we are on the hunt for a coop to keep them in. Buying a prefabricated one looks like it might cost more than we want to spend so I’ve been looking at free building plans. They will be staying inside until they get all their feathers in. I sure am hoping they are all girls. I don’t think our neighbors would appreciate a rooster crowing.  Hopefully the neighbors won’t really notice, I am pretty sure they aren’t really allowed in our neighborhood. Rebels, I know.

This is our set up, for now. (And my messy kitchen)

I woke up like a million in one times last night worried that the heat lamp would melt the plastic bin, drop in the pine bedding and catch fire. I will be looking for a bigger bin today.

More on our chicks and progress of our coop coming soon.

For more on backyard flocks:

http://urbanchickens.org/

http://www.mypetchicken.com/about-chickens/

This recipe is for a batch of 14 plus two ugly yet still yummy end pieces.

Poppy Seed Rolls

1 cup whole wheat flour

3- 3 1/2 cups bread flour

2 1/2 tsp dry yeast

1 cup whole milk

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2  eggs

1/4 tsp fiori di sicilia (optional) substitute 1 tsp. vanilla

3 tbsp butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

3 tbsp poppy seeds

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine 2 cups flour and yeast, set aside. In a saucepan heat and stir milk, 1/3 cup sugar and butter until it is almost completely melted.  Add to the dry mixture and set on low speed. Add eggs one at a time and the fiori di sicilia or vanilla. Once it is all combined beat at high speed for 3 minutes. Change to the dough hook and add as much of the remaining flour as you can keeping the dough soft. In other words, add less and not more if you can, just enough so it isn’t sticking to the bowl too much. Once the flour is in turn the mixer on low/medium speed to knead the dough for about 5 minutes. It should be smooth and elastic. As it is kneading, lightly grease a bowl for the rise, and two 9″ cake pans to bake them in.  Once the dough has been kneaded turn it into the greased bowl and let rise for at least an hour. It should double in size.

Punch down the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes. Turn on to a lightly floured surface and roll out into a rectangle shape about 1/4 of an inch thick. Brush on the 3 tbs butter. I actually ran out and made my own butter.

This is where I remembered to start taking pictures.

Give a healthy coating of poppy seeds, and about a 1/2 cup sugar.

Pay no attention to the fruit. I was also prepping to juice…

Roll the dough up, jelly roll style.

Then slice 1 inch sections.There are different methods to this. You can use thread to wrap around it and pull it but I prefer my serrated bread knife. The knife is conveniently an inch wide so I lay it sideways to measure and cut the pieces evenly.

Place your rolls in the greased pan. This is normally where I cover them with plastic wrap and throw them in the fridge.

In the morning, I pull them out of the fridge and let them rise to double in size. (leave the plastic wrap – or cover with a damp towel or they tend to dry out) It usually takes an hour depending on the temperature of the house. This particular morning it was cold, so I pulled out my dehydrator and set it on the lowest temp and set them in it to proof. It worked like a charm! They could have used a little more time but we were in a hurry.. While they are rising, I make the citrus icing to go on top and preheat the oven to 375.

Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes.

I am so proud to be her mother.  She has so many wonderful qualities. She is :

*a daughter of Christ, growing in his knowledge each day

*an energetic, fun -loving spunky young lady

* a beautiful daughter inside and out

* a talented musician in both the piano and the violin

* a dedicated runner

*intelligent and inquisitive

* extremely caring and thoughtful

* a blessing to her friends and family.

Kale Chips

1 bunch of kale (any type)

1-2 tbsp olive or grapeseed oil (I prefer grapeseed because it is very mild and stands up well to heat)

a few shakes of Italian seasoning

salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 300* F

Wash and dry the bunch of kale and snip or tear into chip sized pieces. You want to rid them of stalks and any thick stems. Toss them in a bowl with the oil and use your hands to coat all the pieces.  You could also add a couple of teaspoons of vinegar for a little extra flavor.

Cover a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper to keep it from sticking and spread out the chips. Sprinkle them with salt and Italian seasoning and bake for about 30 minutes. Keep an eye on them and if they aren’t quite crisp give them a few more minutes.

Store in an airtight container- if they last that long.

Amelia wanted to see if it tasted as good raw. She smiling, but that was the only bite she took.