Going from the brooder to the coop successfully

[KellyJ74]

My 6 chickens are approaching 3 months old and are outgrowing the brooder. The coop will be finished this week and I'm eager to put them in there, but is there a specific way to do it? I don't have other chickens, so no one to teach them, and they've been spending the day in the run for the past week, which they are all about eating bugs and shaking their tail feathers, then I bring them to the brooder around 5pm. Do I just put them in the run in the morning and leave the coop door open and see if they check it out or do I wait until around 5 or later and put them in the coop first?
Also, should I add more ventilation to the coop? I have 2, 3x9 vents on the front and back of the shed, but I feel like I should have more.
I'm in El Paso, TX, so I'm more worried about them overheating than being too cold.
These are progress pics of the wood shed-turned coop that I converted. They have a 4 1/2x10 space in the coop with 3, 12x13 nesting boxes and the run is 6x8x12. This is the first time I've ever built anything, so don't look too close

 

[Ridgerunner]

Do I just put them in the run in the morning and leave the coop door open and see if they check it out or do I wait until around 5 or later and put them in the coop first?

At that age you are well beyond any worries about cold weather. That helps. I don't know where you will be feeding and watering, in the coop, in the run, or both.

There are different ways you could go about it. You could put them in the coop and keep them in there for a week or so to try to train them to put themselves to bed at night. That might work or that might not. You could put them in the run as normal and move them into the coop when it gets dark to train them to put themselves to bed. Sometimes they get the message pretty quickly, sometimes you have to do that every night for a week or two before they catch on. Sometimes if you leave them locked up for a week or more before you let them out you still have to put them to bed at night.

I've done it both ways and don't always get the same results. At the end of the day I don't see it as making any real difference but mine have been younger than yours. Yours may be ready to roost. I'd probably lock them in the coop for a week or so in the hope they will learn to roost in there and want to return to roost at night.

Also, should I add more ventilation to the coop? I have 2, 3x9 vents on the front and back of the shed, but I feel like I should have more.

Probably should. I don't believe in the magic numbers people like to quote whether you are in the tropics or above the Arctic Circle, in the shade or bright sun, or other differences, but that does not look like enough to me either. A ridge vent on that type of roofline would have made a lot of difference. I don't know how hard it would be to retrofit one.

I don't see a window. You need nature light in there so you and the chickens can see to do what you need to do. My thoughts are to install a window as high up as you can on the end and leave the top part open. Use hardware cloth to keep predators out. That should solve the ventilation and light problem.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Your coop is lovely. For ventilation, I personally think that you have enough and it's well placed overhead. You're right though it wouldn't hurt to make it bigger. Considering we're going into winter you could hold off until spring. And if you're able to insulate the walls that would help keep it cool in summer. You could also put some sort of cover/roofing over the run for more shade in summer if they're not going to be out free-ranging. It's hard to tell from the pic but the ladder up to the roost bar might be a pretty steep angle so you might want to put a stump or stool for them to hop up to the roost bar or move it facing front so it can be at a more gradual slope OR attach the end of it under the poop board instead of over it to make less steep. For putting them out there... I would have done that a long time ago. They are more than ready. Do you have electricity? I have a light switch in mine that is on at roosting time and then I lock them up and shut it off. This ensures that the coop is more attractive than the run at dusk. But even with no light, they will for sure go in there to roost, it's just part of their DNA to go roost. That said, since you also have a roost place in the run, I'd make sure the roost bar in the coop is higher. They will chose whichever is higher. Great job!!! ENJOY!!

 

[texsuze]

Good start to your coop/run setup! Just a few comments about things to consider. Being in El Paso (I'm in Cen. TX) IMHO you'll need W-A-A-Y-Y more ventilation/air flow in the coop building. Like giant wall windows covered in hardware cloth depending upon building orientation. Looks like there is some tree shade which will be helpful. You might consider removing the panel inserts from those two shed doors and replacing them with hardware cloth. Don't use the nylon bird netting--it is not predator-proof for any part of the coop itself.

Another suggestion: your ramp is too steep for chickens. Either lower the roosting table or add a longer, lower incline ramp across the front of the table. Yes, chickens can jump but better to make things accessible for when they become older, larger, heavier. Presume you'll be adding plenty of cushiony bedding to the floor of the run once your renovations are complete.

