I respect your loyalty to Russell, and I'm so happy you were able to find a great home for Molly. I look forward to your videos every day, they are part of my morning coffee session.

I’m so appreciative of your loyalty to Russell.. great decision.

Laura, I have thirty four chickens and have had chickens for almost ten years now. Mine have a coop and a huge run for them to roam around in. Make sure you handle your chickens frequently so they will interact with you and they won’t be afraid and run away from you. Chickens get bored so maybe make a swing for them and things for them to climb on. They will deplete their run area so you can buy crickets for them to chase. Buy frozen vegetables that go on sale for hot summer months. Cold watermelon will keep them hydrated and their bodies cooled down. Not too many table scraps though. High quality cat food to supplement in hot summer months. I also buy strips of sod for them to eat and scratch at. They will make holes in the ground and you can spray the run down with water and fill their holes with water. Keep oyster shell down at all times for them. Feed black sunflower seeds as a treat. And I feed a bird food too as a treat. You can get big bags of meals worms as treats. I love my girls and I love spoiling them sooooo much. I have a couple of chickens that are very very attached to me. They will sit on my lap and talk. And once established you could probably let them out to forage around their coop with your supervision. I would plant chicken friendly plants around their the outside of their coop so they can mull around and do what chickens do best. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.

0:00 yay chickens 17:40 im a grown man crying about a dog finding the right home 20:15 Yay chickens!

Benjamin at the end petting the chicken is the cutest thing!! He’s so curious and gentle 🥰

You don’t have predators because you don’t have chicken. Proofing your coop is the right thing to do.

You did the best thing with Molly. The baby chicks are adorable. Benjamin is so precious. 💕🌻

I had tears in my eyes when you talked about Molly but it is good that Molly found a home.I can't believe how fast Benjamin is growing he is so precious.He seemed to love the chickens.Thank you for sharing Laura.

I think you did the right thing. Russell was there first. I am sure he felt sad. I am so happy there was an alternative! LONG LIVE RUSSELL!!!!!!

😂 Aaron says "Oh man HOLD ME BACK". What a sweetheart!!!... So funny. Aaron, you rock.😳

So excited about 🐓 🐓 🐓 🐓 🐓 🐓 🐓 🐓 🐓 🐓. I could see in your eyes it was heartbreaking about Molly but I think you made the right decision. Those kids will just be loving on her! And Russell ❤️. Heavens gf, you have so much on your plate! You always keep it interesting. 😉

A lot of people grow climbing roses next to the chicken run because the soil becomes so enriched. The roses then climb over the top and provide shade for the cluckers. Good luck with your flock!

Not going to lie, will miss seeing Molly in your videos but happy ending overall. The coop is looking great!

A word of advice from an old farmer lady, block off your nest boxes until they get laying age, otherwise they sleep in the boxes and poop in there, then they’ll keep that habit! Not good!

Hemp bedding from Carolina Coops....the best, use also for deep bedding method, no smell. You'll need to mount the roosting higher, above the nesting boxes, so they don't sleep in the boxes. For now they are not laying...board up the boxes so they don't get use to sleeping in them. Once they start laying, then open the boxes. until they begin laying.

They like to roost high, the older they get the higher they will go. And yes spread that stuff everywhere, because they will poop everywhere. I love the chickens.

God has surely blessed you and Aaron with life and love. Thank you for sharing your adventures with all of us.

I had a chicken coop and poultry yard double your size with chickens, geese and ducks. Cover the entire floor with whatever you plan to use for litter. Chickens dont control their droppings so wherever they walk is where you will have to clean up. Put a raised threshold in the door way to keep the mess inside. If you use the window for their chicken door to the outside run be sure you have a ramp running up to just below the window sill so they can get up easier and you can still close the window when the weather gets bad. You dont want to encourage roosting on the window sill because their claws tear up the wood griping onto the edge making the window hard to close. Droppings are bad on the window frame too. Hanging the feeder will not keep out mice. They go after the easy stuff scattered all over the floor. Make a nipple watering tower out of pvc pipe. On demand water and No clean up. Check amazon for the fittings.

