Coops finished, run is built...newbie starting out with 3 +2

[Crazychocolatedog]

hi,
I’m such a short time, it’s been a journey. We are first time chicken owners.
We started out 7 weeks ago with a brooder box of 5 chicks, 3 days old. 2 were roosters, so I traded for 2 chicks that are a week or so younger than mine. I’m not happy with the type they are, unknown breed, I was to;d one was a welsummer...but he wasn’t sure. But they girls like them. That’s what counts.
We bought a brand coop and painted it. ...and spent the last 4 weeks, non stop building our run on top of an existing cement pad.
We are hoping once we are comfortable, we can let them out to run around our yard for an hour or so every day or so, supervised. But for now,...I will throw down straw in the run, grass cuttings, leaves, and provide a tub of dirt for bathing. That seems to be their favorite pastime...getting dirty. Eating...pooping. Praying these 5 , at last,..are all girls.
Here are some photos I took yesterday.
We are still working out the food and watering systems...for now, they have a hanging galvanized feeder that I take in at night. And they won’t use the hanging bucket of water with the nipples....they like the big dog bowl filled to the top
Picture of two yellow,ones are newest 2. Picture with whitish Easter Egger is the male I let go. Photo with 3 chicks, is the last of my original flock,.2 easter egged and a ri red.

 

[Flamens Farm]

You did a wonderful job on it. It look's great and so do your chicks, very beautiful!

 

[Mrs. K]

They all look like hen chicks to me, if that was your question.

Cute set up, but you are probably more than maxed out on space in that coop this winter. Often times those pre-fab coops say they can hold more birds than they can. Some birds do well in tight set ups, some do not. If they start fighting, you might need to make adjustments.

 

[aart]

Nice setup.
Hard to gauge size of coop, but it might be tight quarters.
That roofed run will be great once the snow starts to fly(then pile up), especially if you put some wind/snow blocks up on the walls(leaving top 6" or so open for ventilation.

I do not see any Welsummer in your crew, 3 Easter Eggers and not sure what the red birds are..could be red sexlinks, or RIR...or...???

 

[Crazychocolatedog]

You did a wonderful job on it. It look's great and so do your chicks, very beautiful!

ThAnk you! It was hard work but I think it looks nice. Just hope it’s sae and good for the girls.

They all look like hen chicks to me, if that was your question.

Cute set up, but you are probably more than maxed out on space in that coop this winter. Often times those pre-fab coops say they can hold more birds than they can. Some birds do well in tight set ups, some do not. If they start fighting, you might need to make adjustments.

i don’t intend on getting any additional birds.just replacement if anything fails.
But the coop is larger than it appears. I guess by just looking at pictures, you might assume it’s small. The run is about 10 x 12, and at least 5 feet high. I think the coop is 4 x 4, or 4 x6? Not sure, and has 3 nesting boxes inside. It wasn’t a cheap prefab. It was custom built by a retired firefighter, with solid woods, vents, etc. it’s very sturdy and when the girls are inside they have plenty of room to walk around and there is extra space when they are all on their perch.

 

[Seaecho]

if the coop is 4x4 there is no way 5 hens will have enough room. Best to enlarge it somehow or add another coop. Even for bantams, you'd only be able to have 2, if it's actually a 4x4.

 

[Mrs. K]

What is plenty of room for chicks, is often not plenty of room for hens. It might work, but if you start to get a lot of tension and squabbles in the fall, you might need to cull a bird. Sometimes they will all get a long, sometimes they will all get along until they reach full size.

Be aware, even one or two extra head, can be enough to cause some very ugly behavior.