Time to transition to "adult chicken" sized waterer and feeders, too, but keep both chick and adult sizes available and full until the newbies are comfortable drinking/feeding from both. Be sure to continue adjusting height as the youngsters grow.

When I transitioned my youngsters to their new coop I made sure to place "familiar" items inside the coop, like the brooder plate (which I still used for a short time), the same chick roosts (I made miniatures for the chicks), same water and feeder. If they've been using the run it should be no problem having them inside the coop, once your modifications are complete. More folks will hopefully chime in with some helpful tips!

 

[3KillerBs]

Also, should I add more ventilation to the coop? I have 2, 3x9 vents on the front and back of the shed, but I feel like I should have more.
I'm in El Paso, TX, so I'm more worried about them overheating than being too cold.

Yes, you should add much, much more ventilation.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

You might consider removing the panel inserts from those two shed doors and replacing them with hardware cloth.

This is one of the things I was going to suggest.

Also, to take out the siding at the top of the gables on both ends -- above the doors and opposite them -- to give heat a place to escape.

@Ridgerunner's advice to see if you can add a ridge vent is excellent.

 

[SourRoses]

It looks really pretty!

I second what @3KillerBs and others have said.
To make it easier to visualize, the green is where you absolutely should ventilate... match the same amount on the opposite side, so air can move straight through.

The purple is optional secondary ventilation. Because it depends how your doors are built, if the white is structural or trim.
If the structure is the blue, then you may not wish to cut into the door (I personally like having a ventilated door so I can check on the birds w/o opening the door, and they can see me coming). If it's really sturdy you could ventilate it all the way to the bottom, which would be best.

The interior purple shows another optional area for secondary ventilation (I'm assuming that leads to your run). In my hot climate, I like air to be able to come from multiple directions for days with a change in breeze.

 

[Matejka]

Fyour run looks like my coop. Central texas here, my opinion on coop-more ventilation.
My coop is covered, and has 1 solid wall kinda ( solid 5 ft high then wire 4 ft) for a wind block basicly and 3 wire walls

 

[KellyJ74]

It looks really pretty!

I second what @3KillerBs and others have said.
To make it easier to visualize, the green is where you absolutely should ventilate... match the same amount on the opposite side, so air can move straight through.

The purple is optional secondary ventilation. Because it depends how your doors are built, if the white is structural or trim.
If the structure is the blue, then you may not wish to cut into the door (I personally like having a ventilated door so I can check on the birds w/o opening the door, and they can see me coming). If it's really sturdy you could ventilate it all the way to the bottom, which would be best.





View attachment 3301554



The interior purple shows another optional area for secondary ventilation (I'm assuming that leads to your run). In my hot climate, I like air to be able to come from multiple directions for days with a change in breeze.


View attachment 3301551

Thank you so much for the pictures!! I completely understand what everyone else was talking about now I literally completely rebuilt the left front door yesterday, so cutting it for ventilation is painful to think of doing. LOL I absolutely can cut the green section out on the front and back top section and the purple section can be cut too. That wall is in their run.

 

[3KillerBs]

It looks really pretty!

I second what @3KillerBs and others have said.
To make it easier to visualize, the green is where you absolutely should ventilate... match the same amount on the opposite side, so air can move straight through.

The purple is optional secondary ventilation. Because it depends how your doors are built, if the white is structural or trim.
If the structure is the blue, then you may not wish to cut into the door (I personally like having a ventilated door so I can check on the birds w/o opening the door, and they can see me coming). If it's really sturdy you could ventilate it all the way to the bottom, which would be best.


View attachment 3301554



The interior purple shows another optional area for secondary ventilation (I'm assuming that leads to your run). In my hot climate, I like air to be able to come from multiple directions for days with a change in breeze.


View attachment 3301551

This is fabulous advice here!

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Green section is a good suggestion because it's above heads. So that's good news for not cutting into your nice doors. My coop has more ventilation options than not because it has windows everywhere. So put to the test when I open the windows that are right at level with them, they scoot over. They really don't like drafts directly on them. Overhead is just right. But I'm in a much different climate than you so I'm glad you're hearing from people in your area.