It's kind of silly how excited I was when I saw the posting for this video! Learning about chickens through you!!! What a wonderful life Molly will have - sounds meant to be!

Giving Molly to your relatives was a very selfless thing to do. I'm glad you can still be in contact with her. Go Russell (I love cats).

What an exciting day! Loved Benjamin's reaction to the chickens! It's going to be fun! Totally understand about Molly and what a great solution. Poor Russell can now relax. 💚🐓😽😊

If they can fly they can roost higher which is what they prefer. I agree with another poster that you should keep the boxes closed up until they begin laying. Otherwise they will start roosting in the boxes. Makes a big mess. Deeper shavings on the floor and give them a pan of Diatomaceous Earth outside in the run to allow the chickens to dust bathe. It helps keep mites away. As they get bigger you might want to use a child's small bathing pool filled with the earth and sand mixture. Works like a charm. I always did hang my feed and water off the ground too. Keeps the whole setup clean. I used an eye bolt and small chain to lower or raise the containers as needed for height as they grew. Double end snaps makes it an easy DIY project.

Diatomaceous Earth for your chickens, dusted in their bedding and nests will keep them mite free. 😊

We get a piece of vinyl flooring off the roll at Lowes to put down and protect our floor before we put down pine shavings. I think you will never get the smell out of concrete or wood if you don't.

As soon as I could hear the chicks in the box when you picked them up, I had a smile from ear to ear!! So precious! Benjamin's reaction was so adorable!!! That's how my daughter was at that age with some kittens we had. I think they see them so small and alive that its almost like they are concerned with hurting them lol. And I'm so happy for Russell and your decision. It sounds like he was very unhappy with having a dog around. Glad you were able to find Molly a great home too❤😻🌱🐶🐔

Morning Laura, thank you for sharing with us. Keep’em coming. Coffee and Garden Answer.... can’t ask for a better start to my morning. XOXO from Katy, TX

Love the chickens!!! Sad news about Molly, but sounds like the best possible solution. Love, love, love your channel!!!! ❤❤❤❤

I think Benjamin wants to pet orange ones🤣

Liam is getting a wonderful life with Mollie.

Can we get a live stream for the chicken coop? 😂 They are adorable. 😍

Aww how wonderful for the kids Molly is so lucky to have two families to love on her. How cute they are. Please plug up the hole in the door so you don’t get a weasel. We lost all 18 of our girls in one night 😭. We had never had any predators before that night . Love your videos God Bless

Gosh I could see how excited you were, bless you, I loved watching Benjamin's reaction. My 8 month old grandson is just having his tea, but I can't wait to show him the chickens because when we sit in the garden, he is so observant and loves to watch the 'birdies' fly, he also loves to listen to birdsong when he comes into my bedroom in a morning. Thank you for providing the chicks with a lovely new home, God bless, Wendy

Oh my i loved the end with the introduction you filmed with your son and the chickens. I am so glad it all worked out with Molly and Russell....

Laura, I love you to death....but I knew something would go awry with Molly when she was in & out of the flower beds! 🤣 I have 3 labs who have control of our backyard, grass will barely grow back there & plants? Forget it! Lol Molly is so precious & it was so obvious that you genuinely love her!!! But I swear I had that feeling like "yeah....I don't know if it's gonna work". So happy that you were able to bless your nephew with her, from the clip you shared, it honestly does look like a match made in heaven!!

This is one of my favorite videos. Watching Benjamin be introduced to the chicks was soooo cute. Poor Russell cant imagine what he was going through. Glad that Molly was able to find a good home. He was adorable too. You have a full plate. I really appreciate you taking us through the whole chicken coop and going to the nursery etc. Make me feel like I am a friend that came by to watch and help. Thanks again Give Russell a hug for me. Tab

Precious seeing Benjamin experiencing the chickens 🐓 so sweet! You and Aaron are wonderful parents

The chicks are precious but little Benjamin takes the prize - he's just too adorable! Those chicks don't know how lucky they are. That's not a chicken coop that's a palace! Thanks for sharing. Happy Easter and God Bless.

