journey137
In the Brooder
First time chicken owner of 20 Speckled Sussex chicks here. They are almost six weeks old and weather permitting, we are doing the finishing touches on a hoop coop tomorrow. We used the plans found here https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/permanent-hoop-coop-guide.47818/. We still need to finish securing the hardware cloth to the panels, attach the wire on the door end, tie down a tarp for shade, and put an apron down to deter digging critters. That thing is super sturdy and I'm proud of our job, but on the final walk through before we let the little chickens loose for their first night outside, what things should I specifically look for to make sure we didn't miss something vital for safety? I've never had chickens so I don't really know what to look for when predator proofing a coop. I am considering locking them back up in the brooder box during night until we get the inside finished too. We have pretty much every type of predator imaginable here. I am particularly concerned about a neighbor's dog and eagles. Of course the coyotes are singing as I type this too.
I would also like suggestions for roosting. We have not built a huddle box as the person that made that guide did. Should we? It seems that under that big of a box would be very difficult to clean so we hadn't planned on doing it. I'm not really sure about the nest boxes either, but I have an idea which might be a bad one since I'm inexperienced. Can we put the roosts over the nest boxes if I have a solid board on top of the nests to catch poop? Could the nest boxes be on the ground or do they have to be raised? Right now my thought is to put two (or three if nest boxes need to be off the ground) milk crates stacked in the middle of the back wall, two crates halfway to the middle support post, and two crates at the middle support post. Put a piece of plywood over the crates like a long bench, sprinkle it with sand or that stall refresher stuff I've read about here, and attach a raised 2x4 to both long sides of that plywood for roosts. We'd probably need to build a little ladder or ramp to help them get up there when they get older and heavier. That area is about 8 feet long so two boards for roosts would be about 16 feet. Is that enough for 20 birds or perhaps I should put up a third 2x4 in the middle that is higher? I worry they would be too close and birds would end up getting pooped on with a third one. I suppose technically there won't be 20 birds. We have 20 right now, but 4 or 5 of them are cockerels and we only plan on keeping two roosters. I don't know if they will get along long enough to grow big enough to eat considering how much they are already bumping chests and squawking at each other, but hopefully with the extra space in this coop, things between them won't escalate too quickly.
I would also like suggestions for roosting. We have not built a huddle box as the person that made that guide did. Should we? It seems that under that big of a box would be very difficult to clean so we hadn't planned on doing it. I'm not really sure about the nest boxes either, but I have an idea which might be a bad one since I'm inexperienced. Can we put the roosts over the nest boxes if I have a solid board on top of the nests to catch poop? Could the nest boxes be on the ground or do they have to be raised? Right now my thought is to put two (or three if nest boxes need to be off the ground) milk crates stacked in the middle of the back wall, two crates halfway to the middle support post, and two crates at the middle support post. Put a piece of plywood over the crates like a long bench, sprinkle it with sand or that stall refresher stuff I've read about here, and attach a raised 2x4 to both long sides of that plywood for roosts. We'd probably need to build a little ladder or ramp to help them get up there when they get older and heavier. That area is about 8 feet long so two boards for roosts would be about 16 feet. Is that enough for 20 birds or perhaps I should put up a third 2x4 in the middle that is higher? I worry they would be too close and birds would end up getting pooped on with a third one. I suppose technically there won't be 20 birds. We have 20 right now, but 4 or 5 of them are cockerels and we only plan on keeping two roosters. I don't know if they will get along long enough to grow big enough to eat considering how much they are already bumping chests and squawking at each other, but hopefully with the extra space in this coop, things between them won't escalate too quickly.
