Guest Room Chickens & Cardboard Carpets

Every farm has its origin story.
Ours? Starts in a guest room, with a dog pen, a whole lot of cardboard, and a dream.

When we first got started with chickens, we didn’t have a coop yet. What we did have was an empty guest room, some fluffy little chicks, and zero idea what we were getting ourselves into.

Chicks and our DIY setup

Chick Nursery, Sponsored by Cardboard

We set up a large dog pen in the middle of the carpet, thinking we were totally prepared. Laid cardboard down underneath it. Felt very professional.

Until… the chicks figured out that dog crate bars are basically a suggestion.
They walked right through them.
Not hopped. Not squeezed.
Just casually strolled out like they were checking out of a hotel.

So, naturally, we added more cardboard—this time along all the sides, carefully layered and taped like we were building a tiny fort. It wasn’t glamorous, but it worked. Mostly. For a while.

The Chickens Took the Guest Room, Forever

Letting the chicks take over the guest room felt like a rite of passage. The chirping, the mess, the heat lamp glow at 3am—it was pure chaos and pure joy. This was our start, and we wouldn’t change a thing.

Christa holding three tiny chicks in her hands? That was the moment it all clicked.
These weren’t just birds.
This was something special.

Christa holding the chicks, while Yoko watches

The Guardian: Yoko

And then there was Yoko, our cat, who took her job very seriously.
She would sit quietly outside the dog pen like a stoic little guard, eyes locked on her new roommates.
Was she fascinated? Protective? Slightly judging us?
Probably all of the above.

But Yoko never tried to mess with them. She just… watched. Like a fluffy security detail with purring capabilities.

Yoko watching the chicks

From Carpet to Coop

Looking back now—with hens roaming acres of pasture, golden yolks in every carton, and a growing flock—it’s wild to remember we started with a dog pen in a guest room.

But that tiny setup, that cardboard fortress, and those chirping chicks?