Getting ready to start - have some concerns

[Sondacop]

I am still new to chickens and I do have feelings towards them, and it was devastating to see them like that, but I have had dogs since I was a kid, and this batch of dogs I have had for 8-12 years, so I am more attached to them. I really hate locking the dogs in the house all day. I put in a dogie door so they would have free access to the yard. I need advice on better protecting my flock, as I don't think I will lock the dogs in. I will post more pictures of the measures I took to keep the dogs out, but I still need a lot of advice. Do the chickens need a "safe area" a closed in walled area to hide and feel protected? Maybe a fake bush?

 

[amy008]

Welcome from New Jersey! attach a bell to the dogs collar at least so roosters can be warned of there arrival lol

 

[flewdacoop]

 

[Sally Sunshine]

I learned the hard way about free ranging my chickens with my dog, didn't end well. I would keep them seperate and make sure your coop/run is dog proof. My chickens are fine in 100+ degree weather as long as they have shade and plenty of water. Good luck!

Ditto!!

 

[Mountain Man Jim]

This really stinks. I too think we need some heavier fencing (hardware cloth or even welded wire) around the bottom of the tractor at the very least. You may need to also consider fencing on the ground to prevent digging until the dogs are more accustom to the chickens and stop try to get to them.

I think we're all glad to see that you are not giving up and your are giving it another try. Don't worry, you will find the right system that will work for you and your flock. I think all of us went through a similar learning curve

Jim

 

[gryeyes]

Something I've learned: make a corner of your tractor bottom section SOLID wood. Just one corner.

Chickens are not bright enough to run to the center of their run to avoid raccoons or other predators which will reach in through chicken wire (hence the recommendation for 1/2 inch or 1/4 inch (better!) hardware cloth. Varmint paws cannot reach through such small spaces. You do not want to see what happens when a 'coon snatches a chicken and pulls its head through chicken wire to eat it. Really awful.

You would be surprised how many raccoons and opossums range inside suburban city limits... you may not ever see them, but they're there!

Anyway, chickens will run to a corner to huddle, and if the walls of that corner are wood, not wire, they'll be safe there. Oh, and I didn't mean to slight chickens at all, because it's counter-intuitive for them to run to open space for safety - they just need a safe corner. Wire corners are NOT safe for them.

 

[Sondacop]

How not to build a coop:

It looked secure to my untrained eye.
What we did yesterday - we added an extra frame with the square wire meshing folded twice around it and "sewed" it down with wire on the bottom too. This frame was added to the existing one:

The lone survivor, she had a stressful day Thursday and a stressful day Friday, with us working on the coop. Today (Saturday) I caught my Golden Retriever barking at her a couple of times and reprimanded him. But I will be gone tomorrow night till Tuesday night. I placed wooden panels against the coop and hung a towel up, in an attempt at providing her a safe area, I really don't know what else I can do for her.


Amy - I don't (and didn't) have roosters. The chickens were quite aware of the dogs, they were concerned mostly about the Golden, although I don't know if he was the cause of all of this. I can get them a bell, if you think that will help.
Sally - I can't keep the dogs in the house all day. I just have to make sure the coop is safe, and the chicken(s) feel safe. I hope this new change is the answer.
Mountain Man Jim - it DOES stink! What do your think of my re-enforcement. I don't think they will dig, the Golden barks when they roost, like he barks at the pigeons, I think the Terrier is the one who rushed them in to a frenzy till they figured out there was a hole to escape the coop. These were free ranging birds, being cooped up with a barking or rushing dog with no means of escape was not normal for them. Out was. That is what I think happened, maybe my neighbors' dog jumped the fence and joined in (I am almost sure of that too). I am not giving up, but I can't say that it is fun anymore. I had a great time planning and researching and designing, and when I got the 4 I loved watching them, getting the eggs was just a minor bonus. This just hurt. I think as soon as you name something you get attached to it, and I was getting attached to the 4.
Gryeyes - As you can see from the pictures I have solid wood in 2 corners and plastic sides. But we don't have raccoons or opossums in my area, they don't live here. Today, as I mentioned, I put up wood panels (temporary) and hung a towel as a curtain to hide behind.
I hope this NEVER happens to me again.

 

[Mountain Man Jim]

I like the hardware cloth. I think now you just need the dogs to test it and see if it deters them. Wishfully with you observing from a far. Also, keep working on training them, espically the terrier to accept the chickies.

I wish you luck,

Jim

 

[Sondacop]

Today I heard the chicken clucking fear (now I recognize that sound) and peeked out of the upstairs bedroom window and I saw the spaniel looking at her. Just looking, not attempting anything. She got a little more agitated (I couldn't see her, but she added some more vocal cords to the "puk, puk, puk" sounds she was making more of a pukaak) and then he just left and came back upstairs. The chickens had been afraid only of the golden when I first introduced them. I don't know if now she is afraid of all dogs or if he was involved. My sister is giving me a hen of hers so this one wont be lonely for long.
Glad you like the hardware cloth.

 

[Sondacop]

Now I have a big problem!

I went to visit my sister, she lives in free ranging chicken paradise, the chickens free range there in packs all day. They wander the streets like cats do in cities. As I voiced my concern over the survivor being lonely, she offered to give me the runt of her pack. She said there is a chicken who is so small, everyone pecks at her and she hides all day. I agreed to take her, since my survivor was much smaller than the others and I though that they would be the same size. Since she hides all day I never got to see her till I got home and opened the box. It turns out that this one, even though she is over a year old she is tiny, and mine is almost twice her size. Even though I got home at night, my survivor started pecking at the tiny chicken right away. Tiny has no were to hide in my coop. How much of this pecking is acceptable? I wish I didn't rush to take her, I wish I studied up on how to introduce a chicken to another first, I thought that since there was now no pack then there shouldn't be a problem, but I was wrong. I have no way of separating them tomorrow and I will be at work all day. How concerned should I be? My sister offered to take tiny back on Thursday. But what can happen to her tomorrow (Wednesday)? Do you think that because they spent the night together they will adjust? If I make sure there is a surplus of food will they not compete? Any suggestions?
I hate being a newbie!