I’m as new as it gets and would love guidance, advice, feedback❤️

[Lawrence Lovestock]

Aloha! I’m 3 months in now, and I’ve fallen head over heels in love with my 14 chick babies! Along with that comes worry if I’m doing thing’s right or what I can change or improve. I’ll do my best to not be long winded in describing what I have/do and I hope you can critique me.
My “enclosure/safe spot” is 20x20. It is surrounded my pallets that are secured to the ground and one another as well as pvc pipes. There’s 4’ of chicken fencing as well (this is to keep the babies in and my Weimaraner’s our.)
Within the enclosure is 3 coops, like miniature apts. #1 has my 4 babies that are 1 month old- (2 Barred Rocks & 2 Easter Eggers). #2 has my 5 babies that are 3 months old- (2 Americana, 1 brahma, 1 cuckoo Maran & 1 Renegade we found on the road side as a little lost chick). #3 has my 2 Rhode Island Reds that are 2 months old. In a brooder, in my house I have 3 babies that are just a few weeks old.
Do I have enough space?
I started out using organic scratch & peck starter and they love it! I got adventurous and made my own feed following Becky’s Homestead and I’ve been feeding it to my oldest (3 month olds) but I don’t think they like it.
Here is my routine:
6a- apt doors are open and my 5 month olds are free within the 20x20. The reds and my 1 month olds ladder is open and they have the enclosed area under their sleeping quarters to themselves. I feed the older ones by just tossing a tall container/scoop of the feed I made. The 1&2 month olds get the scratch and peck starter in a feeder. I also make sure they have fresh water 2-3 times a day.
I attempted putting the reds (2 mons old) out with the 5 older ones but they got pecked at a few times and looked scared. In the early evening I put the 5 oldest in their coop for a little while and let the reds (2 mons old) out. Also, I throw another scoop to the 2 month olds a second time in the later afternoon. At that same time I check the others feeders and don’t usually need to replenish.
Later morning I make them a small breakfast snack- yogurt, cottage cheese, a scrambled egg with the shell crumbs. At around 2p they get a frozen snack (it usually has watermelon and/or corn) in it. I’ve included pics most I just took a minute ago, it’s 6am and looks like we had some rain, so it’s damp but is usually dry.

 

[Lawrence Lovestock]

They are in those houses (top level) sunrise to sunset. I close up the ramp door so they can’t go down. My reasoning is in case there’s a rat or mongoose lurking in the darkness.

 

[ValerieJ]

Hi! Welcome to BYC! I love your condos. I use them as well, but mine are spread around in three different runs. Right now all my girls are integrated so they wander between the runs at will.

It looks like you have enough space to me. The rule of thumb is 4 SF per bird inside the coop and 10 SF per bird in the run. My run is huge, 4000 SF, because it is also a small orchard area. But my coops are just enough space atm so we will be building a new large coop in the spring. I only have 8 chickens and they do have enough coop space, unless they all want to crowd into one coop, as they often do. And then they choose a smaller one. Go figure. Chickens.

 

[CannedMonster]

Welcome!
The more space you have the happier they will be and you’ll have to clean less often.
When they get adult size you’ll have a lot more and bigger poop.
That means lots of cleaning and lots of flies.
Where I live I don’t really have any daytime predators other than dogs or the occasional hawk.
We have good fencing so the dogs aren’t a worry and the hawks have plenty of wild prey.
As far as nocturnal predators go: make sure your coops are very strong and well made with good locks and you should be okay.

 

[Lawrence Lovestock]

Hi! Welcome to BYC! I love your condos. I use them as well, but mine are spread around in three different runs. Right now all my girls are integrated so they wander between the runs at will.

It looks like you have enough space to me. The rule of thumb is 4 SF per bird inside the coop and 10 SF per bird in the run. My run is huge, 4000 SF, because it is also a small orchard area. But my coops are just enough space atm so we will be building a new large coop in the spring. I only have 8 chickens and they do have enough coop space, unless they all want to crowd into one coop, as they often do. And then they choose a smaller one. Go figure. Chickens.

Thank you!!