Is My Backyard Okay For a Coop?

[Eznet2u]

We didn't keep our rooster, at 12 weeks he was re-purposed.

Mmmm, Re-purposed...

 

[Daisy8s]

I've seen my chickens attack and kill caterpillars and mice--they were downright vicious with the mice. I bet they'll be interested in the turtle and do some pecking but he'll probably retreat to be safe in his shell while they're around so I bet they'll lose interest pretty fast. Once they figure out he's not food they'll ignore him.

If you were interested in a Leghorn for the egg-laying you could try an ISA Brown. They're amazing layers of huge brown eggs and quite a small bird. Also extremely friendly and curious about people. One of mine is nearly silent while the other one does "talk" quite a bit but it isn't loud--couldn't be heard outside the coop.

All chickens will make more sounds if they're squabbling over a nice bug they just found, or if you appear (because you will mean food, usually). Most of these noises are basic clucks, peeps, and bawks...not unpleasant and not particularly loud. But, an alarm call is loud and you'll want to be able to hear it because it means something is attacking your chickens--most likely to be a dog. (We have two cats and neither one would dare approach a full-grown chicken--even my cat that kills wild birds and rabbits.)

The only loud and somewhat harsh sound is the "egg song" that some hens make right after they lay an egg. One of my birds does it this way: bawk, bawk, buh-GAWK! Another bird does a quieter and longer: buk, buk, buk, buk, buk, buh-GAWK! Not every hen does it and those that do only make it after they lay an egg.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

I just wanted to add that I think your box turtle should be fine with chickens. We have tortoises of various sizes that free range the yard with our chickens and they don't interact much at all.

 

[galanie]

The cats won't likely bother your chickens once they get up big enough not to be a tempting meal. But they can and do kill chicks. I lost one to a feral cat not long ago. "Normal" sized chickens are ok once they got to around 2-3 month old.

 

[ChickenMan77]

Exactly

 

[ChickenMan77]

Mmmm, Re-purposed...

Exactly

 

[SKG1121]

I currently have 4 chickens laying and 5 chicks in the house. My house and yard is situated very close to 4 neighbors. I placed the coop as far away from all the houses as possible. They can get loud, as mentioned before, when an egg is laid. For my hens this can happen at around sunrise some times. My wife and I went around and talked to all the neighbors when we realized that one of our chicks was a rooster. My wife also made up a little card with our contact info on it and a little picture of an innocent looking baby chick. This helped them to feel like they had our permission to call us if they began to have an issue with the chickens, we have never received a call. You could also offer to give them eggs. We didn't keep our rooster, at 12 weeks he was re-purposed. For the most part in my area people are very relaxed about such things though. Regarding the cats they could become a problem. My cat has totally ignored our hens even when they were chicks in the house so we have been lucky. It is funny to see our English Setters pointing a dove on the fence while the chickens peck the ground in front of the dogs. We worked with the dogs too so they understood the chickens were family not food. I don't see the turtle being an issue at all for the hens but I have never had a turtle. I hope this helps.

Thanks, that helped a lot. I think I'm only going to let them free range while I'm outside with them because there are a lot of cats that come into my yard constently, and they fight and kill pigeons.

 

[Johnboy78]

I have an eglu cube, and it is a great product, well designed
and well thought out. I don't think the Go is good for more than 3
but it should be fine for 3. The roosting area has plastic bars that they will
roost on. Mine sleep in the nest area occasionally, but most of them use the
bars.

They will not bother a box turtle, when they annoy it it will close up and they will
go elsewhere. I have a turtle in a pnd that they ignore, unlike the dog who likes to
bark at it. My dogs adjusted to the chickens very well. There are cats that roam
around, at seven months the chickens saw one. They massed together and and
started screeching and drove it away from the fence. Once they get to a good size,
six or seven months, you can appreciate how much like raptors they are and they
can be intimidating.

 

[SKG1121]

The cats won't likely bother your chickens once they get up big enough not to be a tempting meal. But they can and do kill chicks. I lost one to a feral cat not long ago. "Normal" sized chickens are ok once they got to around 2-3 month old.

would bantams be fine too?

 

[Hawkeye95]

would bantams be fine too?

Yep. In most cases, our bantams have been meaner and more aggressive than LF. Even a couple of our silkies (cockerels) really beat on the others and despite their little size, act like a BIG bird. I'm pretty sure a cat would NOT mess with them. They come flying at you feet first. We've had all kinds of bantams and usually they are the ones to chase you! LOL But they're cute, and I like 'em anyway.