Hi - I'm planning (hoping?) to purchase 3 buff orpington pullets to add to my flock. The birds are coming from a nearby high school student who bred them for an FFA project. The seller says they were vaccinated and raised on medicated feed, which I thought was redundant, but whatever.
My current flock has 4 pullets and 4 cockerels (though we'll be getting rid of 2 of the cockerels). My birds are 16 weeks and these new pullets are about 25 weeks.
I'm curious how much space they need in the quarantine pen. Does the same square footage rule apply as for in a coop? Right now I'm planning on picking up a lawn/garden tractor crate from Tractor Supply, wrap it in chicken wire, and keep it in my workshop. I believe those crates are about 3'x6'x3'. I'll put a tarp down on the floor and cover it with a mix of pine shavings, DTE, straw, and some dirt from the yard where my current chickens roam. Will that be enough space? Also, since these new birds are very close to laying, should I do a fancier setup that includes a nest box for them?
My current flock has 4 pullets and 4 cockerels (though we'll be getting rid of 2 of the cockerels). My birds are 16 weeks and these new pullets are about 25 weeks.
I'm curious how much space they need in the quarantine pen. Does the same square footage rule apply as for in a coop? Right now I'm planning on picking up a lawn/garden tractor crate from Tractor Supply, wrap it in chicken wire, and keep it in my workshop. I believe those crates are about 3'x6'x3'. I'll put a tarp down on the floor and cover it with a mix of pine shavings, DTE, straw, and some dirt from the yard where my current chickens roam. Will that be enough space? Also, since these new birds are very close to laying, should I do a fancier setup that includes a nest box for them?