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xcop

xcop

Chirping
Apr 3, 2015
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Hi, I am about to buy some chickens! I bought a hobby farm (I live in Canada) with a barn and some animal structures. One is a pine coop which was previously used for housing turkeys. It is slightly elevated on concrete blocks and has a small front door and larger side door. I know nothing about raising chickens and need some advice! I want to keep them as pets and would like eggs. The barn is full of dusty old feeders and there are nest boxes in the stalls which I could use. The owner also left a large chicken tractor on two wheels which has a partial roof and perch. It rests on metal bars and has netting surrounding it. I thought of moving the tractor to the front door of the coop to save time and money and installing a ramp. The problem is that there is no door in the tractor to allow me in. Questions:

- do you think that would work?
- how many chickens should I get and what kind?
- will the tractor resting on metal bars serve to deter predators or can they dig underneath?
- what should I feed them?
- can chickens be outside during the winter?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks
 
Glad you joined the flock. I think we could offer better advice if you would post pictures so we know just what you are talking about. If the coop had a good clean up it may be fine for chickens. I just can't picture a two wheeled tractor.
 
Thanks for replying! I am going away for the next few days and don't have photos yet, but I will get them soon. Can you leave chickens out during the day without a roof? I am deep in the country and have seen an osprey couple since moving here. Would they try to catch them?
 
Welcome to BYC. At the top of the page click on 'Learning Center' it's a great place to start. Take your time, search the forums, question and plan , and you will be successful in establishing your flock. Good luck.
 
Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided join our flock. X2 on drumstick diva. We'll look forward to seeing the pics. Given your cold Canadian climate, I would suggest going with very cold hardy breeds such as Australorps, Barred Rocks, Orpingtons, Easter Eggers, Brahmas, Cochins, Wyandottes, Chanteclers, Jersey Giants, and Black and Red Sex Links. Alaska Backyard Chickens has a recommended breed list for Alaska at http://akchickens.org/getting-started/recommended-breeds/, all of which should do well in your area as well. If egg production is a priority, Black and Red Sex Links are egg laying machines. I've raised them for years (along with dozens of other breeds and hybrids), and they have been my best layers, consistently churning out more than 300 eggs per hen per year. I've especially been impressed with the Black Sex Links persistence in laying in very cold winter weather. All of these breeds can be given the freedom to go out during the day in the cold of winter, but make sure that they are in a draft free, dry coop at night that is well ventilated to keep moisture from building up in it. Feathers are a wonderful insulator and cold is not as much of a danger as moisture is. If you decide to free range during the day, you will have some losses from the predators in your area such as the ospreys you mentioned as well as owls and other terrestrial predators. You will have to decide whether or not the losses are acceptable enough to free range your flock. Make sure that your coops/runs use hardware cloth instead of chicken wire as too many predators can tear through chicken wire, or squeeze through the openings in the mesh. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Whatever breeds you decide to get, good luck with your flock.
 
Thanks Michael for your detailed message and to everyone else who welcomed and advised me! I am divorced and on my own so all advice is appreciated. I live in southern Ontario so the winters are often brutal...sure feels like Alaska! And this one never seems to end...I woke up to a light frosting this morning! I am not willing to lose even one chicken to predators and I am on a 13 acre property which is surrounded with them and acres of pine trees. The farm is on a huge creek (I have posted a photo of it) and there are muskrats everywhere, foxes, raptors, and a few months I heard some coyotes singing at a pow wow. I also have two cats who are outside a lot. I will definitely buy the hardware cloth you mentioned, but can't predators dig under it? I also don't know where to buy the chickens (I would love to be able to save some 'rescues') so I will have to do some digging myself. I do have lots of friends who are willing to help with the labour. I noticed on youtube that a man was throwing them scraps - is there anything they shouldn't eat? One advantage of this place is that I have a huge walk-out elevated deck which is a perfect vantage point for the coop. I could certainly spot predators during the day from there. Thanks again, so glad I found this site!
 






Here are some photos I took this morning. I am not very good with posting them OR with computers. There are two structures besides the barn. This is the pine one which is closer to the house and appears to be in good shape. It had turkeys in it and is the floor is caked with....God knows what. There is a small front door which is pictured and a larger side door. There is no perch in there. The lawn tractor (see photo) could be moved to the pine hut as an extension...or can it? There is no door on it and I would have to stoop to get in. It does have a perch and the netting would have to be fixed. The other structure with the blue siding is farther from the house but is larger. It also had turkeys and is a mess too. At least it has a front door, but there is so much build up on the floor I could only crack it open a few inches. The sliding glass window actually works. Any thoughts as to what I should do? Which would be a better coop? Would it be best to just put a fence outside the pine one? My thoughts are, why build one when I have these? And does anyone know what that rock hard floor stuff is and how to remove it? Thanks
 

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