Hi all,
First of all - this has been a very entertaining and informative forum. I've been a member of several hobbyist forums over the years, and you can really tell (and appreciate) the ones where folks are genuinely interested in helping and interacting with one another.
Quick intro, then a couple of questions
.
After "helping" care for our kids' Hermit Crabs for several years, and "helping" care for our kids' "temporary" feeder fish in a bowl (guess who cleans them - oh, and talks to them), and "helping" care for our kids' two outdoor rabbits (free ranging on the side of our house - guess who is out there all the time), and now vowing not to "help" my daughter with her two new parakeets (ya, guess who's feeding/watering them while she's away at camp this week), AND while entertaining (along with my wife) the thought of my son getting a Russian Turtle - I've become somewhat addicted accidentally to the idea of getting a couple of hens FOR MYSELF. I know, someone needs to stop this family!
I live in a subdivision in Auburn, WA, and I am interested in putting a coop(converted rabbit hutch) and decent size run on the side of the house with the rabbits, in an area of about 450sf. I might occasionally let the hens free range in this area, as there is a lot to dig around in, but in reality I need to make sure I'm prepared for what lies ahead.
My first question is that the area on our house is on the north/northeast facing side of our home, and is shaded from late-morning on. Obviously, this isn't a problem in the summer, as they can get the sun they need in the am without getting too hot, but will they be alright in the winter with little direct sunlight for much of the day?
My second question is that I understand that we can clip one wing so that they are inhibited in their flying (for the purposes of discussion, I'm leaning towards a RIR or similar), but with a 6 foot fence around our yard, do you think I'll be safe from them getting out during their playtime? (This will be when I am around, and there are only occasional cats to worry about during the daytime hours.)
My third question is does the food necessarily need to be in the coop, or can it be underneath in the run with 24/7 access? The rabbit hutch is similar to some of the ones seen on here, and should be ok for two hens if they have open access to their secure run, but if I need to keep the food and water in it as well, I'm feeling a little claustraphobic for them in the winter time.
Finally (for now - this is addictive), my plan is to use pine shavings in the coop, with sand under the roost, and then sand in the run, with straw/hay/assorted other fun stuff over it. If the ground is covered by sand and hay though, what do they get to dig around in, or will they find their way to the dirt below? I don't intend to have the 1" hardware cloth under the pen, but rather extend it out to protect from predators. I mainly want the sand/hay as a way of keeping them dry in the rainy season (Early February through Late January) as well as to help control/manage the smell factor.
Any thoughts on this are greatly appreciated. I've spent so much time reading the threads on this forum, but I am starting to hit the TILT point where I am confusing myself with too much information. Besides, I am still working on Plan B of convincing my wife that they would be a great pet (patience worked for my model train "problem", so hopefully it will here too.)
Thanks again!
-Dave
First of all - this has been a very entertaining and informative forum. I've been a member of several hobbyist forums over the years, and you can really tell (and appreciate) the ones where folks are genuinely interested in helping and interacting with one another.
Quick intro, then a couple of questions
.After "helping" care for our kids' Hermit Crabs for several years, and "helping" care for our kids' "temporary" feeder fish in a bowl (guess who cleans them - oh, and talks to them), and "helping" care for our kids' two outdoor rabbits (free ranging on the side of our house - guess who is out there all the time), and now vowing not to "help" my daughter with her two new parakeets (ya, guess who's feeding/watering them while she's away at camp this week), AND while entertaining (along with my wife) the thought of my son getting a Russian Turtle - I've become somewhat addicted accidentally to the idea of getting a couple of hens FOR MYSELF. I know, someone needs to stop this family!
I live in a subdivision in Auburn, WA, and I am interested in putting a coop(converted rabbit hutch) and decent size run on the side of the house with the rabbits, in an area of about 450sf. I might occasionally let the hens free range in this area, as there is a lot to dig around in, but in reality I need to make sure I'm prepared for what lies ahead.
My first question is that the area on our house is on the north/northeast facing side of our home, and is shaded from late-morning on. Obviously, this isn't a problem in the summer, as they can get the sun they need in the am without getting too hot, but will they be alright in the winter with little direct sunlight for much of the day?
My second question is that I understand that we can clip one wing so that they are inhibited in their flying (for the purposes of discussion, I'm leaning towards a RIR or similar), but with a 6 foot fence around our yard, do you think I'll be safe from them getting out during their playtime? (This will be when I am around, and there are only occasional cats to worry about during the daytime hours.)
My third question is does the food necessarily need to be in the coop, or can it be underneath in the run with 24/7 access? The rabbit hutch is similar to some of the ones seen on here, and should be ok for two hens if they have open access to their secure run, but if I need to keep the food and water in it as well, I'm feeling a little claustraphobic for them in the winter time.
Finally (for now - this is addictive), my plan is to use pine shavings in the coop, with sand under the roost, and then sand in the run, with straw/hay/assorted other fun stuff over it. If the ground is covered by sand and hay though, what do they get to dig around in, or will they find their way to the dirt below? I don't intend to have the 1" hardware cloth under the pen, but rather extend it out to protect from predators. I mainly want the sand/hay as a way of keeping them dry in the rainy season (Early February through Late January) as well as to help control/manage the smell factor.
Any thoughts on this are greatly appreciated. I've spent so much time reading the threads on this forum, but I am starting to hit the TILT point where I am confusing myself with too much information. Besides, I am still working on Plan B of convincing my wife that they would be a great pet (patience worked for my model train "problem", so hopefully it will here too.)
Thanks again!
-Dave
