4week old chicks in coop overnight

[rosemarythyme]

We have this coop and then attached a large run to it and predator proofed/reinforced everything. So inside there is 17sqft and there are windows on either side but I still think it would be too hot to lock them in there for a few days to “home” it. The run we made and attached is 9’x13’, which we secured to the backside of this coop. We just took that door off the bottom so they can get in/out - up/down. I can still escort them to bed each night, no problem. And yes with these temperatures heat has been my main concern. I’m dying myself lol

The 17 sq ft includes the nests, which you don't want the chickens in. So actual floor space is about 9 sq ft. That may be an issue down the line, but let's look at ventilation first.

Unfortunately prefabs are notorious for lacking in ventilation. I assume that's not an actual ridge vent on top. Are the monitor windows open? Hard to tell if the door is partially or completely open mesh for ventilation. Is there other ventilation open that's not shown? Is there ample shade over the coop and run area?

In a hot climate you'd be better off removing one wall entirely - like I'd give serious thought to completely taking off one bank of nests (you only need a single nest box for 4 hens) and then covering the remaining opening with hardware cloth, securely attached with fender washers and screws, or with trim wood screwed down. You can probably keep the existing "roof" of the nest box in place, to prop open like an awning for climate protection over the vent.

Also chicks do not instinctively use ramps. So you may need to teach them to use it, and will likely need to manually put them in until they do.

 

[Saveria]

You probably also need an 18" apron around the bottom of the run to deter digging predators. Let me know if you need more info about how to do that.

 

[AMD10]

You probably also need an 18" apron around the bottom of the run to deter digging predators. Let me know if you need more info about how to do that.

We did that already

 

[Saveria]

We did that already

Awesome. I am sorry if I missed that in the description above. I sometimes miss stuff on accident.

 

[AMD10]

The 17 sq ft includes the nests, which you don't want the chickens in. So actual floor space is about 9 sq ft. That may be an issue down the line, but let's look at ventilation first.

Unfortunately prefabs are notorious for lacking in ventilation. I assume that's not an actual ridge vent on top. Are the monitor windows open? Hard to tell if the door is partially or completely open mesh for ventilation. Is there other ventilation open that's not shown? Is there ample shade over the coop and run area?

In a hot climate you'd be better off removing one wall entirely - like I'd give serious thought to completely taking off one bank of nests (you only need a single nest box for 4 hens) and then covering the remaining opening with hardware cloth, securely attached with fender washers and screws, or with trim wood screwed down. You can probably keep the existing "roof" of the nest box in place, to prop open like an awning for climate protection over the vent.

Also chicks do not instinctively use ramps. So you may need to teach them to use it, and will likely need to manually put them in until they do.

Yea you’re right, so under the roof is like a thick, bendy, clear plastic-y material. I can remove it and replace with hardware cloth. The door on the coop itself is mesh on top and that same clear plastic material on the bottom, I can do the same here and remove the thick plastic and replace with hardware cloth. Additionally, the whole run has a roof and is well shaded by trees. The hardware cloth is currently dug 12-18” underground every inch of the coop and run, and secured with fender washers and screws.

So far the chicks have made their way to that first small landing on the ramp but not all the way into the coop. The “door” is on the floor too, so to lock them in I will need to put something on the inside and cover it up at night. I could always just leave them in the coop (inside and on the bottom), without access to the larger expanded run, until they are larger and more used to the space. They do spend their days in the whole pre-fab coop already since it’s been so hot here, mostly scratching around the grass. It would just be keeping them in over night which I wasn’t sure about yet.

Thanks so much for your thorough response and support!

 

[SBURKE55]

Ventilation means having predator proof, open air flow inside the coop - in hotter climates it's vital to provide as much as possible, around 2-3 sq ft per bird, 24/7. Has nothing to do with the run space, unless you're saying it's an open air coop run combo where it's a single open space?


^ This. Leaving the chicks inside the coop for several days or longer will help home them to it, however do not attempt to use this method if you do not have ample ventilation, floor space, and can keep an eye on temperatures inside the coop. Heat stress is a bigger issue for chickens than getting chilled.

so if mine are used to being outside for a few hours in the morning and in the evening, could I just move them in the coop each night and then just open it for them every morning to let them out? (I already leave the door to the coop open and they will use the ramp to go in and out of the coop from the run as they please.) Will that help them know that the coop is home or do I need to something else?

 

[Saveria]

Are they living in something other than the main coop? Is that what you mean?

Chickens will usually want to go to where they woke up, so it is possible they will want to go to where you put them the night before. You always have to watch to make sure for that first week or two.

If they aren't getting it, you can close them in the coop for a couple of days with food and water, if there is sufficient ventilation when the coop is closed, and it doesn't get too hot inside (90s, but even 80s for some breeds). What is your climate like?

 

[rosemarythyme]

so if mine are used to being outside for a few hours in the morning and in the evening, could I just move them in the coop each night and then just open it for them every morning to let them out? (I already leave the door to the coop open and they will use the ramp to go in and out of the coop from the run as they please.) Will that help them know that the coop is home or do I need to something else?

It's not quite the same as locking them in around the clock (which works great on adults, chicks are a little more iffy, though it's worked for me), but if you don't mind potentially needing to herd them in the evening that's a perfectly acceptable way to do it. They will eventually learn either way.