Coop Ventilation - Have Window...Do We Need More?

[KimPahl]

Oh, cool, tsmith91!!!!! Yes, it really is beautiful!

 

[KimPahl]

Hi all! We got our girls today!!! Here are a few pics. They LOVE the sand floor and were quick to take a dust bath!! So funny watching them roll around. They were tired. Came all the way from Texas. I showed them the roost as one was sleeping on the floor and there they stayed. Shut them in for the night so they could de-stress and get some rest.

The nipple waterer seems like it's dripping but I'm not sure if it's because we were moving it around and/or showing the girls. We will check tomorrow. It's brand new!
Looking forward to our adventures w/ them!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Your coop is very nice!

Just make sure that all openings to the outside are smaller than 1/2 inch, for weasel and rat protection (they kill chickens).

So 1/2 inch hardware cloth over any holes or gaps that will be open to the outside will help a lot. Chicken wire won't keep out predators (the hexagonal fencing)- you may know that already.

 

[Mutt Farm]

Finally they arrived! Yay for you! Those are some lucky gals to score your farm! I bet they were exhausted and stressed. My favorite part is the dust bath. Never gets old to me, and the happy chicken races. So happy for you and your happy chickens.

 

[KimPahl]

Thank you! Yes we will check about the 1/2". The only opening to the outside is the window. Other than that the coop is pretty much secure as far as we can see. Chicken wire is only on the inside of the barn to keep the chickens contained and we realize that is not enough to keep out predators. Thank you for the suggestion!

Thank you, Mutt Farm!!!! We are excited to have them. We were informed that in about a week or so they should start producing eggs. Got them before they even began laying!

 

[barneveldrerman]

I would put a few vents on the wall near the roof. And lucky you have nice weather we are in high 90s by me. And good luck with the new chickens.

 

[junebuggena]

Only the white one looks close to point of lay. The red sexlinks are still about 6 to 8 weeks away from laying. Most pullets start laying about a month after their combs start to develop and turn red.

 

[KimPahl]

Oh, June, thank you. I did not know that! I'll do some research on that. Thank you, barneveldrerman. We are leaving the coop window open as well as the window in the stall next door open during the day. They both have 2" x 2" hardware cloth on them. We are considering reinforcing with 1/2" hardware cloth but I'm not sure if that's overkill or not. Also, we will be opening a window kitty corner to the coop for a cross breeze. It's not hot in there. The entire barn roof line is vented. Yes, our weather here in the mountains is fabulous!!!!! Mid 70s today and rain.

We did realize this morning that the ladder needed some tweaking. It's steep and needed a few extra rungs added (not seen in this pic) and we added additional boards to the bottom to raise it up a bit. They would not use it to come down off the roost. They were slipping in between. I had to put them on the ground. LOL. One tried to fly up to the roost last night and it was pathetic b/c she just slammed herself in to the wall.

I had to put them up there. We are hoping adding the rungs and raising it up a bit will be enough and we don't need to lower the roost.

They will be in the coop for a week then we will allow them out for a short time in the evening and see if they find their way back in for the night. They have a fenced in run around most of the barn to keep them safe from our dogs. Supervised outside time only. We have two dogs that we need to attempt to train. Ahhhh.....that's going to be fun. They are already freaking out and the girls haven't even left the coop! We had a close call already! I am thinking the first few times I let the girls out in the run I will keep the dogs in the house so the girls can have stress free time learning their new environment. We're learning...

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! You can't have too much security, and only hardware cloth has small enough openings. Add a layer over the windows and anywhere else that's not solid wall. Also, more ventilation would be better; keep those windows opened. The pullets look nice! Mary

 

[Mutt Farm]

Welcome! You can't have too much security, and only hardware cloth has small enough openings. Add a layer over the windows and anywhere else that's not solid wall. Also, more ventilation would be better; keep those windows opened. The pullets look nice! Mary

X2!