critique my suburban setup - total newb here.

[dovechaser]

Hi everyone - I've been lurking and learning awhile. I finally convinced my dh to risk having a few chickens in our suburban backyard. We have a 12x30 foot area behind the garage to use. It has privacy fence on 2 sides, the garage on one side, and a 5.5' wire fence (rabbit wire with some chicken netting) with a gate on the 4th side... We're using a HUGE dog crate for the 'coop' and 5 gallon buckets or some other found material for the nesting boxes. I'm planning on 3 hens, no roos. We've got the top of the crate protected from the rain, shade built to cover the feeder (homemade), and a 5 gallong bucket/PVC pipe/ atomatic waterer planned.

Here are my most pressing questions:

I'm not planning on a top to the run, it's just not practical. Is this just a bad bad idea? We're in total suburbia, the only hawks I see in the neighborhood are the occasional Kestrel and once I saw a sharpie .

Is it OK to have the nest boxes ouside the coop as long as they are shaded/protected from weather?

My compost pile is currently in the corner, it's just re-bar with wood walls. Is this a big deal? or should I redo it and surround it with wire? I don't care if the chickens eat stuff, I just didn't know if it was a disease risk? or if they would spread it around the yard.

If I clip the wings, I really shouldn't have a problem with my chickens getting over the fence right?? Is there anything special to know about clipping? I watched some videos, it looks too simple to be true.

If you clip wings, how often do you do it?

Any hints/tips for keeping chickens in coastal Texas heat??? And what changes do you make in winter for the occasional 30 degree day/night??

Thanks so much for any and all advice!

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Not "bad bad". YOu may lose a chicken or two to hawks; or you may not; you will just have to see. The chances are generally low but nonzero.

Is it OK to have the nest boxes ouside the coop as long as they are shaded/protected from weather?

In your situations, yup, that should be ok and it honestly doesn't sound like you have much choice anyhow, until/unless you build something more chciken-specific than a big dog crate

My compost pile is currently in the corner, it's just re-bar with wood walls. Is this a big deal? or should I redo it and surround it with wire? I don't care if the chickens eat stuff, I just didn't know if it was a disease risk? or if they would spread it around the yard.

If they can get into it, they will scratch around and try to spread it around the yard (whether they will succeed depends on how full the bin is). In principle you can have disease problems such as 'food poisoning' or botulism from compost-pile stuff; in practice most people do not have problems but it does happen occasionally. Personal choice.

If I clip the wings, I really shouldn't have a problem with my chickens getting over the fence right??

Yah, well, maybe. Some chickens can fly pretty good even with clipped wings. You will just have to try and see. If your run will be 12x30 then I suspect your chickens will mostly stay in there since they willhave a good amount of space.

Any hints/tips for keeping chickens in coastal Texas heat???

This would be my major concern about the setup you describe -- you talk about shade on nestbox and feeder, but you really need a large area of shade PERIOD for the chickens to spend the hot part of the day in. Chickens do not tolerate heat well. Provide a large shady area, seriously.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat​

 

[schellie69]

from Kansas

 

[blefky]

First,

The only thing I have to add is that hawks, owls and other flying critters aren't the only reason to cover your run. Racoons, possums, cats, and others scale a fence with no problem, and definitely will for a delicious chicken dinner. This really isn't a matter of "if", more a matter of "when". You may be lucky for a long while but BYC is packed full of stories of woe from those who didn't take proper precautions. It's a matter of weighing the risk, and doing what you feel is best for your circumstance. I free range my birds for a few hours daily on my one acre lot. We have lots of hawks - and they are definitely aware that my birds are here. I know that it's just a matter of time before I have a loss, but I'm one of those individuals that puts a high value on quality of life; chickens are foragers, and the girls are sooooo happy free ranging that it's a risk I've decided to accept. We all make those decisions. Good luck with your birds!

 

[Patricia Jane]

First off Welcome to BYC. Alot of knowlegeable people who are alot of help here. From my experience which I don't have a whole lot of yet, I didn't have a top on my coop or run and clipped my Leghorns wing. They all managed to fly over the fence. What they did was hop on the outside roost and kind of jumped over. Needless to say I know have a cover on mine. I used shade cloth. We do have a few hawks now and then so I feel alot more safe leaving them unsupervised. You will find your coop just wont be big enough when chicken math sets in.

 

[Break an Egg]

You can use deer netting for the top, it's not 100% but it will keep most animals out. Also, if you want to clip, make sure you clip 1 wing. This makes it to where they are uneven and it will be harder for them to fly than with 2 clipped wings.

 

[onthespot]

Make the shady area bigger than you think they need. Heat reflects from where the sun shines on the sunny ground and just bakes the air several feet inside the shaded area.

 

[NoSleepTillBrooklyn]

I'm also in a hot area, s

outhern AZ and also a chicken newbe. If you make a fenced run, maybe you can grown some vines on it for shade? Also, I've heard a few people mention using a portable mister to keep chickens cool. You can use it near adults hens, but not chicks. Just my two pennies. Wishing you luck!

 

[gryeyes]

from California! I use a twisty, upright cobra type purple plastic mister at the end of a garden hose in the hot days of summer.

I don't clip wings, but my birds range freely and I want to give them a chance to evade predators. They do have a lot of tree cover, though.

Anyway,wing clipping will need to be done after each molt when the feathers grow in again. Maybe annually.