FIRST TIME chicken owner

[Dita Orlik]

Hello. Thank you for accepting me. I have received the 3 day old baby chickens over 9 weeks ago. I have built chicken coop 5’ off the ground( I have to dig it out on one side still) and made semi open chicken run. For 4 weeks they sleep there locked up inside the coop since 8:30 pm till 6:30 am. They can go in and out of my run and free range. I have 4+ hawks everyday waiting for their chance and 3 owl coming day and night also. I have 3 free roaming coonhounds keeping coyotes and raccoons far away. I have posted one question but I don’t think anyone answered. Do chickens in the wild frequently change their sleeping spot? Will owl enter the coop if she can’t see the chickens inside? I would be grateful if you know the answers to this please. Thank you again!

 

[SilverBirds]

Welcome to BYC!
That's a lot of aerial predators! Is your run covered? Coop fully secured? An owl may or may not try and get into the coop without seeing the birds, but I sure wouldn't want to risk it.

I don't think you've posted any other questions before. I do see that you posted on the this thread, but that's it.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

Definitely enclose your chickens in a predator proof coop at night, nothing should be able to enter at all costs. And it's best to cover your run not only for shade but to keep predators out. Everything eats chicken, and predators will come for miles to do so.

You might stop by our Learning Center for all kinds of great articles on all the aspects of keeping chickens. Check out our coop pages for some ideas on shoring up your coop and run... https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/

Good luck and welcome aboard!

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Hello. Thank you for accepting me.

Welcome to BYC! You've come to a great place to get answers to your questions, and share stories and photos. We love photos! And we'll probably have a whole bunch of questions for you, too. Like this one: where in the world are you posting from?

I have received the 3 day old baby chickens over 9 weeks ago. I have built chicken coop 5’ off the ground( I have to dig it out on one side still) and made semi open chicken run.
For 4 weeks they sleep there locked up inside the coop since 8:30 pm till 6:30 am. They can go in and out of my run and free range. I have 4+ hawks everyday waiting for their chance and 3 owl coming day and night also. I have 3 free roaming coonhounds keeping coyotes and raccoons far away.

It sounds like you have a very challenging environment. I never thought of putting a coop so far above the ground, but I can certainly see why you would. With the hounds keeping guard, and the height - sounds like raccoons would not be able to get up to it before a dog gets him!
Is it really balanced on top of those T-posts? How does it handle high winds? How do your chickens get up there? Is it a long ramp or a series of jumps/bars to reach it? How do you secure it at night?
You are fortunate to have such well-trained and controlled dogs. It's interesting to hear about how your chickens can free-range in this arrangement with all those predators lurking nearby and hovering overhead. Oh my.

I have posted one question but I don’t think anyone answered.

@Allsfairinloveandbugs answered, but you posted within someone else's thread here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/coyote-killing-free-range-hens.212879/page-3#post-26897705
(scroll down to see your post and the answer below it)
So it didn't get wide exposure, such as you're getting with posting your own thread here. Be sure you have notifications turned on in your settings/preferences, so you'll see the little bell above, in the menu bar, highlighted whenever there's a reply to something you've posted, wherever you post it.

Do chickens in the wild frequently change their sleeping spot?

I have no idea, but I'll tag this guy, maybe he will know: @Shadrach

Will owl enter the coop if she can’t see the chickens inside?

I don't know that either, but is it worth taking a chance? Please find a way to seal up the entrances with wire cloth or something similar, so they keep the ventilation they need but avian predators can't get in, day or night.

 

[Nomadicus]

Hello and Welcome to BYC!

 

[007Sean]

Howdy, and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

Happy to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!

Thanks for joining our community!

 

[Kenneth Zweerink]

Welcome to BackYard Chickens. The Best of Luck with your Flock! And a Big Hello from Eastern Nebraska.

 

[triciayoung]

Welcome. According to Clemson in SC, chickens do not frequently change their roosting spots.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Hi and welcome to BYC. My chickens sometimes change where they roost in their coop, so I would guess that wild chickens sometimes do the same. What is your concern/reason for your question?

As far as owls entering a coop if they can't see the chickens, there are quite a few videos on youtube about hawks entering chicken coops, and there are also discussions on BYC threads. If a hawk is bold enough to enter a coop, an owl is likely to also.