Coop Questions!!!!

[ShadowsFIAL]

I have my coop mostly done. It is going to be a chicken coop/dog shelter. It is 7 foot by 6 foot I believe and I am ordering 25 chicks, and might be getting a few more from some local places, max 30, do you think this is enough space for them at night? I haven't put the roosts up yet, how many should I put up? the dog is only going to be out there during the day with them as a guardian as he comes inside in the evenings when we get home. How many nest boxes should I have, I am recycling the tidy cats 35lb litter buckets for nesting boxes. Do you think this will be too small for black giants, black minorcas, black stars, columbian wyandottes, egyptian fayoumis, white and brown leghorns, rhode island reds, salmon faverolles, and silkies? They are going to be in a 80 x 20 pen, and I might have to clip wing feathers if they start jumping the 4ft fence. I just got through planting grass and clover for them to forage through as well. Going to be planting them a tree or two so that they don't have to go into the coop or under the coop lip for shade. I am thinking about using a kiddie pool for water, as the german shepherd also likes to get in the water, but I am not sure. Might also want to get my hands on a duo or trio of muscovy ducks later as well. one drake and three hens, or two hens, or three hens, or one drake and one hen. Just planning about. Also, anyone know any good treats? =) my previous chickens used to get strawberries, mealworms, watermelon, cantaloupe, shrimp, and some other table scraps such as corn, green beans, beef, and potatoes.

 

[Slongest]

A six by six coop seems a little small for 25 plus chickens especially as they grow even if three walls were lined with roosts it seems crowded you have some pretty big bird ideas..... Just a thought..

 

[aart]

Sounds like you've got a recipe for ALOT of problems.

4 sq ft per bird in coop and 10 sq ft per bird in run is recommended as a bare minumum.
1 linear foot of roost per bird is recomended for large fowl.

Is your dog trained not to eat chickens?

 

[ShadowsFIAL]

I am ordering 25 chicks, and most likely I know they all will not make it through shipping but in case they do i was currious if it was enough space. if not I was going to go ahead and sell some of them. Also, the german shepherd has yet to be around chickens. We are going to start by workign with him in the evenings with the baby chicks. Letting him be able to see them and telling him easy, the first day we let them out for play time outside we are going to keep him on the leash and let him walk around with them. It will be a slow process but he will not just be dumped out there with them and see what happens. If it comes to it, I will build him a separate place to be. I just wanted a little extra help from him for keeping the predators away. =] I know it will take a lot of time as he is still a puppy, but we are up for the work. I am honestly more worried about the cats getting the chickens than the dog. He tends to chase things, but once he catches them he is all licks. Big goofball. I plan to build a ladder roost for them, but I will reduce the flock if it seems to be stressful for them =)

 

[redneck farmer]

ShadowsFIAL- do u got an pics

 

[leghornfarm]

Good luck with the dog. We have a German Shepherd female, had her since she was 8 weeks. She killed her first chicken when she was 3 months. I've tried everything that anyone has suggested to stop her. She only kills one at a time and will eat the whole chicken. Won't do it when we are home, but can't trust her alone with the chickens. The only thing I've found that works is not to let the chickens out if we are not going to be there and if we have to leave we chain the dog up till we get back.

 

[ShadowsFIAL]

I don't but I can try and get some. I can see if my boyfriend can get some pics and upload them. I still need to get the door on and I need to install nesting boxes and roosts, as well as the fencing for the pen. If Weiss ends up eating the chickens then I will have to tie him up for a while till we can buy some more fencing and make him another yard. Not to bad since we will not need as much this time. That and we will need to make another dog house for him in case it rains xP I really do hope it works out though, would love to be able to let them all be together and get along, though i know this does not always happen. Dogs are carnivores after all. Weiss does have the chasing problem and we are thinking about getting a shock collar for when he is at a distance from us to discipline him. We will see what happens. Either way, we want him to listen to us. Shoot, he had a rabbit run right across his path and he ignored it, yet he loves to chase the cat even though he knows it will kick his butt. He misses the kitten we had, cause she would play with him and let him lick all over her.

 

[TwoCrows]

You are going to need to build a coop that is at least a 10x10 foot or even 10x12 feet for all those chickens. Assuming that even 20 survive the shipping, and you never know, they all may survive to adult hood, those 25 birds are going to need big space in the coop. Trust me, chickens go off on each other really easy when stressed and cramped up. Should the weather be bad for a week straight, and all 25 chickens are stuck under the same roof, they are going to need personal space. The last thing you want is to come out to find missing wattles, ripped off combs and no eyes.

They need LOTS of space on the roost bar. During the summer when it is hot outside and all those birds need to roost up for the night in a warm coop, feathers will fly if there is not enough space. And when half of these hens decide it is time to lay an egg, you are going to need nest box room. At least 8 boxes for 25 birds. And should you want to add more chickens later on, it is easier to build it the first time right, then scab on more space.

 

[Jakoda]

I have 9 standard sized chickens, right now my inside area for them is 12 x 4..I am getting probably 4-6 more and am expanding my inside area to 12 x atleast 8 feet. I can't imagine having that many chicks in a space you describe..

I also have a german shepherd (female 4 yrs old), working line, and 2 aussies...When I've had the chicks in the house, all my dogs are fine,
I don't free range mine, to many critters, but the gsd has sneaked in their run behind me, and loves her chickies..However, I wouldn't trust her alone with them at all.. My aussies, they'd love to have chicken dinner if given the chance..

 

[ShadowsFIAL]

going to go ahead and shrink the flock down to about 15. Need to find some local breeders, possibly. Anyone know of any salmon faverolle breeders in texas, or is anyone willing to ship a few chicks?