Thanks to all of you for the great advice I read every day! I've been lurking for a few months now, and I finally ordered my Black Australorp peeps. They should arrive in the mail on May 14th. I will be brooding them in a large room attached to the back of my garage, so my thought is they'll be inside until mid-June.
Here's my question: my permanent coop will be a strawbale coop with an attached run. But I can't build that until we are finished building our strawbale house in July. I had planned to build a chicken tractor for the girls to live in until August.
When Andy Lee's Chicken Tractor book came in the mail the other day, I think I read that he uses electric poultry netting around his tractors. There is no way I can afford that right now.
So, is there a way that my tractor can be made safe from predators? I live in SW PA, so technically we have raccoons, possums, weasels, foxes and coyote (plus stray dogs & cats.) Not that I've seen any of these since we moved onto our 30 acre parcel back in January.
Or, should I convice my husband that the room on the back of the garage should be their nighttime space? If I use that space for their temporary coop, will it be smelly and forever ruined for any other use?
Sorry this is so long. Thanks in advance for any help you might be able to offer.
Here's my question: my permanent coop will be a strawbale coop with an attached run. But I can't build that until we are finished building our strawbale house in July. I had planned to build a chicken tractor for the girls to live in until August.
When Andy Lee's Chicken Tractor book came in the mail the other day, I think I read that he uses electric poultry netting around his tractors. There is no way I can afford that right now.
So, is there a way that my tractor can be made safe from predators? I live in SW PA, so technically we have raccoons, possums, weasels, foxes and coyote (plus stray dogs & cats.) Not that I've seen any of these since we moved onto our 30 acre parcel back in January.
Or, should I convice my husband that the room on the back of the garage should be their nighttime space? If I use that space for their temporary coop, will it be smelly and forever ruined for any other use?
Sorry this is so long. Thanks in advance for any help you might be able to offer.
