Illinois...

[Faraday40]

Thanks for that info. That video is awesome!
So do you offer water to them while in the run (guessing no on feed bc the whole point is to forage)? And what about laying eggs? How does that work if they are confined to the run?? Sorry for all the questions, newbie here

I have 2 hooks for hanging feeder and waterer. (or I use clips on the side walls) I adjust hanging height for the size of birds. I mostly use tractor for chicks, pullets, and broody mamas with young chicks. (None of those lay eggs) I don't have a nest box, but it's something I want to add for when I use it for my bantams.

The tractor allows the smaller chickens to safely eat some grass & bugs but they still need their reg feed. I find a difference in color & taste of winter eggs (plain food) vs spring/summer eggs (darker, richer yolks).

 

[BReeder!]

I have another question for everyone. I was planning to build a 4x6 raised coop and 10x6 attached run. What I was originally wanting is a movable coop. I decided against it bc of the concern of predators digging under it. I'm wondering how serious of a concern that is? I see so many people with coops that have no under ground protection... I'm not comfortable free ranging bc although we have a fenced in yard, it's only 3' high hog wire split rail. We live in a neighborhood and our neighbors have 2 big dogs, so do the people behind us. I'd really love to be able to move the coop around so they can fertilize the grass and get some good bugs.
Also I saw one person who took hog wire and attached it at the base of the coop and laid it down in the grass all around the coop. so it was hidden in the grass and created about a 2' perimeter all around the coop to prevent dogs, etc from digging underneath the coop.
When I look into movable coops I mostly see A frames with open bottom, which wouldn't be nearly warm enough here in chicagoland... plus I'm getting 6 chickens and those A frames seem to have really small enclosed areas.

I am in Plainfield. I do not have anything on or under the ground in my run, which the chickens have 24x7 access to because I keep the pop door to the run open. My coop does have a solid floor made of plywood. It's actually a shed. The solid floor is not a necessity, but the chickens do enjoy a dry place when it's wet out.

If you are worried about digging predators, you could bury hardware cloth around the run. Go down at least a foot I would say.

Another thing you mentioned is A-frames being too cold in Chicagoland. My coop is not insulated or heated. I even leave a window slightly open as well as the pop door all winter. Ventilation to keep moisture from exhaled breath and manure out of the coop is very important. Unless you intend to beat the coop to above freezing, make sure it is ventilated. There are some great articles here on BYC about coop ventilation. Warmth is rarely the thing to be concerned with though - they wear a down coat covered in a layer of weather proofing feathers.

 

[BReeder!]

If you want big, then I agree,,,,, you wont need that many then.

View attachment 2542467

Yes, I would be happy with a buck and doe just.

 

[Faraday40]

That video is awesome!

Thanks. It doesn't take long to train them to walk themselves back and forth. For a week or two, I just put them in a bin and carried them to & fro. They learned it was where they spent their days and chickens like routine. When I had the time (and an available helper), I walked with and called them. One of my kids would walk behind with wafting arms to keep them moving. Once they got close to the tractor and recognized it, they would break into a run. They got a reward when reaching the destination to reinforce the behavior. The first 2 days took a while, but by the end of the week they were doing it all by themselves.

The chicks will run to the regular spot, but sometimes the tractor needs to be moved more than a few feet. When they get to the spot and don't see the tractor, they look confused and often run back to me.

 

[WhyDoILikeChickens]

I have another question for everyone. I was planning to build a 4x6 raised coop and 10x6 attached run. What I was originally wanting is a movable coop. I decided against it bc of the concern of predators digging under it. I'm wondering how serious of a concern that is? I see so many people with coops that have no under ground protection... I'm not comfortable free ranging bc although we have a fenced in yard, it's only 3' high hog wire split rail. We live in a neighborhood and our neighbors have 2 big dogs, so do the people behind us. I'd really love to be able to move the coop around so they can fertilize the grass and get some good bugs.
Also I saw one person who took hog wire and attached it at the base of the coop and laid it down in the grass all around the coop. so it was hidden in the grass and created about a 2' perimeter all around the coop to prevent dogs, etc from digging underneath the coop.
When I look into movable coops I mostly see A frames with open bottom, which wouldn't be nearly warm enough here in chicagoland... plus I'm getting 6 chickens and those A frames seem to have really small enclosed areas.

I dont recall your area but check local predators. I have raccoon, fox, coyote, possum, skunk, and hawks. Raccoons have been the biggest problem.
My coop is inside my run . In 3 years I have never had anything dig under my run, they always found other ways in.
I also have a chicken tractor type coop that I keep a few outcasts in and they have never been bothered. I would move it daily around uneven ground and never had an issue. My simple fix was just going to be an 8" chain link skirt around the bottom mounted to the tractor but just laying on the ground but I never got to it and have been fine so far.

 

[SnootyHen]

Another one of my dogs went to the Rainbow Bridge today. She would have been 15 next month and we knew it was coming (suspected it would have been sooner) but it's just never easy. And so soon after losing another one, the house just feels so empty. My remaining dog is lost. We're going to need to adopt someone soon so her pack is full again. Not the way I thought today would go...

 

[BReeder!]

Another beautiful day today. I feel Spring is in the air. The snow is melting and some crocus leaves are poking through. I need to go clean the poop boards, collect eggs and check on the birds. They should be enjoying this weather though.

 

[Molpet]

Another one of my dogs went to the Rainbow Bridge today. She would have been 15 next month and we knew it was coming (suspected it would have been sooner) but it's just never easy. And so soon after losing another one, the house just feels so empty. My remaining dog is lost. We're going to need to adopt someone soon so her pack is full again. Not the way I thought today would go...View attachment 2543587

Sorry for your losses

 

[BReeder!]

Another beautiful day today. I feel Spring is in the air. The snow is melting and some crocus leaves are poking through. I need to go clean the poop boards, collect eggs and check on the birds. They should be enjoying this weather though.

I scooped out 5 gallons of manure and there's another 2-3 gallons waiting for me at the back of the board. My bucket was full though, and I didn't have much more time before having to go pickup DS from school. The compost piles froze solid last week but the top few inches have thawed I I buried the manure best I could and will have to get out there again this weekend and work the manure further into the pile after it's had a chance to thaw a bid more. If I'm lucky, the core of each pile didn't freeze and it's just a thick shell of frozen matter. That way it can thaw from the inside out which should speed up the process.

As for eggs, only 1 today... lazy ungrateful

The hens and ducks all seem happy and healthy though. The ducks got access to their pond again today after spending the last week with the chickens and just a heated dog bowl to get their beaks in the water. Today the duck and drake were happily quacking to each other and swimming together. Spring is in the air and that means mating season is coming. I'm going to have to watch the duck to make sure she doesn't get beat up by the drake too much. Last year it was 3 ducks to one drake. This year that's not the case thanks to the opossums. I did order 6 ducklings, but they will not be in until April and no where near ready to for breeding.

 

[jdragonwings]

Another one of my dogs went to the Rainbow Bridge today. She would have been 15 next month and we knew it was coming (suspected it would have been sooner) but it's just never easy. And so soon after losing another one, the house just feels so empty. My remaining dog is lost. We're going to need to adopt someone soon so her pack is full again. Not the way I thought today would go...View attachment 2543587

I am so sorry. That must be incredibly hard