Building our dream coop...

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That's a good.idea about the vent window flap. We may rework that.

Our 7 (ish)week old hens will stay in the coop for a bit...maybe a couple weeks? Do you think that's too long? I want them to be used to it before I let them in the run...then maybe let them out for a bit in the evening to see if they "go-to bed" and then earlier and earlier till the run is available sun up til sun down.
 
Sunshine said:
That's a good.idea about the vent window flap. We may rework that.

Our 7 (ish)week old hens will stay in the coop for a bit...maybe a couple weeks? Do you think that's too long? I want them to be used to it before I let them in the run...then maybe let them out for a bit in the evening to see if they "go-to bed" and then earlier and earlier till the run is available sun up til sun down.
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When you say "coop" do you mean the hen house itself? Or the hen house and the fenced run?

I would wait a couple of weeks before letting them free range in the whole yard just so they learn to roost in the henhouse at night (and don't run/hide in the yard somewhere), but they should be fine going into the coop run from just about the first day, though you may want to let them explore the run when you can watch them just in case they do something unexpected. I would put their food right inside the hen house door and put them in the hen house, then open the door to the run a while later. If they are used to go outside with a similar fence now they should be fine (unless they get frightened by something or until they start to fly, then all bets are off).

Teach them to come for treats when called, bring out a dish of something extra yummy a couple of times a day and get them to all run over for it so it is easier to round them up in the hen house at night (chasing doesn't work, but bribery does most of the time).

And yeah snakes are the biggest worry here. I didn't see ANY for the first year, but the second year they started showing up and I lost some chicks to them. Took me a while to seal up the area around the hen house door (they can get in the smallest hidden gaps). Now I just accept the two coop rat snakes and carry them out as needed, the same snakes have lived in the coop for 3 years so they are basically outdoor pets. Once your hens are 6+ months old it shouldn't be a problem, but until then they are at risk at night when the weather turns warm (if you have snakes in your area).
 
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Proud to report...after some heavy rain this morning the inside.of our coop is bone dry! I have to admit I was worried about the big opening in the front but it was dry up there too! Gonna have to think of some ways to say thanks to DH for making my idea a thing!
 
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They're here!!!3 days early. And only 5 weeks old. They've assured me they are weened off heat lamp and have been in outside pens the past week. It's been pretty cold and expected to stay 50 and above now. So I shouldn't worry right? I was expecting them to be a couple weeks older. But they look good! And found their food and water right away. They all ran to the corner when I tried to get a pic.

When would they start flying to the roosts?
 
Amish Heart said:
I just put 9 outside in a temp cage that are about the same age as yours. They're not big enough to hang with the big guys yet, and I'll probably sell all but one I want to keep anyway. In a few weeks, yours will be running around like they own the place. All newbies are like that.
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I don't have a big ones. So they do own the place. Lol


They all survived the night. I haven't let them out of the coop though. I'm so worried about how tiny they are. They look like they could get through the holes of the fence! I might just keep them in for a bit...they have plenty of room. The coop is 6x12.
 
Sunshine said:
View attachment 6416 ...They've assured me they are weened off heat lamp and have been in outside pens the past week. It's been pretty cold and expected to stay 50 and above now. So I shouldn't worry right?...When would they start flying to the roosts?
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Fully feather chicks don't need auxiliary heat. Once they get over their fear of the strange place they will be roosting on anything they can. I thought something had got into my coop and took all of my month old chicks. Found them tucked on the far end of the top roost, about 4 feet off the floor. How they got up there I don't know.
 
6 chicks at 10 square feet per chick = 60 square feet. Coop 6' x 12' equals 72 square feet. I'd keep them in the coop two weeks (before letting them access to the run) so they know where home is. That way when it starts getting dark outside they will automatically head for home to roost.
 
I noticed the top of your nest box is flat,as soon as the can fly they will start sitting on top of it and start fertilizing it .you might want to cover it with something washable or put a plywood top on a 45 deg so they can't sit up there.:)

One thing I found that works great in a chicken house is rubber roofing,I cut one that covered the floor and when it got nasty I just pulled it out and took the hose to it.I can be had from roof supply places cheap most of them get a roll with flaws from time to time and just throw it away.
 
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OBG 57 said:
I noticed the top of your nest box is flat,as soon as the can fly they will start sitting on top of it and start fertilizing it .you might want to cover it with something washable or put a plywood top on a 45 deg so they can't sit up there.:)
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Yes we were thinking of that. DH was going to put a board 45° like you said.
 
The Lazy L said:
6 chicks at 10 square feet per chick = 60 square feet. Coop 6' x 12' equals 72 square feet. I'd keep them in the coop two weeks (before letting them access to the run) so they know where home is. That way when it starts getting dark outside they will automatically head for home to roost.
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Does that rule apply to grown hens that would have free range during the day? I was hoping my coop would house more than 7 hens.
 
The girls are doing good and making themselves at home.

I tried to let them into the run the other day but they slipped right through the holes in the fence!!!

Thankfully, our dog didn't know what was going on and I was able to secure him while DH got the little escape artists back into the coop.

They didn't seem to want to be outside , and we're scrambling to find a way back in. I guess theyre just to young.

I don't like the water situation. It's temporary. We are working on something for that. Stay tuned.
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@Sunshine What size chicken wire did you guys buy? The chicks look to big to go through the wire I bought. :)

I bought a metal waterer and feeder then hung them with string from the roof. For little chicks and a waterer like yours I made a wire harness around the bottle part so I could hang it off the floor with string.

I went back and measured. The holes in my chicken wire are 1.5 inches wide and 1 inch tall.

chicken wire_v1.jpg
 
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The Lazy L said:
Suggestion. Put a few blocks under the waterer to bring the drinking part up level with the chicken's backs. It will help keep the shavings out and make it easier for them to drink.
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I did do that for one. ( There are 2 on the coop one by the feeder in the front and the one you saw in the back. )I will have to find another brick lol
 
Sunshine said:
That's better. I'm planning on yryint to keep my flock around 20 give or take a few. But I'll stick with just these six for now.
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The hen house (vs whole coop) dimensions can be tricky since the guideline does not factor in snow or a lack of it. In areas with snow the chickens can end up in the hen house almost constantly for months so the birds need more floor space to keep from going crazy and squabbling etc...

In areas without snow they only use the hen house for laying and sleeping so figure 1.5 feet of roost space per bird and give them plenty of outdoor run space (at least 10 sq ft of run space each or much more if you can manage it, crowded birds get bored and can pick on each other, give them space to avoid the birds they don't get along with).

I have a 4x8 hen house and will have 15 birds in it (though 5 are bantams, but the current 11 adults take up less than half the roost space). That is plenty of space since they only sleep in it and lay, though they do have a covered 6x8 patio area where they spend much of the day and they do use that if we have rain/storms (instead of the hen house) and a 40x25 ft run area. If they end up crowded inside during storms consider giving them a covered area next to the hen house as they will absolutely love it (easy to add and no cleanup) and it gets far more use than the hen house itself (especially if you add a couple of outdoor roosts under the cover). My birds hang out in their covered patio 1/2 the day despite the fact there is plenty of shade in the run.
 
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