cuteychickens15
Songster
- Aug 7, 2015
- 126
- 30
- 111
Hello,
we are going on holiday soon and we have a neighbor that is going to look after the chickens while we are away but we have a cockerel/rooster and he thinks that he should let them out for some time at about 5pm until they go in for bed because he is worried about the cockerel pecking them too much and them not having much space.
We are going for 2 weeks so maybe they might not have much space, basically the size of the coop by looking at it looks to have about 3 square meters (27 square feet) of floor space, a third of that is underneath the coop which is raised off the ground. Will this be okay for 5 buff orpingtons (4 hens and a cockerel/rooster) ? They are about a year old.
Personally I would prefer them just be bored with having the small space and be safe, better safe than sorry. And I know this sounds like a cruel thing to say but i'm sure the memory of chickens isn't a long time so surely after a few days they would get used to being in that space ? I just think it's better than risking having them out in the garden and having them be put in because a fox could get them, they don't go in until about 10pm and then there are always hens standing on the ramp up to the coop and there's ones kicking off and ones running away and the rooster is making them all come back out again, it's just madness and what if one of the chickens is trapped outside all night ? Especially with foxes about. I'm 16 and my mum thinks that it's good that they are outside but I just wouldn't be able to handle coming back to dead chickens.
Are there any solutions ? I can't really buy a fox trap because they look expensive and I don't think they look like they work.
Just please help me, I will be away this time tomorrow.
we are going on holiday soon and we have a neighbor that is going to look after the chickens while we are away but we have a cockerel/rooster and he thinks that he should let them out for some time at about 5pm until they go in for bed because he is worried about the cockerel pecking them too much and them not having much space.
We are going for 2 weeks so maybe they might not have much space, basically the size of the coop by looking at it looks to have about 3 square meters (27 square feet) of floor space, a third of that is underneath the coop which is raised off the ground. Will this be okay for 5 buff orpingtons (4 hens and a cockerel/rooster) ? They are about a year old.
Personally I would prefer them just be bored with having the small space and be safe, better safe than sorry. And I know this sounds like a cruel thing to say but i'm sure the memory of chickens isn't a long time so surely after a few days they would get used to being in that space ? I just think it's better than risking having them out in the garden and having them be put in because a fox could get them, they don't go in until about 10pm and then there are always hens standing on the ramp up to the coop and there's ones kicking off and ones running away and the rooster is making them all come back out again, it's just madness and what if one of the chickens is trapped outside all night ? Especially with foxes about. I'm 16 and my mum thinks that it's good that they are outside but I just wouldn't be able to handle coming back to dead chickens.
Are there any solutions ? I can't really buy a fox trap because they look expensive and I don't think they look like they work.
Just please help me, I will be away this time tomorrow.
