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Hi everyone! I had to start all over with a new flock. My last flock was a mix, but for this flock I went with all Cochins (10 hens, 1 rooster, 1 free unknown sex), half white, half blue/black. Since I don’t raise chicks often, I made my own brooder (temporary/recyclable) out of two...

Thanks for the info

I have a light in the coop that's on a timer. My chickens had light from 630A to 8p every day, and the door to the coop was programmed the same way. Mine wasn't solar powered. Might need to add an outdoor light.

The coop has a concrete floor, so we aren’t too worried about digging (also, no indications of digging). I programmed my door to close several hours after sunset. Should I time it to close earlier? I’m worried about my chickens getting locked out.

I started with a premade coop that had a 10 x 10 welded wire run all around. I lost one chicken (strangled) and put garden cloth around the base of the coop (no more deaths). This year, I renovated a room in my barn and put my flock in a much larger, 40 x 50 run with a 14 x 20 coop. One night...

Yeah, your first chickens is certainly a roller coaster of not having a clue what's going on, but what a wild ride! It's so satisfying to have a healthy flock and all the eggs you need. Best of luck on your continuing adventures with the chickens.

Thank goodness. Our chickens are important to us and we are pretty protective of them. Hopefully my new setup will still keep them safe.

Yep. That’s why you either have a wire overhead or secure your coop at night. You can do with the horse wire in the overhead because chickens won’t be in the overhead, so even if the raccoon reaches through, he is not in arm’s reach of a chicken. It is super important to cover areas where...

When I first started raising chickens (only about three years ago) We got a premade coop with a completely enclosed run (10' x 10'). We had one chicken die (strangled through the fence). We put plastic garden hardware cloth around the base of the run and it works pretty well. If I had the budget...

Oh heck yeah. I just built them a 30’ x 40’ outdoor run. It specifically connects their old premade coop with the barn and their new coop in the barn.

How you secure your coop depends on your budget and your setup. If you are worried about coons at night, you have a few options. Whether you use an automatic or manual coop door, you want something you can lock/latch or that automatically locks. Hardware cloth on windows or ventilation openings...

I’m going to start transitioning the chickens to the new coop tomorrow. I’ll keep a good nose out to see if my ventilation is good enough. Honestly I got them in a bigger run and am moving them to the barn so that they don’t have to be stuck in a small 2’ x 3’ coop or brave rain/snow, mud, and...

The chicken door at least is on batteries, but point taken.

We’ve left two 2’ x 2’ windows open but screened off between the coop and the rest of the barn. The ceiling is beams and there are 3” x 12” spaces between each beam and the next (I have garden cloth closing them off. Do I need spaces for air to move or forced ventilation?

Thank you! If you are interested, I just finished my coop to habitable standards today. I posted pictures in the thread as a reply to someone else. I have timed lights AND a timed chicken door, so the chickens will have a steady schedule no matter what Mother Nature does.

I live in southern Indiana right near the Kentucky border. It gets around 10 F or maybe a little colder in winter. My roosts are at 6 feet because the previous owner put in heavy wood stanchions for two milk cows and it would have taken a lot of work to pull all the wood out and put in new...

I’m getting a room in my barn ready for a new coop for my chickens. It used to be an old cow milking area, and what I think will be their roost is about 6’ off the floor. I have the following questions/concerns: 1. It should be less windy/drafty than their current coop, but I’m still concerned...

I’ve been wondering how high are safe perches. This helps a bit, thank you.

Question about flock management: I have a flock of 2 black sex links, 1 buff orpington, 2 easter eggers, 4 rhode island reds, and 1 rhode island red rooster. The hens will all be three years old in the spring, the rooster will be one year old. I'm thinking of moving to a flock of cochins or...