Going Away

[OmnipotentOrpington]

Is there any way you can set up a pen area in a garage? The coop is really small for holding them any longer then overnight.

HOW DID I NOT THINK OF THAT THAT IS A GREAT IDEA THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!

 

[LizzzyJo]

Be mindful of the heat. Coops can be like hot cars in the sun. Are there windows in the garage? Make sure there’s a way for them to retreat from light at night if it’s artificial.

 

[OmnipotentOrpington]

Be mindful of the heat. Coops can be like hot cars in the sun. Are there windows in the garage? Make sure there’s a way for them to retreat from light at night if it’s artificial.

It's not hot where we live. The high is 62 F, so that's not a problem. We wouldn't have any lights on.

 

[My2butterflies]

HOW DID I NOT THINK OF THAT THAT IS A GREAT IDEA THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!

Happy to help
I’ve had to use my garage as a safe place for pets in a pinch. Thankfully even during the hottest summers my garage is always nice and cool. Sounds like you guys have some nice cool temps. We are heading into triple digits for our heat index tomorrow I’d love some temps in the 60’s! Lucky!

 

[OmnipotentOrpington]

Happy to help
I’ve had to use my garage as a safe place for pets in a pinch. Thankfully even during the hottest summers my garage is always nice and cool. Sounds like you guys have some nice cool temps. We are heading into triple digits for our heat index tomorrow I’d love some temps in the 60’s! Lucky!

That is WAY too hot for me. I prefer the sixties over the eighties, even, ANY day.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I agree the garage or any other safe space that doesn't heat up (like greenhouse is a no) is preferable to a smaller, dark coop. If the coop was roomier with ample natural light and ventilation I'd say they'd be fine locked up a few days.

Are you planning to build a run in the future? Even if you normally free range, times like this is when a run can be quite handy.

 

[Pghelp]

I don't know where to put this, but here seems as good a spot as any. So, our family is going camping for two nights and one day. Our two-month-olds were moved outside about a week ago. We've also moved to where we are about three months ago, so we only know the elderly people next door. We don't know how to handle our chickens. Can we just leave them in the 2x3 coop w/ enough food and water to last for two nights and a day? What should we do? I mean, there's isn't time to find a chicken sitter because we are going tomorrow. Can we leave them in the coop?

We've left our grownup birds before but haven't left the little ones yet. I would err on the side of too much. Our 3-month olds love to walk in the water and tip it over if possible. Leave more food than you think they'll need and more than one water source. Make sure the coop is secure from predators. A 2x3 coop is really small -- can you rig an attached run with a dog crate or something so they have a bit more space? When we've left the bg girls, they could leave the coop but were confined to an attached run made of dog crates secured together. Hope all goes well.

 

[OmnipotentOrpington]

I agree the garage or any other safe space that doesn't heat up (like greenhouse is a no) is preferable to a smaller, dark coop. If the coop was roomier with ample natural light and ventilation I'd say they'd be fine locked up a few days.

Are you planning to build a run in the future? Even if you normally free range, times like this is when a run can be quite handy.

We have mobile run, and I think we're going to put that in the garage.

 

[OmnipotentOrpington]

We've left our grownup birds before but haven't left the little ones yet. I would err on the side of too much. Our 3-month olds love to walk in the water and tip it over if possible. Leave more food than you think they'll need and more than one water source. Make sure the coop is secure from predators. A 2x3 coop is really small -- can you rig an attached run with a dog crate or something so they have a bit more space? When we've left the bg girls, they could leave the coop but were confined to an attached run made of dog crates secured together. Hope all goes well.

We use nipple waterers, and it hasn't failed us yet. We have a run that we move them around in during the day, so I think we'll just put that in the garage. Thanks for the help!

 

[OmnipotentOrpington]

Hello! This is an update! We decided to use the coop because 1. I was wrong, it's not 2x3, it's 4x3 2. We wanted them to have natural sunlight, and there was plenty of access for it through the many ventilation areas. We came back today, and they were fine! Their coop was a little stinky, but they were happy. They are now fooling around outside. Thank you to everybody who helped!