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

[olivia11]

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

The biggest thing to consider is daily checks for water health and predators issues can pop up quickly even with automation.
If you have got a backup plan for extreme weather or emergencies the setup itself sounds solid.

 

[olivia11]

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.

Yes a remote camera is a great idea and adds a lot of peace of mind.
Having one inside for quick check-ins and one outside for predators is a solid proven setup.

 

[olivia11]

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.

It sounds like you have thought this through really well especially with water on site and frequent weekday check ins.
Given your past experience and proximity your plan seems solid as long as you stay flexible during winter or any unexpected changes.

 

[olivia11]

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

The setup sounds well thought out especially with a secure run and auto door.
Just be mindful that even with automation daily or near daily checks are best in case of water health or weather issues