Got my chicken coop today!

[Whoachick33]

I decided to order a kit chicken coop. I looked around at all the different kinds, sizes, etc, and ended up liking this one the best, and it came today! Unfortunately it's snowing out right now, so can't put it up

bummer. But I looked inside the box and it looks really nice for being a kit. I'm going to have 2 or 3 silkies in it.

 

[sianara]

Looks perfect for 2-3 silkies. A word of warning though, "some" of my silkies could never master going up a ramp. They came down fine but couldn't figure out how to go up it

However, I've read on BYC that other silkie owners silkies learned the ramp just fine. I ended up giving mine away a few years ago after spending an entire winter having to go into their run - which has a very low ceiling - during the dark winter months after coming home from work to catch and place them each up in their coop for the night so they didn't freeze to death. It was a drag!

 

[Whoachick33]

Well hopefully I get some silkies that like ramps! lol

 

[GeneJordan]

Nice... I hope it works for you

 

[sianara]

Quote:
When I got mine they were all different ages which was probably part of the problem. If you are getting chicks just "teach" them how to go up and down early on and they should be fine. I would put a "trail" of scratch or layer pellets or some other "goodie" up the ramp and some of them would go up fine but the male didn't like the ramp so all the women would end up coming down with him and sleeping underneath the coop which was protected and part of the run so they were safe but it was too cold to let them sleep outside during the winter.

Good luck and please post pix of the chicks once they are moved into their new coop

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

It really helps (in my experience) to leave the silkies in the coop, with the ability to go DOWN the ramp. Leave them there for a month (!) if necessary inside the coop- door open during the day.

Eventually they will master the ramp. I have found whenever I worry about them and help them out of the coop, they are really slow to learn how to go UP ramps.

I am currently also helping my silkies into their hutch at night- because they won't go up the ramp. Unfortunately they used to know how to go up the ramp but I moved them to another house temporarily.

But I'm going to be changing their setup in a few months so I don't mind.

 

[Whoachick33]

Well i'm going to try my luck at hatching some chicks, so we'll see how that goes. All this chicken stuff is new to me, but it is really fun! Should be getting my eggs to put in the incubator tomorrow

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Here is a wonderful chick care primer:
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/chickcare.html

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKRaisingChicks.html
another

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/aa204
troubleshooting hatching eggs

also the brinsea website has an incubation handbook download that is free with lots of info (brinsea.com).

I have silkie eggs due to hatch tomorrow under a broody right now. I hope your eggs all hatch- there is a silkie thread on BYC also!

 

[wannabchick]

I like that one, and great for 3 bantams

What's the interior dimensions

Have fun putting it together