Right now I have six Comets in the brooder--I'm giving my son 4 and I'm keeping a pair. I plan on buying a coop that one of the local carpenters have built. The hens are going to be in my garden which is basically a 24ft sguare which is fenced with a 3.5ft picket fence. They won't have free range of the garden, they will be in the coop/run on one side. The coop itself will be a 3x4 with a run of 3x6. Now for the questions.
We do have predators, so should I get a wire bottom? Don't they need to scratch?
My plan is shavings in the coop and sand in the run area. Since they will be in the run area--do they just eat what I feed--or do they still find food in the same area. I plan on moving them around the garden a couple of times a year--in between plantings.
When my garden gets established, I plan on letting them range supervised for short periods-will they fly out?
Will they be hard to get back into the coop?
Also, can I move them outside at four weeks of age? I'm so excited about my new girls. I've wanted to do this for a couple of years. I'm going under the radar with them, since my HOA says no, but all they can do is tell me to get rid of them. If they raise a stink, I'm going to let my son have them. I love this forum and all the helpful folks. I hope you guys are ready for my constant and sometimes silly questions, Thanks many times over.
We do have predators, so should I get a wire bottom? Don't they need to scratch?
My plan is shavings in the coop and sand in the run area. Since they will be in the run area--do they just eat what I feed--or do they still find food in the same area. I plan on moving them around the garden a couple of times a year--in between plantings.
When my garden gets established, I plan on letting them range supervised for short periods-will they fly out?
Will they be hard to get back into the coop?
Also, can I move them outside at four weeks of age? I'm so excited about my new girls. I've wanted to do this for a couple of years. I'm going under the radar with them, since my HOA says no, but all they can do is tell me to get rid of them. If they raise a stink, I'm going to let my son have them. I love this forum and all the helpful folks. I hope you guys are ready for my constant and sometimes silly questions, Thanks many times over.