I just built/finished (except for exterior paint - couldn't wait!) a new coop. I've already got two coops, one everybody slept in, one they hung out in during the day at various times, and in which a few girls used to lay their eggs. So, now, there's this brand new coop. Bigger, better, more features. Whiz bang coop in comparison to the first two.
Plus, I have six 8-9 week old chicks (two of which are bantams) and two Cayuga "ducklings." Same age, but this pair is FULL SIZED now, as far as I can tell. Oh, yah, and I build a duck house for them.
Yesterday I moved all six chicks into the coop the Big Chickens have been using at night. Cleaned it out, put in fresh bedding, and secured the attached pen so the Big Chickens could not get into it. (This whole coop-and-pen thing is inside the larger enclosed run with all the Housing Units.)
I set up a water trough for the ducks and put 'em in it for a swim. The Big Chickens gathered around to watch for a while, then wandered away. Although they did taste the puddles created by splashing ducks, first.
The new coop I just built is MOSTLY outside of the run, with just the chicken door and one end inside the run. While I was building it, I adjusted the run fencing so nobody with feathers could access it. It's got an automatic door, which has been working perfectly ever since I installed it during coop construction. About four days ago, I put the run fencing back to allow chicken access into the new coop.
As the sun began to go lower in the sky, the Big Chickens got anxious about not being able to get into "their" coop. I threw BOSS in through the pop door of their New Home to lure them in. Okay, that was good, but then they came outside again. And milled about cackling about the lack of access to the bedroom they were USED to using. They even jumped on the top of the wire over the attached pen, which scared the bejeezus out of the six chicks.
The ducks finished their swim and wandered around the whole run, making quiet comments about the Big Chickens and all the things on the ground to bill as they waddled here and there.
The automatic pop door began to close, very slowly, as it does. I grabbed Rebecca off the top of the covered pen and walked over to the new digs to shove her through the closing door. Then I held my fingers in front of it as she poked her head out two or three times as the metal slide continued down.
Then I picked up each chicken, one by one (including Carl, who was surprisingly calm about it), to carry 'em to the run gate, open the gate, close the gate behind me, walk down the path to the People Door of the New Coop, open it and lightly toss in the chicken(s). As I added chickens, they began to gather in a clump by that closed pop door.
Last of nine chickens inside the New Coop for the night. I opened the attached run cover to shoo the six chicks into their new coop (the Big Chickens' Old Coop) and closed them inside.
Looked for the ducks. They were inside the A-Frame pen beneath the EggLaying Chamber part over them. I closed THEM inside that coop. Looked sadly at the brand new duck house. Oh well. No room for me to crawl into the penned lower portion of that coop to scare them and try to put them into the duck house I built for them.
And this morning, the automatic door let all the Big Chickens outside into the run. I just had to let the chicks into their attached pen, and open the A-Frame coop to let the ducks out of its penned area.
And then Big Girls who were used to laying in the old coop's nest boxes made me absolutely nuts. They tried, oh they tried! to get into it. Finally, seven of 'em laid their eggs in A-Frame, but ONE sweetheart laid her speckled brown egg IN THE NEW COOP'S REAR ROLLAWAY nest box. Huzzzzahhhh!
Good thing I'm on vacation and don't have to go back to work until Monday - four days from now. I believe I'll be hand-carrying chickens to the new coop every night for a while.
Any comments or ideas, tips, or techniques to share with me?
Plus, I have six 8-9 week old chicks (two of which are bantams) and two Cayuga "ducklings." Same age, but this pair is FULL SIZED now, as far as I can tell. Oh, yah, and I build a duck house for them.
Yesterday I moved all six chicks into the coop the Big Chickens have been using at night. Cleaned it out, put in fresh bedding, and secured the attached pen so the Big Chickens could not get into it. (This whole coop-and-pen thing is inside the larger enclosed run with all the Housing Units.)
I set up a water trough for the ducks and put 'em in it for a swim. The Big Chickens gathered around to watch for a while, then wandered away. Although they did taste the puddles created by splashing ducks, first.
The new coop I just built is MOSTLY outside of the run, with just the chicken door and one end inside the run. While I was building it, I adjusted the run fencing so nobody with feathers could access it. It's got an automatic door, which has been working perfectly ever since I installed it during coop construction. About four days ago, I put the run fencing back to allow chicken access into the new coop.
As the sun began to go lower in the sky, the Big Chickens got anxious about not being able to get into "their" coop. I threw BOSS in through the pop door of their New Home to lure them in. Okay, that was good, but then they came outside again. And milled about cackling about the lack of access to the bedroom they were USED to using. They even jumped on the top of the wire over the attached pen, which scared the bejeezus out of the six chicks.
The ducks finished their swim and wandered around the whole run, making quiet comments about the Big Chickens and all the things on the ground to bill as they waddled here and there.
The automatic pop door began to close, very slowly, as it does. I grabbed Rebecca off the top of the covered pen and walked over to the new digs to shove her through the closing door. Then I held my fingers in front of it as she poked her head out two or three times as the metal slide continued down.
Then I picked up each chicken, one by one (including Carl, who was surprisingly calm about it), to carry 'em to the run gate, open the gate, close the gate behind me, walk down the path to the People Door of the New Coop, open it and lightly toss in the chicken(s). As I added chickens, they began to gather in a clump by that closed pop door.
Last of nine chickens inside the New Coop for the night. I opened the attached run cover to shoo the six chicks into their new coop (the Big Chickens' Old Coop) and closed them inside.
Looked for the ducks. They were inside the A-Frame pen beneath the EggLaying Chamber part over them. I closed THEM inside that coop. Looked sadly at the brand new duck house. Oh well. No room for me to crawl into the penned lower portion of that coop to scare them and try to put them into the duck house I built for them.
And this morning, the automatic door let all the Big Chickens outside into the run. I just had to let the chicks into their attached pen, and open the A-Frame coop to let the ducks out of its penned area.
And then Big Girls who were used to laying in the old coop's nest boxes made me absolutely nuts. They tried, oh they tried! to get into it. Finally, seven of 'em laid their eggs in A-Frame, but ONE sweetheart laid her speckled brown egg IN THE NEW COOP'S REAR ROLLAWAY nest box. Huzzzzahhhh!
Good thing I'm on vacation and don't have to go back to work until Monday - four days from now. I believe I'll be hand-carrying chickens to the new coop every night for a while.
Any comments or ideas, tips, or techniques to share with me?
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