First timer

[ChickChat2013]

We are first time chicken owners. Because of our situation we have a completely enclosed coop with run below. The bottom of the run ( and my whole yard) is rock. The upper coop has a perch area with shavings lining the pull out drawer and straw in the two adjoining boxes. Tonight is their first night in their new home. They have spent many days getting used to outside but they need to be outside full time now. Now that you have a sense of the setup I have a few questions
1) do they need to be locked up and kept from the run at night? I did it tonight because it will drop into the 60s and they have had a heat lamp until today. I also did this to try and get them used to going in there as we noticed they spent all day in the run and never went in to check it out. I'm worried in summer they prefer to be in the run where there's more air circulation.
2) I'm fine keeping food in the run but regarding water I'm wondering if I should keep some in the coop and the run? Once summer peaks it will stay 100 even at night.
3) We have fenced of the side yard where the coop/run is and my garden as well. We did this because I worried my two dogs would bug them. I was right to have considered it. Any thoughts on chicken aversion training for this two weasels? I don't think they'll ever hang out together but I'd like to know they weren't harassing them and making them nervous.

 

[DaddyBird]

Lock them in the coop for a few days with food and water so they learn that is home, then give them access to the run. If they are feathered out, they are fine at 60, but you may want to give some additional heat if it drops into the 40's. My dogs also "show interest" but I wouldn't trust them around them at all, even with the birds penned without close supervision.

 

[ChickChat2013]

Do you mean keep them locked in 24hrs or just at night?

 

[bj taylor]

locking them in for a few days won't hurt and might make their transition easier. if they're feathered, 60 degrees isn't bad for them if they have no draft.

if your nights hang around 100 in the summer, you will have to do something to alleviate the heat. you can use a mister in the run during the day & keep cool water available for them. in the coop, they must have good ventilation (i'm talking fan or something) or they'll never survive the heat.

if given the choice, they may choose the run at night because of temperature. you may put up a roost outside for them. then they will choose which they want. since it's enclosed, it shouldn't make a difference

I have german shepherds. my girl killed ten when she was one. the aversion therapy she got was by accident. I was so mad at her & upset that my baby chickens were dead, that I wouldn't talk to her, pet her, have anything to do with her for three or four days. she never looked at the chickens again.

they're both grown now. they know the chickens are mine and matter to me so the chickens run loose and the dogs run loose - so far, no problems.

 

[Alaskan]

When you say you have an "enclosed coop with run beneath" is it one of those one piece set ups, where the below run is pretty small, and the coop is pretty small too?

If it is really small, you might not have to, or want to, lock them up for a few days. Do lock them in at night, with no food and no water, and let them out first thing.

However, with a large coop, and especially a large run, it is best to lock them up in the coop for a few days so that they learn where they are supposed to sleep. And of course, if they are locked in the coop, they need food and water inside the coop.

With food and water outside the coop (which is way better for keeping things clean) you do need to open them up early.


Little chicks are different though. You didn't say just how young they are. Sometimes the silly little things can get lost and confused quite easily.

You want to make sure that:

1. They can get in and out of the coop
2. None of them get stuck outside, all are inside the coop when you lock it at night
3. All of them can find the food and water and shelter.

You might want to check them a few times a day the first few days.

I once had two "teenage" chicks get lost in the dark and hunker down right under the ramp to the coop. It was a bit cold, and they froze that night.



As to venting /a hot coop.

Summer hasn't really started. If you think it is too hot, make holes in your coop. You can get the odd drill bits that cut out a giant circle/cookie of wood. Use that, and then if it gets cold in the winter you can use those circles to cover the holes (or make something pretty and fancy).



As to the dogs

Dogs like to kill chickens. Or, they just "play" with the chicken and the chicken happens to die. You can train them. My dog killed a few chickens, and then every chance we could get, whenever it looked at a chicken funny, we shot it with a pellet gun (hurts, doesn't break the skin).

With my dog, it DID work, he stopped killing chickens. But I lost at least four before it worked.

Personally.....just make the run totally dog proof...and then never let your dogs out, without you standing there.

 

[Alaskan]

Bj Taylor.....

I know lots of people do the mister and cold water thing.....and I am sure it makes the chickens feel better.

But, *if* you have good ventilation, it isn't needed to keep them healthy and alive.

My sister lives in the Texas hill country, and her chickens are very healthy with none of the frills, BUT they do have VERY GOOD ventilation.

Like BJ Taylor suggested, her chickens do prefer to sleep in the run, so all vented, with a coop on the north side to block winds, and trees above for the shade. Her run/coop setup is predator proof, so it is fine for her to do that.

If you aren't going to lock them in the coop, you do have to make sure that your run is very secure.

 

[ChickChat2013]

Thank you for all the feedback. They did great last night For those who asked, we are starting with two birds, hoping to settle down with a total of 4-6 once we get the hang of things. They have been in a brooder but are now close to 6 weeks old. Our Road island red has almost all her grown up feathers ( sorry I'm not good with all the proper chicken terms) and our barred rock has them everywhere except her head and some of her behind. The coop/run was purchased as a kit and assembled by me. The run area is approximately 5ft x 2 1/2ft with a ramp leading to the upper coop area which hangs over the side and is approximately 3ft x 2 1/2ft.

I think the suggestions for adding ventilation in the summer are great and I may look into creating a place for them in the run for the summer.