Getting ready to start - have some concerns

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Welcome to BYC... There are great people on here and a wealth of Info....

For what its worth about the chickens and dogs.. I have found that if your dog is already used to playing or chasing with other birds or smaller animals that its usually a pattern that you cant change :( About 2 yers ago we adopted a older dog that later we found out was allowed to chase ducks and rabbits at his original home. He did eventually get into our coop and recently our rabbit hutch and kill.. It was really a hard thing. Even though I was upset I couldnt totally blame the dog because it was a habbit he was used to from a young age. We have since rehomed him to a city home and a devoted owner . We have 4 other dogs but all have been raised here and even though there's always a "break in time" with new critters they eventually get used to them and relax..

It can be done but it takes alot of management, time and extra training....
Good Luck and enjoy
 
Gave my first payment to the guy who will build the coop today. Excited and apprehensive!
JNB - do you have any advice as to how to introduce the chickens to the dogs? I was thinking first outside on neutral ground before bringing them into the dog's territories like I would introduce a new dog to the others. Any thoughts or tips? So, from what you said, the one that was allowed to hunt pigeons is my main concern.
4-H Chicken mom- Love your siggy - I truly believe in spending as much time as I can with my daughter, thanks for the welcome!
 
The coop has arrived, I still have more to do - the internal accessories and such - before getting the chickens. As soon as everything is finished I'll post pictures.
 
The chickens finally arrived Friday!!!!


Vanilla, Chocolate, Coco and Carob.


My daughter was instrumental in choosing the names.



Based on the wealth of information I gathered here and on youtube I designed an A frame tractor-coop. I can push it daily. It has a small door in the front, and the back has 2 nesting buckets and a basket that holds the watter and the feed. The sides can be raised for maximum shade and air, and I close them at night or in the winter.


Coop closed
 

The first eggs!! There were 2 very small eggs in the nesting box the very first day!

Getting ready for night.
 
1000
 
Hey Sondacop,

I see that you have a block fence around the backyard but, are you sure you don't have raccoons in the neighborhood?? The chicken wire (meant to keep chickens in, not predators out) and the open bottom of the “coop” appears to me to be very vulnerable to a raccoon or really any determined predator. I know you mentioned that you don’t really have any predators in the area but, I fear you are about to find out if that’s true.

Do you think you will be able to keep a dog outside at night with the chickens?

Jim
 

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