FLORIDA!!!!!ALWAYS SUNNY SIDE UP!!!

[FL Crowing Hen]

I know this has been addressed other places but FL is not quite like most of the country. I am wondering at what point I can move my chicks to the coop up here in the panhandle. I am rather anxious to get them out of the house. It is a very open coop design but I plan on providing a box of some sort with a heat lamp that they can go to. They will be 4 wks Saturday.

I had my chicks out In the coop at 3 weeks old, but it was in June and there were no adult chickens around to pick on them. If you have heat for them and they are safe from adult and adolescent chickens, I think they should be fine.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
I agree, I have a shed I converted into a chick coop. I put the chicks in it with a heat lamp. I also use the coop as a grow out coop. I did eventually use cardboard on the walls to help insulate the coop and I put white vinyl siding panels along the bottom because the chicks were pecking at the cardboard but it does help to hold the heat in especially on the very cold nights. I put cardboard also on the ceiling with plastic covering the cardboard. The shed coop stays nice and warm for the chicks with just a heat lamp.

 

[jamesjr]

Cmom How much was it to put that hot wire all the way around that? And if u remember how many feet? I have a bob cat that got 50 plus chickens 2 dozen ducks and over a dozen turkey last year . I now only have roughly 200 sq feet of run that is fully fenced in

 

[cmom]

Cmom How much was it to put that hot wire all the way around that? And if u remember how many feet? I have a bob cat that got 50 plus chickens 2 dozen ducks and over a dozen turkey last year . I now only have roughly 200 sq feet of run that is fully fenced in

I did it quite a few years ago when I was raising Pheasants because a Bobcat killed a lot of my Pheasants. I did eventually get the Bobcat because once they find a meal they will be back but they kill more than they eat and leave a lot of dead birds behind. If you have a Tractor Supply near you you can get everything there. I bought the wire on a roll. We didn't have a TSC in our area when I bought my wire. I had to get it online. I would guess you can get the wire, power charger, post insulators and ground rod for around $100. Originally I bought the posts made for the wire but now I just buy the insulators and re-bar and cut the re-bar to lengths I want and put the insulators on the re-bar and pound the re-bar into the ground. I have around 12,250 sq. ft. Edited to add, that is the sq feet for my pens but I have the wire going around the coops too. Behind the coops is only a single wire but most is at least 2 wires and in some places 3 wires. I probably paid around $200. just for the wire. I bought a second roll of wire because I ran out when I added more cops and pens. I bought the wire on reels. Once a critter touches the electric wire they don't come back for more. Good luck. I hope you catch the critter.

 

[Gingersnap722]

Cmom How much was it to put that hot wire all the way around that? And if u remember how many feet? I have a bob cat that got 50 plus chickens 2 dozen ducks and over a dozen turkey last year . I now only have roughly 200 sq feet of run that is fully fenced in

Yikes, a bobcat in Polk County? That's a little too close for comfort.

 

[FL Crowing Hen]

Yikes, a bobcat in Polk County?  That's a little too close for comfort.

Yep, we've had bobcats and coyote by us. They haven't messed with my chickens though because at night their coop and run is secure.

 

[jamesjr]

Ok thanks that's helpfull nice runs btw im also having a problem with standing water certain times of year and ya a bob cat and about 2 months ago I seen another one in the grove a mile away with two baby's. I trapped it twice and it escaped and it escaped twice out of a live trap and a Leg hold. I went with out many birds for a year till I could build runs and and roofs with everything I seen that bob cat bearly even jump and easily clear a 5 foot fence

 

[Gingersnap722]

Yep, we've had bobcats and coyote by us. They haven't messed with my chickens though because at night their coop and run is secure.

We have a fox and that's enough for me, although a few neighbors have seen coyotes also. My boys and girls free range during the day, but are locked up tight at night.

 

[cmom]

Ok thanks that's helpfull nice runs btw im also having a problem with standing water certain times of year and ya a bob cat and about 2 months ago I seen another one in the grove a mile away with two baby's. I trapped it twice and it escaped and it escaped twice out of a live trap and a Leg hold. I went with out many birds for a year till I could build runs and and roofs with everything I seen that bob cat bearly even jump and easily clear a 5 foot fence

The Bobcat that killed my Pheasants dug under the fence. I didn't have electric at the time around that coop and pen, but now I do. I never have seen a Bobcat jump a fence but have seen coyotes go over a 5' fence. All of my fences are 5' high. Now I have netting over all my pens. I had owls actually get into a coop and killed several birds. I didn't know at first because I couldn't see where something might get in. I put my game camera up and saw the owl.

Quote: Foxes will also take birds during the day. I had one running my fence line. It dug under one of my gates and killed some birds. I finally put some leg traps out and caught it. I did put it on youtube.

 

[Gingersnap722]

Yes, the fox did get one of our hens.

I'm leaving the dogs out now much more during the day.