chickens now in barn or wait on coop to be built?

[amenfarm]

I keep seeing all these really great chickens, not sure how long the season is, and my coop is not built yet. My donkey stall has room for chicken roosts and nesting boxes in the feed general area. will it work to allow them to free range all day with the donkey, and roost up at night with out being locked in? my husband can clip their wings so they stay in my pasture, will my donkey be enough of a defense? he does not allow the deer into the pasture--I'm sure that applies to anything, wild, going in his barn-he came from a farm with chickens and pigs. I previously asked about using him as a gaurdian, but at the time it was with having the coop finished. any suggestion or ideas? Jay-Jay, the donkey, has turned out to be wonderful, like a over sized golden retriever--we have heard and seen the tracks of the deer ran out of the pasture.

 

[bryan99705]

Deer are not the issue, It's the other ones like fox and coons.

If they find your birds before the coop is done you will start loosing birds even in the barn if it's not secure and they don't stop till the foods gone or they can't get at them. Can you ring the pasture and barn with multi line electric fence? That will stop them cold if done right and provide long term safety!

 

[amenfarm]

The problem critters in my pasture are : coyoto, fox, possum and possilble coons. we have ever intention of using hotwire at the top of our 4 foot tall welded wire fence. How multiwire are we talking?
How much longer can I buy chickens?
We are builting a coop with attached run.
If I put a door on the stall and reinforce the cracks and crevices, could i let them free range and Lock up at night? It's warm enough at night that I can leave Jay-jay out-unless it's raining.

 

[amenfarm]

No longer a problem been asked to wait , hubbie doesn't want chicken poop in the barn. So, going with a chicken tractor and 8 or less chickens now-- and hubbie to start on large coop and run later. that way that have a permant home and i can move them around the pasture when I'm home.
Hopefully I won't miss the chickens I keep seeing and getting tempted by

.

 

[bobbi-j]

Quote:


That could be a viable option. I housed my chickens in my barn for a long time. I used chicken wire (it was all I had and it worked at the time, but it was old and heavy - came with the farm) from floor to ceiling, put in a door and there was a chicken coop, pen, whatever you want to call it. They free-ranged during the day and got locked in at night. I'd still be doing it that way, but the barn is old and rotten and could fall down at any time.