So, I have a flock of older birds (youngest are 1 1/2 years oldest 3 1/2 years), 12 birds.
They have a moveable coop with two nest boxes attached for laying - it is locked at night and predator proof. Everyone sleeps in the coop and then they have a yard (feed + water) that is about 400 sq. ft. that they are let into in the morning. Attached to that yard is a fenced enclosure of about 3000 sq. ft. of grass and a few trees. Also is an attached 6' high fenced enclosure of trees, blackberry bushes and open grass/dirt that is shaded of about 3000 sq. ft.
Here's the problem. Sometimes the chickens lay eggs out in the second fenced area under the blackberry bushes. One of my 1 1/2 year old's went missing 2 or 3 weeks ago. She is the first chicken I have lost in 4 years. Then mysteriously she showed up 5 or 6 days later. Since she was close to the bottom of the pecking order I figured she just escaped and lived in bushes around our property for a few days. Then she was gone the next morning. This happened again 4 or 5 days later. I started thinking that maybe she had a nest somewhere out in the brush. Yesterday a friend was out with my chickens and was in the second fenced area looking for potential eggs. She spotted the missing chicken and thought she heard peeping but didn't move in too close. I put out some scratch and water for her last night without disturbing her. I was by the main coop collecting a few eggs around noon and glanced through the fence to where the hen was and saw she was off the nest with 7+ chicks milling around her. The chicks appeared day old or so.
My question is: I have build a small coop (hardware cloth, solid wood floor and predator proof) to place in the vicinity of her nest. How do I get her and the chicks in there. She is relatively safe where she is right now but a determined raccoon, possum, skunk or cat could get to her at night and I would feel better if she was in the new coop with the chicks at night.
Thanks for any suggestions.
Al
They have a moveable coop with two nest boxes attached for laying - it is locked at night and predator proof. Everyone sleeps in the coop and then they have a yard (feed + water) that is about 400 sq. ft. that they are let into in the morning. Attached to that yard is a fenced enclosure of about 3000 sq. ft. of grass and a few trees. Also is an attached 6' high fenced enclosure of trees, blackberry bushes and open grass/dirt that is shaded of about 3000 sq. ft.
Here's the problem. Sometimes the chickens lay eggs out in the second fenced area under the blackberry bushes. One of my 1 1/2 year old's went missing 2 or 3 weeks ago. She is the first chicken I have lost in 4 years. Then mysteriously she showed up 5 or 6 days later. Since she was close to the bottom of the pecking order I figured she just escaped and lived in bushes around our property for a few days. Then she was gone the next morning. This happened again 4 or 5 days later. I started thinking that maybe she had a nest somewhere out in the brush. Yesterday a friend was out with my chickens and was in the second fenced area looking for potential eggs. She spotted the missing chicken and thought she heard peeping but didn't move in too close. I put out some scratch and water for her last night without disturbing her. I was by the main coop collecting a few eggs around noon and glanced through the fence to where the hen was and saw she was off the nest with 7+ chicks milling around her. The chicks appeared day old or so.
My question is: I have build a small coop (hardware cloth, solid wood floor and predator proof) to place in the vicinity of her nest. How do I get her and the chicks in there. She is relatively safe where she is right now but a determined raccoon, possum, skunk or cat could get to her at night and I would feel better if she was in the new coop with the chicks at night.
Thanks for any suggestions.
Al