Loved seeing Benjamin with the chicks! He's so adorable. I think things turned out so well with Molly and your nephew. They looked so happy together!

Molly was there for a reason and Liam was the reason . GOD always has a plan !’ Happy Easter !’ Love the chics.

I was hoping the whole time you would show us Benjamin's introduction to them. SO cute! Each of those uh...uh... will be words before you know it!! Sweet little man.

I’m glad to see you guys putting the safety of your animals first and giving them to a good home if they don’t work out

Benjamin's reaction to the chicks is so adorable. And Molly is going to be so happy, we had to rehome our puppy, and sometimes you have to do the hard thing and do what's best for the pup. At least you will all get to see her and love on her occasionally! She seems like a great dog!

Lots of happaning with you. Im super happy for Liam. Wow your an angel Laura for sure. Sweet Molly is going to have so much attention & Russel can calm down. Thanks for letting us share in your family life the way you do. Its truly a mental health break to see you when you opened that box & Benjamin just so excited. Just love seeing this. Thanks again.😳💥

Your chicken coup would rent as a two bedroom apartment in CA for $3K/mo! Haha

Laura how sweet of you guys to be so good to Russel to give up Molly-his behavior was very extreme, he deserved to be happy-good call. Liam’s happy too-good for him. Be SUPER careful with a heat lamp, they scare the heck outa me. I’m from MI and we had 2 kennels burn up this last winter from heat lamps, one was my brothers friend, saw the other on the news. We never had heat for our chicken coup growing up and those were hard winters. Love Chickens!

So happy it all fell into place for Molly and that Russell is a lot happier. Some times God works in mysterious ways - I truly believe it was meant to be this way. So happy I have found your channel! Your gardens are beautiful and you are so amazing on camera, giving great advise! Love love the new chicks! So cute!

Glad Molly is still in the family. Great decision on what is best for everyone. ❤️ We had to make the same decision once, it’s hard but the right thing.

Benjamin's reaction priceless🐣🐤🐓 Kind of sad Russell and Molly didn't get along, but you made the right decision.

First I have to say that Benjamin is absolutely adorable. Those gorgeous eyes, oh my!! I'm sitting here grinning from ear to ear watching him interact with the chickens! I grew up with ducks in the back yard and I have such great memories of them as pets. They would come when I'd call them by name! Benjamin will love them. It must have been a difficult decision for you to find a forever home for Molly with family, but I'm so glad that Russell is happy now. He must have been very upset to throw himself against the French door that way. Your home will be less stressful for everyone, and Molly will have all the love and attention she needs. In my house our kitties rule, and everything we do is with them in mind! It's their house, we just live here!! I'd love to have chickens, but I'm still working on convincing my husband!

So happy for the chickens. Brings good childhood memories. Can’t wait to see them grow!

Happy decision for molly. I bet she is so excited to have rambunctious kids to love her and always be ready to play. It was a responsible choice, a hard choice and considerate as well. You must have been meant to bring a new puppy into your family’s life! I can’t wait for more videos especially with more Russell and chicken appearances.

I’m so glad to see the support in the comments for the decision you made with Molly. It was clearly stressful for you, especially having to tell your audience. But how special that it worked out so perfectly!! I think your nephew and Molly were meant to be best friends. 💕 Congrats on the chickens! And thanks for sharing your life with us.

You did the best thing for Russell and Molly; I can see that you are so but it was the right thing to do! I am so looking forward to watching the chickens grow up and the coup come together :)

The coop looks great! I've done chicken wire, and then had snakes to get in after the baby chicks, after that I installed hardware cloth. I like to use grass carpet in my nesting boxes, just hose them off when dirty. I compost my fall leaves in the chicken run the chickens will turn it into compost faster than any other way.

