I have a flock of 17 (16 Wyandottes & 1 Dominique) that are 3 weeks old right now. So far, they were introduced to the crib brooder in our "safe room" (secluded room in our basement so that we could regulate temperature) for the first 2 weeks. Last week, we moved them into the main area of our basement, so that they could start to get some natural sunlight, a long with natural sunrises and sunsets.
In just a few weeks, it'll be time for them to go out to the coop. I haven't introduced them to the outdoors yet, other than the pine branch we used for their perch. Haha! Here's a picture of their coop:
It's a 5x10 coop, with a nice sized henhouse and 3 nesting boxes. I realize 17 would be a little too many for this size coop, so I plan to give a few to the our neighbor and to another friend (both already have small flocks). I think a realistic number for this area would be around 10-12, so that's the goal. We also have an electric fence surrounding the coop and a fairly large "run" area. We have a water barrel collecting from a gutter system, and sand inside the henhouse. PVC feeders will go in this weekend or next.
Is there anything else I should prepare for, or any advice you could give as I prepare for this transition?
Thanks!!
In just a few weeks, it'll be time for them to go out to the coop. I haven't introduced them to the outdoors yet, other than the pine branch we used for their perch. Haha! Here's a picture of their coop:
It's a 5x10 coop, with a nice sized henhouse and 3 nesting boxes. I realize 17 would be a little too many for this size coop, so I plan to give a few to the our neighbor and to another friend (both already have small flocks). I think a realistic number for this area would be around 10-12, so that's the goal. We also have an electric fence surrounding the coop and a fairly large "run" area. We have a water barrel collecting from a gutter system, and sand inside the henhouse. PVC feeders will go in this weekend or next.
Is there anything else I should prepare for, or any advice you could give as I prepare for this transition?
Thanks!!
