I moved them outside at 2 weeks. Yay or nay?

[GoldenGirlsChicks]

I got the warming plate today and set it to brooder mode. I hung it with chain from the top of the dog cage. I also got the 2 yr warranty for $8. Several reviews said it broke after a year or two. I’ll check on the girls later and see how they are doing

 

[GoldenGirlsChicks]

Anyone have an opinion on this coop? Saw it today at tractor supply

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-mini-defender-coop-mdc001

 

[StinkyAcres]

Anyone have an opinion on this coop? Saw it today at tractor supply

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-mini-defender-coop-mdc001

They are pretty much junk, as is the case with most prefabs. They are much too small, expensive, don't last, and don't have enough ventilation. That's why we recommend modifying a shed or building your own.

 

[ShrekDawg]

They are pretty much junk, as is the case with most prefabs. They are much too small, expensive, don't last, and don't have enough ventilation. That's why we recommend modifying a shed or building your own.

Not to mention expensive for what it is

 

[ShrekDawg]

They are pretty much junk, as is the case with most prefabs. They are much too small, expensive, don't last, and don't have enough ventilation. That's why we recommend modifying a shed or building your own.

Oh wait you said that, sorry lol

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Our chicks have been outside since they were one day old. Temps have been in the low 40s to the upper 80s. They have two brooder plates to keep them warm.

They're in a secure brooder that we specifically built to be outdoors. It has a solid top but we put a tarp loosely over it in the rain. Two of the sides are hardware cloth so there's plenty of ventilation.

We check on them often and there's also a camera in the brooder (my roommate is addicted to chicken tv, haha). They're all doing great, they're active and happy and growing like crazy.

If you need to get a coop up fast have you considered a hoop coop? I'm certainly no expert but depending on your circumstances (weather, predators, etc.) a hoop coop can be set up pretty quickly.

There's an excellent article about hoop coops here.

 

[NatJ]

Anyone have an opinion on this coop? Saw it today at tractor supply

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-mini-defender-coop-mdc001

How many chickens do you have?

A common rule of thumb is 4 square feet per chicken in the coop (sheltered area for sleeping and for hanging out in bad weather), and 10 square feet per chicken in the run.

It looks like that one is about 3 feet by 6 feet (for the entire structure.) That is 18 square feet. As a run, it is almost big enough for 2 hens. If you put it somewhere sheltered enough that they can use all parts in all weather, and you never close the pop door to the little top area, the whole thing could be considered the coop, and then it would be big enough for 4 hens. But to keep 4 hens in it, you should add an additional run with at least 40 square feet.

I don't see dimensions for the little sheltered house part at the top. If that needs to function as the coop (where the chickens spend days in bad weather, in addition to sleeping in it), then I would expect it to be big enough for one, probably not even two.

When the website says it holds 6 chickens: either they are figuring bantams (extra-small chickens), or they are using numbers for overcrowded commercial conditions (the kind that backyard keepers do not usually want for their chickens.) Apart from keeping the chickens happy, more space makes them less likely to peck each other, injure each other, and even kill each other. Small spaces also need cleaning more often, and are more likely to stink because of how many droppings in how small of an area.

 

[GoldenGirlsChicks]

I have 4. Seems like they need a lot of room. Ugh

 

[ShrekDawg]

I have 4. Seems like they need a lot of room. Ugh

They do but for 4 it’s not so bad. That’s only a 4x4 coop and 4x10 or 6x7 or similar size run. Not terrible size wise. And you can raise the coop up and put it inside the run to save room.

 

[AntiqueB]

I had a small prefab coop that was fine for 2 hens to sleep in; they had access to the yard all day.

I later got 2 more, and moved them into a covered 20x10 run, with the coop inside. In winter, I covered the whole thing in plastic to keep the wind out, along with creating a permanent windbreak in the middle of the run.

I just added a modified 4x6 shed to that run, and now they finally look happy.

My advice would be to bite the cost bullet and do it right from the beginning!

PS: Chicken math is real. I also added 3 more, totalling 7.