7m/o cockerel chasing 9w/o chick from mama...problem?

[MasAhora]

Mrs K, you have done it again!
I now have Chicken Furniture.

I wondered over to the chickens and looked with fresh eyes at my dead-end alley ways / traps. I then placed a couple of my dog crates in the centre of them. Now the chickens can run around the crates and not find themselves in a dead-end trap, I do not have to weaken the fence structures by cutting more pop holes (my 4 growing calves all push on that fence for their spoonful of chicken fermented feed each morning).

Took me a whole 3 minutes to figure out that I just need some chicken furniture I can re-arrange now and then. Exactly 3 seconds later, I replayed that thought in my head and decided Chickens Anonymous might also be necessary very soon.

 

[Mrs. K]

I rearrange several times a year. Gives them some excitement. Not only will they go behind the dog crate, they will go on top of it. Pallets, and some cement blocks will provide endless set ups. In the summer, my set up needs afternoon shade, pallets on the west side provide shade but allow air flow.

Adding chicks to the flock, put a pallet on top of blocks, feed under the pallet, chicks move with ease under there. Older chickens can get under there, but slows them down, chicks can escape. I had great results with a lattice panel, chicks could move through it like water, go out amongst the girls, but could retreat if things got hard, and had a safe place to eat.

Adding a couple of roosts, makes use of the vertical space, and gives birds, chances to get away from each other, all helping with confinement issues.

But before you think I know it all, know that I am still learning and headed down to fix where the predator is smarter than I am. I have had chickens for 10 years, and am still figuring them out. I have learned a lot on this site.

Chickens anonymous is another name for this site, the people here, they understand.

Mrs K

 

[MasAhora]

All our circumstances vary (goodness, I am in rural Paraguay chatting to you all!) and therefore so do our decisions, experiences and advice - but, I suspect Chickens Anonymous symptoms usually do not vary!

Beta cockerel just broke out of his pen....hmmm

 

[Mrs. K]

haha Paraguay, who would have ever thought that could happen, us chatting together, me in rural America, you in Paraguay. I looked your country up, to refresh my memory. This is fun, chickens are fun, go catch that rascal, I am headed down to deal with coons.