Garden planting time!

Thursday we planted some things in the garden after DH had rototilled.  We planted beans, peas, cabbage, cucumbers, pumpkins, potatoes.  But before that we went to Huntsville Botanical Gardens plant sale and bought some tomatoes (DH is afraid that the ones he started from seed arent going to make it though they look fine to me) and I picked up some herbs and flowers.  Then we went out to eat at Sitar Indian Restaurant and had the buffet.  They raised the price on the buffet but we better get used to having to pay more to go out to eat I guess with fuel prices going up and the crazy weather affecting the planting seasons.  We have more potatoes to plant yet and I ordered some Jerusalem artichokes and they should be here next week.  Dont really care if we eat them or not.  They look like sunflowers and are really pretty. 

The girls are driving me crazy.  They come out of the coop first thing in the morning and then after 15 minutes out go back in and sit in there panting...crazy.  Then I go out to give them fresh water and check their food situation at noon and they go out under the tarp we have set up but 15 minutes after I go back in they go back into the coop...although they do come back out about 3-4 pm. and play and graze.  They love clover but not the flowers lol.  We are thinking of getting an exhaust fan and putting it in the side of the coop.  Has anyone ever tried this?  That coop was really hot this past week when the temp was close to 85 and this summer it will be even hotter.  I put a solar spot light in the ground facing the window so they have some light going in the coop just in case some other critter happens to get in there then they can see it.  We were turning on the outside porch light but I didnt think it gave off enough light out to the coop and besides it was drawing all the bugs to the screen on the door.  We havent had the heat or air conditioning on just been relying on good old fresh air.  Some of the neighbors had theirs turned on, I'm thinking heat at night and air conditioning during the day.  Cant see the sense in paying out all that money for something I can do for free.  Ya know what I mean?

Any suggestions about cooling the coop would be appreciated.

Talk to ya later!

Denise