7-week olds...where to put them at night while coop being built?

[kuntrychick]

I have 10 7-week olds (still gotta give the roosters away even though I'm attached

). My hubby is still in the process of building a coop but can only work on it on the weekends, weather permitting.

Since day 1 these "babies" have been in a watermelon box brooder on our back porch. For the past few weeks or so, every day I get them out of the watermelon box & put them in a cage & take them out & put them in what I call their "playpen". It's a chain-link 6x8 dog kennel (4 ft tall) that has a piece of metal on top of the back half as a make-shift roof like if they need shade or if it comes a shower, etc. There is a hanging waterer out there & I take their feeder out there from the watermelon box. Then, at night, load them all back up &'put them in the watermelon box brooder.

For the past week or so, I do the same routine except I leave the door to their "playpen" open where they can free-range with the other chickens. It's been working out great. The older chickens have gotten used to these "babies".

At dusk, when the older chickens are going to roost, the "babies" go into their "playpen". Then, I close the door, catch them & put them in the little cage & tote them back to their back porch watermelon box, put their feeder in there, etc. They do have a little roost in the watermelon box.

Do I just keep doing this until the coop is built or should I put some sort of make-shift coop for them in their "playpen"? I do have a small dogloo dog house & I have a small pet carrier that could go in there if needed. I wasn't sure what to do, but they're getting way too big for the watermelon box.

I do have a smaller "coop" that hubby had built for the now teenager chickens that is no longer being used. It is not where it can go in the "playpen" though. It's too tall. Also, the inside of it is not near as big as the inside of the watermelon box.

 

[GoldDogsMom]

no room in the big girls coop?

 

[teach1rusl]

Well, if you're willing to catch them each day, I'd opt for the dogloo. But you'd need to rig a door for it so that they could be well secured each night (do dogloos have ventilation???). I'd say you'd still be herding/catching them to stick them inside each night for a week or two though...

 

[SteveBaz]

At 7 weeks surely you planned something? Maybe you can get a list of stuff together for him and have it ready for Saturday to start.

Base posts for the floor footprint, flooring frame, floor boards and now you are on the way. That will get it going

Good luck

 

[kuntrychick]

Quote:
Well, at dusk they are easy to catch inside the "playpen" because they go into the "playpen" like that's their coop on their own. All I have to do is get in there with them (bending down of course cause it's only 4' high), pick them up & put them in the little cage I gather them all up in. Now if I try to get them before dusk, that is another story....chasing them all over the yard with 10 little fuzzy butts running in all different directions....LOL

I was thinking with the dogloo in there, they would automatically go in there or I could lure them in there with scratch. Yes, it has some ventilation, though not sure enough. It has a vent knob thingy at the top that you turn to open or close. And yes, I would have to rig up some sort of door, maybe making a vent in it with hardware cloth?

 

[kuntrychick]

Quote:
Um, yes I planned something alright even way before they hatched, but I can't do carpentry & hubby don't always get on his "honey do list" as much as I'd like....LOL

They can just grow SO FAST before you know it! Why can't they stay little fluffy butt chicks at least 3 weeks or so?!

Hubby has a bunch of the coop built & is gonna get back to it Saturday weather permitting. He has the floor,framed all 4 walls, including putting the siding on. He just has to finish trimming, putting in windows, making a door, putting in the external access nest boxes....probably more finishing touches. Oh, & the inside...insulation, wood over insulation, roosts, etc.

Hmmm....maybe I could just put something to be a make-shift door for it, cover up the hole where the nest boxes are going & go ahead & get them in there?

 

[kuntrychick]

Quote:
No, no room, especially with 4 teenagers in there now. I mean, I guess they could go in there & me put their little short roost on the floor & then I'm afraid the other chickens will poop all over them.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

I had a similar situation, eleven of them and man they started to get heavy..I used a pet carrier, playpen and kept the feed and water in the carrier, they would go into the carrier to roost at night, then I'd take the whole thing to the poarch, throw a rope over a beam and hoist them up for the night. Once the coop was framed in I hung them from the rafters, (much closer to the playpen) The night it was ready (with a door and everything) I was late to load em up, and they had just automatically gone right into the coop onto a bale of straw. All I had to do was close the door.
Just put the whole case right in the coop, then they won't get pooped on, they prob all still sleep in a pile anyway right?
Oh, another helpful trick, is to hand feed them, use a consistent noise and feed em - the greedy little buggers will fall for it practically every time, makes it easier to catch them

 

[kuntrychick]

Well, hubby was hoping to get done with the coop this past weekend but didn't make it since he decided to insulate it & all.

But, we came up with a temporary solution for the now 8 week old "babies".

Well, we converted their watermelon box brooder into a temporary coop inside the 6x8 dog kennel. He put some pieces of metal around the back & part of the sides (to protect the watermelon box from rain, etc.) & the roof of the dog kennel. He put the watermelon box up on wood he put together (kind of like a pallet) so it's not sitting directly on the ground. He also cut out a hole in the side of the box (pop door) for them to walk in & out. He put roosts in & I put their feeder & waterer right outside their "coop".

They run around with the other chickens all day & go in their "coop" at night & I close the dog kennel.

This is the 2nd night for them out there. So far, so good. They look so cute with their little fuzzy butts up on those roosts.

 

[SteveBaz]

You get chicks bc you love em and in 8 weeks its January still

OMG I have full size chicks!! I was thinking to pick a few more up but going to wait until mid-March or April. It will be here in a flash!!

I will be able to pick and choose what ever breed I want sexed and all from almost every resource around. The weather will be a bit wet with the rain and all but much better than the cold and when they are 4, 5, 6 weeks we will be in may warmer weather and out they go with the other kids to play with... well maybe in a perfect world but hey

Who Knows?