Am I looking after my chicken properly.

[chris503632]

She was very nervy at first, she wouldn't come near us or let us handle her at all.

I spent ages luring her close with corn, making chicken noises and generally looking like a mad man in front of our neighbours and eventually got her to eat from my hand. She is now super friendly: she follows us round if we are in the garden, is happy with us handling her, has recovered her feathers and put on some weight (she was super skinny when we first found her).

By the sounds of things I need to get a bigger coop built. Would 2 chickens be OK in a 3' x 2' coop for a couple of weeks until I get the new one built, or would it be better to leave her on her own until I can get a bigegr home for them?

 

[chickchicks]

i would say start building it and by time your finished the new one will be ready to move in !
thats how lng ittook me to bulid a shed !

 

[7L Farm]

Quote:
Does the coop have a run?

 

[chris503632]

Yes - at the moment the run is 4' x 4', but it is soon getting expanded to 4' x 8'.

 

[StarLover21]

Oh wow! An escaped Battery Hen? Good for you!

 

[chickchicks]

Quote:
x2

 

[tempus49]

I just started with my first small laying flock. we bought a small (3"x3"x3") coop (until i have time to build something larger).
the coop is on a concrete pad inside a 10'x10'x6'H chain-link dog run covered with a 10"x12" tarp. I built a brooder 2"dx4"wx6"H it is in the unheated garage workroom.
i got them in the mail 8/23/11 @ like 2-3 days old. into the brooder they went for 4 weeks, with a heat lamp on @ nite as needed. since i got them in Aug and i am in SW ohio the weather was warm enough to do without daytimes. at 6 weeks i mover the flock into the coop/run. i added appx 200 SF of fenced free range space for them outside the coop. they love it, they go out whenever they want to play, scratch around eat grass/bugs squawk at my dog... the girls are 8 week now and seem to be doing fine.
i have a 25 watt bulb in the coop in case they need heat but from what i have read they shouldn't need heat at all as it rarely gets far below zero here for extended periods. oh yeah, the run has about 6 inches of straw dusted with diatomacuaus (however the heck you spell it) earth (food grade). i'll clean it before heavy winter hits and start another layer. the coop has a removable bottom tray that i put cat litter & that food grade stuff in, cleaned weekly.
i got a water warmer that comes on @ 32 degrees, i built some feeders from plans i saw @ chicken sites.
They are still on hi-protein chick feed + scraps + treats + chick grit & will be until 10-12 weeks when i kick them up to 1/2 chick + 1/2 layer +everything else.

everything is powered with a solar panel & batteries.

any suggestions? how am i doing with this stuff?

oh yeah, my 4 year old granddaughter loves her 'chickies'; gets in the pen & plays with them daily.

4 black Australorps 1 buff Orpington 1 light Brahma all good laying hens, all weather hardy.