Diving back in- but chickens won’t live with me, thoughts?

[cluckingham_palace]

I own 2 acres about 6-8 minutes away. Since I live in a subdivision, I am planning to have 4-6 hens on my lot instead. I plan to go out every other day, or every 2-3 days day to tend and collect eggs once they start laying. We will have a super secure run, and auto door. Anyone see any issues with this plan? Anything I am not thinking about? When we had our flock before, they were right in our backyard at our prior house

 

[CombNWattles]

Personally I feel like it’s best to check on them every day. One of my hens got stuck behind a board once, and since I didn’t check on them she was there all day and it took her months to recover/walk again. Also, if anyone gets injured or sick it’s best to know as soon as possible.
Just my two cents

 

[CabritaChicks]

I agree with everything @CombNWattles said, and I’ll add that a flock of 4–6 hens is tiny—and with small flocks, things just happen. Predators, freak accidents, and in my case, an absolutely cursed autodoor that once locked only one chicken in and managed to catch a Caribbean rat- that choas ensued. I only knew because the rest of the flock was home late, and screaming bloody murder.

I’m admittedly overly hands-on with mine. I check on them constantly. My adults free range but stay close to the house during the day (about 180 feet up a mountainside from the coop). And the one time I didn’t check on them… I lost several. So now I do full roll call, look for signs of illness, aggression, predators, the whole routine.

The new little ones are another story. Their introduction is moving at a glacial pace because my two surviving one-year-olds are mean as hell. If I had caught the issue early on.... then my little angel wouldnt have been scalped so badly that I thought she wasnt going to make it (and it was from another female).

 

[kattabelly]

Will the autodoor go between the coop and the run, or the run and outside?

Where will you store things like feed and any equipment? Do you have water on site?

Knowing the property and its surroundings, any potential problems you can think of? Nasty neighbours, loose or stray dogs, extreme weather that could turn a small issue into an urgent, life-threatening one?

I live about ten minutes away from my chickens. I'm usually there a couple of times a day but sometimes I won't be there for a few days, depending on what's happening. I can only do that when there isn't anything happening that makes some kind of issue more likely (integrating new birds or chicks, injuries, weather that might cause damage or knock feeders and waterers over...) and there are also plenty of people who would contact me if they noticed something.

 

[AntiqueB]

Mine live in my school's garden. I'm there daily, except for vacations, when I go every other day. The coop is always open to the run, and it is all predator-proof. The run is roofed.

I do not use an auto door for 2 reasons. First, I don't have electricity. Second, I don't want anyone having any chance of getting caught outside of the coop, especially in bad weather.

We just got running water last year, but before that, I had to lug jugs of water for everything I did there. I also had to set up a rather elaborate solar system to keep water from freezing during winter. I still go daily during long periods of below-freezing temps, just in case.

I am lucky, in that the garden is tucked between 2 schools, on a dead-end road. If it was more exposed, I'd be very afraid of 2-legged prerooted.

I was also forced to keep feed out overnight. It attracted mice, so I am trying to train everyone to use a rat-proof feeder.

I am not actually advocating not doing it. Just be aware of the extra work it will require.

 

[tripletfeb]

I agree with what others have said. It's doable, with some planning. My first thought was the eggs, are you planning on leaving them in the nesting boxes for a few days? They would get stepped on and broken. You could use one of those roll away nest boxes. Just plan ahead and maybe invest in some cameras for the coop/run. If your run is secure from predators, I would suggest just leaving the door open between the coop and run and not having an auto door. That's what I have, a secure coop and run and I leave the little door open so the girls can go from coop to run anytime they want

 

[cluckingham_palace]

Will the autodoor go between the coop and the run, or the run and outside?

Where will you store things like feed and any equipment? Do you have water on site?

Knowing the property and its surroundings, any potential problems you can think of? Nasty neighbours, loose or stray dogs, extreme weather that could turn a small issue into an urgent, life-threatening one?

I live about ten minutes away from my chickens. I'm usually there a couple of times a day but sometimes I won't be there for a few days, depending on what's happening. I can only do that when there isn't anything happening that makes some kind of issue more likely (integrating new birds or chicks, injuries, weather that might cause damage or knock feeders and waterers over...) and there are also plenty of people who would contact me if they noticed something.

Thanks! We know the neighbors, and the auto door will be from the hen house to a fully enclosed, extremely predator proof roofed large run. The food, supplies etc will be locked in a separated part of the coop (we had this exact set up before and it was so convenient). We live in Michigan and the winter is rough with snow, but with our previous coop, we had solar and a thermometer and turned the bedding frequently to ensure it was providing warmth also, so not unbearable. We will drill a well to have water on site. My kids go to school 3 min from the property, so my initial plan is to pick them up and tend M-F plus maybe an occasional weekend trip if needed.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Is it possible to put a remote camera in the coop to keep an eye on them? I'd have two sources of water, two sources of feed, and put a good lock on the door for the two legged vermin.

 

[Debbie292d]

Is it possible to put a remote camera in the coop to keep an eye on them? I'd have two sources of water, two sources of feed, and put a good lock on the door for the two legged vermin.

I second (or third) the suggestion to get a camera, maybe two. One inside the coop that doesn't record constantly, but you can view it from your phone so you can check on them, and one outside to catch any 4-legged or 2-legged predators.

We use Blink from Amazon, but there are several that can do this.

 

[AntiqueB]

Without wifi, a camera won't show on your phone.