Finally outside in new coop!!!

[AU-ChickenGuy]

Well, five weeks in and no dead chicks yet! My 37 little ones were getting a bit cramped in their 3ft X 6ft brooder, so we built them a new home (phase 1). They have been outside for two nights here in south Alabama with temps in the upper 30's one night and upper 40's the next. They seem to like it, and my kids LOVE it! Just out of curiosity, in the pic of this chicks, what are the black ones with goldish/reddish necks? They are all muts, and I'm familiar with the barred rocks and RAR's, and the white ones have some gold speckling which is kind of neat, but the black ones with the gold/red necks are very pretty. What do the resemble?

 

[Pyxis]

I bet they're enjoying it! Just an FYI that chicken wire is not very predator proof. Raccoons can reach right through it and dogs and foxes can chew through it no problem. I'd recommend replacing it with hardware cloth or going full wood with some places just hardware cloth for ventilation up high to avoid drafts. You want places where they can get out of the wind (even though you're in Alabama so it doesn't get quite so cold as it does here up North, you still want to avoid wind blowing directly on them when it's cold at night).

 

[AU-ChickenGuy]

I bet they're enjoying it! Just an FYI that chicken wire is not very predator proof. Raccoons can reach right through it and dogs and foxes can chew through it no problem. I'd recommend replacing it with hardware cloth or going full wood with some places just hardware cloth for ventilation up high to avoid drafts. You want places where they can get out of the wind (even though you're in Alabama so it doesn't get quite so cold as it does here up North, you still want to avoid wind blowing directly on them when it's cold at night).

Yeah, like I said, this is phase one....I just had to get them out of the brooder. I'll be extending the coop about twice as wide and enclosing one side for wind protection. I've read a lot about folks not liking chicken wire, and if I experience problems, I'll have to make adjustments. But hardware cloth is quite a bit more expensive than 1" chicken wire. I am a bit of a Darwinist in that if the chickens are not smart enough to go to the protected corners when a visitor is at the fence....well....nature can do it's thing. I have a Lab that can't get to the coop (underground fence), but can get close enough to keep other animals away. I'm gonna see how it goes. My buddy uses chicken wire with no issues, but you may very well be proven right. Time will tell