Hi,10 chickens without a coop!

[Bush Chickens]

Hi, i'm new here,our neighbors chickens moved into a bush outside the house,they have a heat lamp and we(me&my fam)are working on building a coop.is there anything else I can do for them??? they like us,but none of us can pick them up,catching 1 is an all day event.Also,there was an old nest of eggs in a little shed(future coop???)but today something ate all the eggs,scattered them in a neat little line,and left the shells.I think it was a possum,but i cant be 100%. Is it a possible threat to my beloved un-cooped chickens???

 

[Pyxis]

If you could get some fencing around where they are to provide some measure of protection while the coop goes up, that would be much safer for them. Whatever took the eggs may indeed be a threat. It may have just been a raven, but then again, it may have been a fox or skunk or raccoon, all of which would love a chicken dinner. Other than that, just keep feeding them and loving them from afar

 

[drumstick diva]

I agree - lucky the predator took the eggs and left the chickens.

 

[liz9910]

unfortunately chickens that aren't locked up in a secure coop at night will be taken by predators. You said these are your neighbor's chickens? Do they have a coop or? If you want to catch them find out where they roost at night; it will be much easier to catch them at that time.

 

[sumi]

Hello and welcome to BYC

You got some good advice here. Best of luck!

 

[Going Bhonkers]

Welcome!!!!

The whole process of building a coop seemed intimidating to me, but after checking out some ideas here, https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/9/coop-run-design-construction-maintenance, I found out its only as hard as you want to make it

SOme people with AMAZING SKILLS go all out, while others go a more simplified route. As long as its predator proof - youre good either way. Also, the Advanced Search button at the top will be your BEST friend

( And, some helpful tips to navigating BYC here, https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/16110/required-suggested-reading-for-the-byc-forum)

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas and

! Pleased you joined us! I agree with the previous posts - sooner or later a predator with a taste for chicken will show up. Lots of good predator proofing ideas on BYC. Good luck to you!!

 

[Kevin565]

 

[Bush Chickens]

unfortunately chickens that aren't locked up in a secure coop at night will be taken by predators. You said these are your neighbor's chickens? Do they have a coop or? If you want to catch them find out where they roost at night; it will be much easier to catch them at that time.

they roost in a bush directly outside my house,we have caught them a couple of times,we had to make a hen saddle for Ping.they have a coop,but chicken dont last very long there,its not the best coop.

 

[Bush Chickens]

and yes a bobcat showed up 1 night,but luckily thanks to my dad&my rooster,no losses