chicks getting bigger dont know what to do?

[kay-chan]

Well i'm new at raising hens, since i had roosters only and they where more easier to take care then hens! I live in S.F in the suburbs. Hens are different then rooster because they lay eggs. So since my teenager chicks are getting bigger, they are now living in a giantic plastic tote box. Could that be good enough for their living quarters? Plus how do i set up their nest for them to lay eggs??? What do i need?

 

[MissJenny]

Hi and a great big

. A tote is probably is not going to be a sufficient long term living situation, but for right now it seems to be doing the job just fine.

There are a lot of housing options for hens just like there are a lot of housing options for people. The main goal is to keep them comfortable (out of the rain and the snow and to have available roosts which is chicken-speak for bed -- we wouldn't invite a guest to spend the night and have them stay in a guest room with no bed.) And the other housing requirement is to keep your hens safe from predators like dogs and cats and possum and raccoons and coyote and hawks and... it seems everything wants a piece of chicken.

To best help you figure out appropriate housing we need to know how many hens you have... are there two or ten or fifty? And what kind of yard or property you have available. Are you out in the country with lots of acreage? Or are you in town with only a small yard? How cold of a winter do you experience in your area? Is it freezing deep bone-chilling cold like Minnesota? Or moderately warmish-cool like Florida?

Have you looked at the coop options on the front page of Bakyard Chickens? Some are as small as a rabbit hutch while others are as big as a house.

It's certainly nice to welcome you and we're eager to hear all about your hens.

Jenny

 

[bryan8]

how old are they?

Chickens really need room to run around and play. If you can you should get a small shed and add a small run to it. Right now my chickens are in 18x16 shed for winter. I have 15 chickens.

You will want them to live outside for santairy reasons.

I strongly recomend building a coop, it's not fair for the hens to live in a small area all there life

 

[kay-chan]

I have 3 chickens. They are different age when i got them. I have a white/yellow one that is the oldest one, i forgot what kind of breed, but im told she can lay blue eggs. She is about maybe 2 or 3 months old, kind of the size of african grey parrot. The other 2 are the same breed, brown and lay brown eggs i think. They are about few weeks younger then the yellow one. Though one of the brown one is a week younger then her sister.

Since i live in the suburb in the City, the backyard isnt huge, maybe medium size, with my parents plants and flowers everywhere. Plus i cant touch those. So the hens will have enough to run around in a small backyard.

The weather i live in is mostly foggy since it is california, san francisco. the winter here doesnt snow at all. It might frost a little in winter but not much. Weather have been weird so, we get some sunshine but not often, mostly grey skies.

So what does a chicken need inside their coop??

I know they will get their exercise cuz i Had 2 roosters, they got very huge! BUt now i have chickens, Though these chickens are more spoiled then my roosters. bACK then my rooster live in a small box at night when i bring them back inside the house. Then in the morning i bring them back outside for some whole day of sunshine, then catch them back inside the box at night.

Plus we get cats, owls, raccoons, skunks and small hawks near the backyard looking for food.

 

[genabeana]

Build them a coop! stick a run on it so they can walk around. The coops online are expensive, but care free if you want to go that way. For nesting boxes, they like just a separate boxed off area with some privacy. My neighbor has almost like a small bookshelf with 4 box areas for the hens.

You could also use a small tool shed for a coop. Look up the "henspa" for 3 chickens to get a good idea of a small size coop.

BYC has lots of coop pictures for you to see, also.

They really will be happier if they can walk around a little! I personally have 4 in a 12x8 area caged around a 10 x 4 coop. It's plenty of room for them.

Good luck and keep us posted as to what you end up doing!

 

[kay-chan]

Wow most of those hen spa take lots of room that i dont have and they are huge, i only have 3 chickens. I wonder if i can use 3 giant shoe boxes for their nesting work or do i need baskets instead??? and i knoe i cant get hay around where i live, i wonder if i can use alphafa food for nesting straws. hmmmmmm...?

 

[PeeperKeeper]

You need one of those "Eggloos". Comes with its own little fenced yard. Made for 4 chickens.
http://video.google.com/videosearch...sult_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CCMQqwQwAw#
site video

 

[kay-chan]

thanks for the egggloo site! That really help out alots. Now all i have to find is one that is around the city im living in and not very expenisve and doesnt take up the whole backyard!

 

[Tala]

Check out the Coop Design section of this site. There's a link at the top of the pages. https://www.backyardchickens.com/coopdesigns.html

I had 6 chickens in this chicken tractor until about 16 weeks of age:

It's approx 12ft long x 3ft wide. There is 18sq ft of rain-covered space, and 32sq ft of grass space. It's not quite big enough for 6 full grown birds - I planned for 4 hens when I built it.

 

[genabeana]

cool coop above!