Please Help!

[chickenmamakimberly]

I am a newbie to chickens. I have a few questions.
1.) my father-in-law built an amazing coop for my 5 mixed breed chickens. They are 6 weeks old and I just moved them out to their run/coop this weekend. I am having a problem getting them to go into their coop at night. My son has to climb in the run and hand them to me so I can tuck them in. They want to sleep in the corner of the run. I would leave them locked in the coop like suggested in other threads, but I am in the deep south and it is 95 degrees with very high humidity. I have tried leaving them in until lunch but they are panting. The love it at night once I get them in there. I tried a light last night and it didn't work either. Suggestions much appreciated.
2.) The run has grass only now. What is the best thing to put down in the run? Mulch? Sand? Nothing? When they are bigger I will let them free range.
3.) If I have 2 roosters can they live happily if there are only 3 hens? The ones I believe to be roos are an Easter Egger and a Polish/Silky cross.
4.) I have a container with ash and a smidge of DM earth and they won't dust bathe in it. They are dust bathing in the corner of the run, which would be fine if it wasn't compromising the corner of the coop. It is getting too low in that corner and I'm afraid a predator will dig under it.

Sorry for the book. I hope someone can help!

 

[DobieLover]

1) This is what I did with my 5.5 week old chicks when they were first moved into the coop/run:
They had no trouble getting out of the coop. They couldn't really figure how to get back up the ramp to get in. One by one, I picked them up and walked them up the ramp until they saw the pop door and ran on in. After this lesson, to help them re-enter on their own, I would put a trail of dried meal worms on the ramp.
How high off the ground is the door into the coop? Are they reluctant to go into the coop because it is too hot in there even at night? Do you have lots of ventilation? I added more ventilation to my coop as I felt it was warmer in the coop than outside and that isn't good during the summer months.

2) What you put down will depend somewhat on where you are located and how easy it will be to clean it out. My run was not designed for easy human access. I can get in, but I have to stoop. I too allow my birds to free range most of the day. The part of my run with a slanted roof over it has wood chips covering the ground with some old logs and branches for them to scratch at and perch on. They love scratching around in the wood chips.
The rest of my run is grass. It has remained green over the 2 months that the flock has been in there because they are out far more often than they are in the run. We also made sure the coop/run area was higher than the entire area around it so we get no water pooling in it at all.

3) No! Even if by some miracle the 2 rooster get along, they will over-breed the hens.

4) I put down quite a deep area made level with sand and DM mixed in for dust bathing. They've never used it! They dust bathe in the mulch under my cranberry viburnum next to our deck.
We installed a predator skirt all the way around our run. It is made of 1/2" hardware cloth and extends out 2 feet. Even if the chickens dig a low spot, nothing will get in.

 

[Bryant Redhawk]

you would need at least 12 hens for two roosters (6 hens per roo is a good way to keep hens from being over bred). Do check the day time temp of the coop, you need to know how well the ventilation is working. My coop is in shade with two windows and the upper perimeter has a 6 " to 14" 1/2" doubled mesh covered exit vent (at the roof line). DobieLover gave great advice on getting chicks to go in at night as well as the predator skirt and the run area.

 

[chickenmamakimberly]

It's pretty hot here but does cool off nicely at night. I have 2 windows for ventilation in the top of the coop and in the front, but the front is inside the run so it could keep air from flowing. I can't wait to find out if my chicks are hens or roos! Thank you for your advice. I will try to lure them/help them up the ramp with worms. They get down just fine. They LOVE the run! The coop is in the shade right now and for the rest of the evening. It gets morning sun.

 

[Dmontgomery]

1) I agree with the trail of worms. Or pieces of bread or any other treats they like.
2) In the summer I use grass clippings. Mow the grass in the yard and bag it up. Then toss it in the run. They love to scratch thru it looking for bugs. In the winter I rake up the leaves and throw them in. Eventually grass clippings and leaves will compost down to dirt.
3) No. I’ve never had 2 mature roosters get along in confinement. Right now I have 2 roosters and 50+ hens. The only reason they don’t fight constantly is because they free range all day. There are still squabbles at lock up.
4) Dig a hole in the middle of the run and refill the hole in the corner. Mine do the same thing as yours. I just rake the dirt back in after they rake it out. I’ve got an apron around mine so I’m not worried about the predators, but the holes get pretty deep after a while.

 

[JDN]

It's pretty hot here but does cool off nicely at night. I have 2 windows for ventilation in the top of the coop and in the front, but the front is inside the run so it could keep air from flowing. I can't wait to find out if my chicks are hens or roos! Thank you for your advice. I will try to lure them/help them up the ramp with worms. They get down just fine. They LOVE the run! The coop is in the shade right now and for the rest of the evening. It gets morning sun.

It might take a couple weeks but they'll get the hang of it.

 

[aart]

I am a newbie to chickens. I have a few questions.

Welcome to BYC!
Seeing some pics of the coop and run would help immensely.

An anti-dig apron should keep critters from digging in from the outside,
putting one on the inside, or pavers along edge of run can help keep the chickens form digging out:
Good examples of anti-dig apron installation, tho I'd not recommend 1/2" HC (unless you have small rodents like rats)...go with 14ga 1x2 or 1x1, will hold up much longer and is easier to lay flat.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1110498/wire-around-coop#post_17093528
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/new-coop-project.1169916/page-2#post-18481208

Also....
Where in this world are you located?
Climate is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, then it's always there!