Oh Laura chickens are so much fun!! Also you could hang a swing made out of a big branch and the chickens will love to swing!! We made one for our chickens and really thy love to swing!!! Also giving Molly to Liam was the perfect solution so you can still see her!! What a wonderful thing to do!! Love Benjamin and the chickens!! So cute he is living the good life!!!

Really enjoying your channel. Thank you very much for investing the time. Tip on nest boxes from my experience: build your boxes such that they will hold a plastic dishpan. You’ll find that soooo much easier to clean. Sometimes eggs get broken in the nest and make a mess that is practically impossible to clean out otherwise. Keep up the good work...and enjoy EVERY MINUTE OF IT!

How exciting about your baby chicks.. you have inspired me to get more chickens. Thank you for posting the link, we will be buying more chicks. We place apple cider vinegar in the chickens water to keep them healthy and prevent infection. One cap full per gallon of agua. What a tough decision to have made in regards to Molly. You have a good heart, good decision. Enjoy your baby chickens. I used backyard chicken website to help Guide me through the years of chickens. I live in Pennsylvania and I dont have heat for my chickens. They have adult feathers and are fine. I do have a heated water bowl to prevent the water from freezing in the winter that's about it. I have bundles of lavender hung upside down in my coop to help keep the bugs away. An added plus of lavender scent in the coop. We use lime under the bedding to help control bugs (mites) from nesting. Lime also helps keep the urine smell down.

Agree that coffee and Garden Answer is a great way to start the day!

Awwwwwwwww, Congratulations on getting your chickens. They are so cute. Benjamin is so darling, he was funny, trying to pet them, so sweet. You did the right thing for Molly, that's great that you will still be able to see her. Dogs are wonderful, but they are a lot of work.

What a fun new addition with the chickens. They will definitely undermine even the best laid plans you have for them, and will teach you a lot. They will surprise you with what they are capable of. Mine sure did. We have Buffs also, and are the sweetest chickens, with great personalities. Have fun with the new babies. 🐥💖

Is that fun to get chicks in the mail? McMurray Hatchery is awesome and You chose great breeds! The hen house is beautiful (they will enjoy sitting on your supply shelf!! lol ).

Ahhh-chicken day! 🐓🙌🏼 They are so cute and it was endearing how sweet you were with them, their new momma ❤️ I’m sad for you guys about Mollie but I feel you made the right decision. Putting Russell’s position in the family first, that’s a good pet owner. Best of luck with your new feather babies. Can’t wait for updates!

So excited by the chickens!!! Wish we had the room to have some so like I said earlier we will live our chicken dreams through Garden Answer. So sorry to hear about Mollie but it seemed like she was meant for your nephew, you guys have big hearts. lots of blessings going your ways. We still have a mail package we need to send you guys but there is something special we want to include and so sory we havent. it should be going out soon though. So im on the computer and there is no heart emoji, so six green hearts going your way. Still figuring out the computer thing, phones are so much easier. LOL Happy Easter to you and yours!

I was so excited when I saw this video pop up this morning. I paused, refreshed my morning coffee and sat down to enjoy. I LOVE chickens and have been keeping them since I was a child. Another breed that is very friendly from Murray McMurray are the 'Easter Eggers' which are really a Mutt breed of aracauna and ameracauna and a couple other breeds, but they lay coloured eggs. You'll get blue/green/pinkish brown so that is always exciting for children. This 'breed' is also very friendly. I currently have three Easter Eggers, 2 Buff Orpingtons (SO friendly) and 1 white leghorn. I've never had a leghorn before as they are mainly known to be good layers of white eggs that lay early, but are not frienly. I have to agree with that. She always is a bit skiddish whilst the others happily come up to me. But, she is strikingly white and will had a nice white egg to my mix of brown from the Orpingtons and Coloured from the Easter Eggers. I have to say, what will most likely happen is they will try and roost on your shelf or on top of the nesting boxes. I know whenever I make a place for them to roost they will often choose what they like. I had a really tall old wooden bookcase in my coop for nesting boxes and I had two chickens that always roosted on the top of that, which was over 6 feet high. They can fly and like to roost high up (genetically it makes sense as they'd be above the ground for night predators) I've never heard of that bedding before. I have a plastic lining in my coop and basically do a good brush out once every three weeks and put that all straight into my flower beds around my coop. Obviously some of it goes into the compost to mature as we all know how good chicken droppings are for veg and such, but the straight bedding, not composted goes into my flowers and they seem to thrive on it. Good luck and enjoy them, I LOVE the morning routine of watching the hens explore whilst I drink my morning brew. And for your sweet Molly, it sounds like it was the best decision. I might also suggest when you do get a new puppy get her as young as you can, some breeders will sell puppies at three months and although some think it too soon, the smaller the puppy the more it will 'grow up' with the cat and the more they will understand one another. Thank you for this wonderful morning with chickens. And I am envious of that coop. I'm going to be building a new run this Summer and also plan on planting roses. I'll have to see how your thornless variety work.

