Dejavu - Chicken coops

This has been crunch week and we think we passed - the chickens are coming and we needed to get 8 coops ready by Tuesday. Saturday we spent the day with Elder Nelson and Elder Campbell in May Pen putting chicken wire around one coop while the branch members erected a second coop. Whiteheads help the members of the Boulevard branch finished the "coop-on-a-roof" coop, yup it resides on the roof of Sister Davis' house, while Flakes worked with the Constant Spring Branch to finished four broiler coops; they have been such stalwarts to see this through. Well, after Tuesday (the birthing day of the chickens) we will show you the delivery event.

We, the Whiteheads, and the Flakes are absolutely worn out, exhausted, and sunburned, and we all have realized that we are not "spring chicks"ourselves. We more closely resemble the "tough ole birds" category.

From our perspective a coop is not something much to look at, but in some of the locations it actually seems to improve the appearance of the place. It's wonderful to see the pride that the coop owners have in their coops and how proud they are of being able to help build them. They have certainly taken ownership in the projects by attending the training, assisting build their coop and helping with the construction of other coops as well. When the coops are built, there is pride in their eyes, a straightening of their back and excitement in their anticipation of receiving their chickens. We are seeing service freely given between the members which is something new to most of them. They are getting to know each other on an entirely new level and now have projects in common to discuss and to share experiences about. We are hearing of some that are planning to cooperatively help with slaughtering and they are bartering with each other for eggs and broilers.


Here are some pictures of our activities this week.

Sister Grant and Elder Campbell (in red stripe) are stapling netting, Elder Nelson (in green) and Theron in the Helping Hands shirt are attaching sway bracing.

In the foreground is Sister Woodburne's house and the chicken coop is back where the people are standing. 

Sister Woodbure inside with nesting boxes and hanging feeder and waterer

This is the road to the front of Eulalee Davis' house.

Here are the beginnings of the Coop-on-a-roof project.

Speaking of chickens, we were just given an itinerary that say we will "fly-the-coop" on September 1, 2011.  Our daughter says, it's a happy and sad day -- we want you home, but it means that summer in Utah will be over (if it ever gets there).