Coop O' Procrastination

[Euphillia]

Ya they grow so fast!!! Mine are all fully feathered!

 

[PeepsAreForMe]

Don't feel bad. Between the weather, unpacking the new house and the long hours at the squadron we haven't finished our chicks run yet. Now we have a possible last minute deployment, and hubby is rushing and stressing. Our chicks are two weeks and still in their brooder, how do people last six weeks? At two weeks ours are flapping and trying to fly all the time. We have one right now that hurt her leg from all the attempts at flying, yet they still aren't ready for outside. Hopefully we get the run finished this weekend, and the last few tweaks on the barn and coop. Then these chicks have two more weeks, and I'm kicking them out.
Once you get going on your coop it goes up pretty quick. Just don't rush too much, or you'll spend more time on fixing mistakes then actual building.
Good luck!

My chicks housing was upgraded 3x's (to bigger and bigger boxes with higher sides!!) before they finally went outside! And after about 5 weeks I had to cover the box with screens so I would not come home from work to them having pooped all over the place!!

Don't know if the wildfires are affecting you but you are in our thoughts and prayers in NJ!

 

[Euphillia]

My chicks housing was upgraded 3x's (to bigger and bigger boxes with higher sides!!) before they finally went outside! And after about 5 weeks I had to cover the box with screens so I would not come home from work to them having pooped all over the place!!

Don't know if the wildfires are affecting you but you are in our thoughts and prayers in NJ!

Thanks!! I am living south enough of the city that we were in no danger. We suffered with some smoke filled days and watching the horror unfold was painful. Colorado Springs is my home town and I am sad to see Waldo Canyon go up like that as well as the surrounding areas.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

I want to thank all whose families and loved ones serve and sacrifice for the rest of US. Hope everyone stays safe and well.

I think those of us who are new to raising chicks get a bit overprotective. The chicks are quite capable of being outside full time as soon as they are mostly feathered. In the warm weather, they don't really need a heat lamp after this stage either. Sunshine and dust baths are good for them, and they might get a bit aggressive toward each other out of boredom if kept in the brooder too long. If they're not huddled under the lamp, they don't need it.

Can sympathize with the procrastination, however. It is my middle name! After 2 weeks in the house, dealing with energetic chicks and all the dust from them, I moved them out to the garage for nights, transferring them to a makeshift run outside during the day. Thought this would work fine until the coop was finished in a week or two. Well, 5 weeks later the coop was finally finished, and everyone was happy to move out to their new digs. Didn't realize how much time I was spending carting around chickens until that coop got finished. What a relief!

Good luck with yours! Best wishes!

 

[Ashdoes]

So, how's the coop coming? We almost got our run finished yesterday but the rain started, again, and sent us back in the house. Hubby has this week off, so he's hoping to have the run "roofed" by Friday. All we have left is placing the hardware cloth over top, which isn't too easy considering the roll is so dang heavy.
Even though we really needed the rain, it's really slowing us down.

 

[Euphillia]

YES! We did get started https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/686606/finally-we-got-the-project-going#post_9295181 The rain has made it a pain to work on, but we really need it