you'll want to mount your roosts higher than your nest boxes or they will sleep and poop in them. They like height, and the the more dominant ones will roost the highest. I'd cover the whole floor in the bedding otherwise you'll end up scraping poop off concrete. what a fun adventure for you guys! I love chickens!

My family and I have had chickens for years. During the summer, we tie up a head of cabbage or a bunch of grapes. It creates a gam for the chickens and VERY entertaining to watch.

The kids are so darn cute and so are all the animals. Good for you two for making sure all pets involved are happy. Blessings

Happy Chicken Day! I’m looking forward to seeing them grow up and start laying eggs. So exciting. Liam is soooo cute and sweet with Molly. I admire your bravery in finding her another home and your courage for sharing your story. I appreciate that you are always kind and sincere. You make the world a better place!

Good morning! How exciting to get your baby chicks. As for Molly, you could see her and your nephew already had a bond. That's always sweet to see when dogs find their forever home.

Oh Benjamin will have so much fun. Molly is in good hands. You did the right thing.

YAY!!! Chicks! Very exciting. I was wondering about Molly; God always has a beautiful plan. I know it was a hard decision; good pet people always make decisions based on what is best for the animal even if it hurts our human heart. I think Russell was wanting to protect HIS people from that huge fury very cute non-feline thing! He loves you guys. Hugs from Maryland.

Hey Laura! Chickens are so much fun, I've had mine for 4 years. I really love your coop! Your chickens are lucky. You definitely did the right thing by predator proofing your coop, eventually the predators will find it. For the roosts, I use 2x4s and some brackets that allow me to remove them for cleaning or easy replacement. I highly recommend the chicken chick blog, she has a book too, I have learned so much from her. You're off to a great start!

That was an awesome and wonderful decision you made to gift Molly to your sweet family. All ends well!

So awesome that your adorable chickens are finally here, amazing. I understand your decision on Molly, it sounds like she will be loved and well taken care of, and so wonderful how you care so much about Russell's feelings, that can be a hard thing, animals are so special, and now you have your amazing chickens, and watching Benjamin interact with them is just cute, he will love them and have so much fun growing up with them. Thanks for sharing you're both are so awesome and compassionate, that's what makes you such great people. See you in the next video, bye for now.

That was beautiful that you and your husband gave your nephew that precious puppy. Everything worked out so nicely. That was so sweet watching your son with the baby chicks. Really nice video. Thank you for letting us see all this. 🐥🐇🐣🐝🌺💐🌷🎀🐈🤗🌻

Love getting to see you bring home those sweet chick's. We had chickens growing up and many other animals...we lived on 5 acres of land in the house we built ourselves. I loved it!

I know how hard it is to give up a puppy but I’m so glad he went to a family member and little boys love love a dog and he seemed to be a sweet loving pup. Shepherds are wonderful and he looked like he was from the Longworth line of shepherds. They are largest of shepherds and very loving and protective! Looking forward to him growing up. Russell is like a protective ‘Dog’ so funny! I know he’s very happy. Really happy!😄😂🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓🐓 ❤️ the chicks! Fresh eggs! Yummmm

Re: your update; Liam with Molly in obedience will make for a very happy summer for both families, and for Russel! Also, now you and Aaron and Benjamin have a less-distracted chance to meet your chickens (minus Russel!)

