Just got 2 hens, need advice.

[Ridgerunner]

I’m not sure exactly why Alaskan, but I like that nest. It just looks so real.

TSC is Tractor Supply Company. It’s a national farming store chain. A lot of us in the State get out chicken feed and a lot of supplies there.

The main thing with a coop is to keep it dry. As long as it is dry, it should be healthy. And you have enough room for two hens.


There is little doubt the chickens would love those treats, but sometimes things just don’t work out. What kind of bug, probably a beetle, will those grubs morph into? Maybe that would convince your daughter.

 

[AstroTurf]

On the worms, I'm thinking of using compost as my substrate for the ground then re composing it once used up. Mainly because of the bug content and because it will absorb moisture as well as smell very quickly. Good idea or bad idea?

@deacons I will duct tape the container to the lid (which is glued to the drip tray and drying as we speak) till I am sure it is secure. I'll also attach it to a corner of the cage so that they can not move it.

I'll carry on trying to convince my daughter, she loves all things living though. Caught her first frog at age 2, held a salmon pink at age 3, held a young reticulated python at age 4 and zero fear yet plenty caution for all things animal.

 

[AstroTurf]

 

[Mr King]

Like ridgerunner said Tsc is a national supply store where alot af us get the animal feeds and supplys. About the feeder you dont have to worry too much what your using is fine if you feed them once a day like i do.just mesure what they eat and give them that. This will prevent all the feed spilled and attract rodents.(so your cat won't have much work to do at night. your kind of chickens should eat around 150 to 250 grams a day. I feed mine every afternoon.

 

[AstroTurf]

Lol so tsc is your version of a "plaas korporasie" farm cooperation type thing.

I want the feeder mainly because with the current bowl wastes around 25% of what I put in.

 

[Alaskan]

On the worms, I'm thinking of using compost as my substrate for the ground then re composing it once used up. Mainly because of the bug content and because it will absorb moisture as well as smell very quickly. Good idea or bad idea?

@deacons I will duct tape the container to the lid (which is glued to the drip tray and drying as we speak) till I am sure it is secure. I'll also attach it to a corner of the cage so that they can not move it.

I'll carry on trying to convince my daughter, she loves all things living though. Caught her first frog at age 2, held a salmon pink at age 3, held a young reticulated python at age 4 and zero fear yet plenty caution for all things animal.

yes, the chickens would love to have access to a compost pile.

The people on this site that do "deep litter" are actually trying to make a compost pile as the floor of their coop.

 

[AstroTurf]

Some pictures of "improvements" and modifications.


Roof: Waterproofed the tin on the roof, Covered it in packaging material (the shiny stuff) that also goes down the one side to the floor. The stuff is waterproof and reflects heat away from the cage (We need that in South Africa, my temperatures can go up to around 38'c in Summer).
I also put some polystyrene on the roof to keep it cooler in winter and warmer in summer. As I get time I will cover the whole roof in this then cover that in more of the silver packaging material for neatness sake.
btw, the greens on the left are Mustard Spinach. They absolutely love the stuff.




Little feeder: I had to modify it after making it as the hole was to big. Once I fixed the hole they were messing food everywhere. I then took another drip tray, cut the bottom out of it and attached it to the first drip tray inverted to make the area they feed from deeper. No fresh mess after that.
I will be making them a watering thing next as the water bowl they have at the moment is also being used as a perch. I elevated it slightly and that helps a great deal but I want it to stay clean for longer than a day.
Substrate: Compost from my compost heap. They absolutely love it, Scratching and pecking has not stopped since I put it in. Lots of bugs and seeds for them, I also think they like the smell.
The chicken that is closest is also the tamest. She "sits" when you scratch behind her neck and has no issue with being picked up. The other (smaller) one is slightly less tame but still has no issues with people.





I put a couple of Perches up at the top yesterday but think I put them up to close to the roof as both chickens slept on the ladder last night. I will give them another night to decide then if they do not sleep on them I will lower them slightly.
Also visible in picture 1 if anyone wants to comment on height

Thank you for this great resource, the advice and information here has been a great help.

 

[Mr King]

Some pictures of "improvements" and modifications. Roof: Waterproofed the tin on the roof, Covered it in packaging material (the shiny stuff) that also goes down the one side to the floor. The stuff is waterproof and reflects heat away from the cage (We need that in South Africa, my temperatures can go up to around 38'c in Summer). I also put some polystyrene on the roof to keep it cooler in winter and warmer in summer. As I get time I will cover the whole roof in this then cover that in more of the silver packaging material for neatness sake. btw, the greens on the left are Mustard Spinach. They absolutely love the stuff. Little feeder: I had to modify it after making it as the hole was to big. Once I fixed the hole they were messing food everywhere. I then took another drip tray, cut the bottom out of it and attached it to the first drip tray inverted to make the area they feed from deeper. No fresh mess after that. I will be making them a watering thing next as the water bowl they have at the moment is also being used as a perch. I elevated it slightly and that helps a great deal but I want it to stay clean for longer than a day. Substrate: Compost from my compost heap. They absolutely love it, Scratching and pecking has not stopped since I put it in. Lots of bugs and seeds for them, I also think they like the smell. The chicken that is closest is also the tamest. She "sits" when you scratch behind her neck and has no issue with being picked up. The other (smaller) one is slightly less tame but still has no issues with people. I put a couple of Perches up at the top yesterday but think I put them up to close to the roof as both chickens slept on the ladder last night. I will give them another night to decide then if they do not sleep on them I will lower them slightly. Also visible in picture 1 if anyone wants to comment on height Thank you for this great resource, the advice and information here has been a great help.

Looks perfect to me.!

 

[Alaskan]

looks wonderful!

 

[AstroTurf]

I’m not sure exactly why Alaskan, but I like that nest. It just looks so real.

TSC is Tractor Supply Company. It’s a national farming store chain. A lot of us in the State get out chicken feed and a lot of supplies there.

The main thing with a coop is to keep it dry. As long as it is dry, it should be healthy. And you have enough room for two hens.


There is little doubt the chickens would love those treats, but sometimes things just don’t work out. What kind of bug, probably a beetle, will those grubs morph into? Maybe that would convince your daughter.

Forgot to mention the worms turn into tok-tokkies (dung beetles) called tok-tokkies cause of the sound they make tapping their carapace on the ground during mating season.