So excited..you finally got your chickens! And what a nice thing you did for Aaron's sister's family! I'm sure it was the perfect solution. Hope Russell is doing well. We all just love him!

You might want an automatic water system. It’s easy and will save you so much stress and work. Most feed stores sell them. They poop in their water if it’s not high. No straw! Lol 🤗 Chickens are so much fun!

Benjamin's reactions were so priceless 😍😍😍

I just love you're chicken coop and the new chickens! So fun to see Benjamin's reaction. Sorry you had to give Mollie away but you sure found the best solution. I was worried about Russell so happy he's back in his element and all is right in his world once again. Looking forward to seeing the first eggs! 🐣💖

Awe! Don't you love how Benjamin experiences everything? My youngest is about a month younger than Benjamin and I can't get over watching her reaction to things. So happy for you. Enjoy your chickens!

Im glad you guys kept your sweet kitty. Russell probably grew up fending off dogs back in his stray days 😜

I'm excited for your chickens. I'm also so impressed with how you handled the situation with Mollie. I feel the same about my cats and getting a dog. I'm really glad you shared the situation with us. Thank you.

Naughty Russell. I will miss seeing Molly - love German Shepards. Glad she'll be in another nice home. Congrats on the new chix!

You are just such wonderful people! Watching you with Benjamin was so sweet. He is the most adorable little boy ~ congrats again to you and Aaron for you lovely family!

Enjoyed the unveiling of the chickens and coop! It's a beautiful coop. What a sweet and happy story about Mollie. Glad Russell is feeling better :)

I'm so glad that Liam and Mollie found each other ❤

You will WANT an automatic watering system for the chickens. Also they are going to poop everywhere so I’d recommend putting bedding down in the entire coop. If you don’t they will scratch it out everywhere for you :) If you get more chickens think about cutting a pvc pipe in half and hanging it from the ceiling for the food. It’s easier to feed them that way. We’ve had chickens since I was a baby and I even raised broilers for the livestock show. They are fun and pretty easy going animals once you tame them. Had one that thought it was a dog 🐶 Goodluck! I love watching your videos since I’m stuck in the city working on my degree 🍀Miss the land and animals back home

So cute with the chickens and my goodness, all the work involved to have them. So glad that you were able to find a home for Mollie with another loving family. Hard decision but it was the right choice for Russell. Great video and thanks for the explanation. Not easy to share all the nitty gritty going on in your life with tons of people...you do a great job!

The best and most comprehensive book I have ever read on chickens is "a chicken in every yard" I highly recommend it!

I'm so sad to see Molly have to go! I was really excited about the addition of a dog. She was so stinking cute! 🐶

Nice to see the video on your new chicken coup and the new chicks. Keep petting the chicks as this keeps them friendly with Benjamin. He is so cute.

Love the chicks! We had two cats that didn't get along, and one started spraying, so I totally get how heartbreaking it is when pets don't get along. Molly is a beautiful dog, and it was meant to be!

You two are doing what’s right for your family and that’s more than admirable! Don’t ever doubt that 💕

Great job with the chicks! Will miss Molly, but probably for the best. Hope you show her once in a while! Benjamin is getting so big! Brave boy, petting chicks! Good luck!

Hello! I stumbled across your videos a few weeks ago, trying to find information about planting in a shady garden. Well, now I’m addicted to watching all of your videos. Thank you for the wealth of information you share. Hellebores and hydrangeas are now in my garden, along with hostas and I get so many compliments, thanks to you❤️

I was actually glad to hear Molly found another great home. I was kind of sad for Russell who seemed to really like following you around and now that had been somewhat displaced. Not all cats respond well to dogs and especially a dog so much bigger than them, it was probably scary for Russell, which is why he was attacking. Love the chickens, so cute.

What a wonderful thing you did for Molly. Its great how you thought of Russell! He could have really been hurt. Loved how Benjamin liked the chickens he's a cutie!