My chickens seem cramped?

[Alfia]

You could put the whole thing inside of a dog kennel (sometimes used can be had cheaply) or a hoop run. I'm planning on building a hoop run like this soon:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...n-have-a-few-questions.1074479/#post-16415828

Think about what you would want going forward and see if you can implement a solution now that will work for or can be easily repurposed to what you envision.

Ooh, I like that hoop run idea! That would work well too to disguise the whole thing behind our garden.

 

[Alfia]

as an FYI for those who may not be familiar ... here is a rental company in my parts of the world:
http://www.rentthechicken.com/p/western-pa-and-surrounding-areas.html
I've seen some other companies in other areas, too.

We gave this serious consideration for this spring, but then decided to just go ahead and put the money towards building what we wanted and what would work for us. Plus, I wanted the kids to have a chance to bond with chicks. Getting eggs right away wasn't as big of a priority.

I think the business model is interesting ... and worth investigating in some other ways.

That's the company we are using.

 

[Alfia]

You are right, that's awfully small. Can you expand the pen in any fashion? It also seems to be very poorly ventilated and might get extremely hot come summer. Where, in general, are you located? (You can add it to your profile to help people give better advice because climate matters).

If you want to end up with 4 chickens after this trial period is over My Little Monitor Coop was designed to meet all the minimums for 4 hens and originally had a 4x8 run plus the area under the coop, which gave them a nice space to be outside but out of any weather that might be happening.

View attachment 2669139

If your coop is in the sun all day and you can't move it to a spot with afternoon shade I suggest that you get some kind of shade structure to put over it. When we moved to this property and had to put the coop up in a less-than-optimum place while the house was built I got a cheap picnic fly to put over it.

View attachment 2669146

I'm in southeast PA, and luckily the spot we have for them is under a giant spruce tree, so they do get mostly shade. And @Ridgerunner, we have had them about 3 weeks, but I've been moving the whole setup around some so the poop doesn't build up. I think I'm going to keep it in one place going forward but put wood chips in the bottom. They don't seem stressed or unhappy, just kinda bored! Every time I go out, they cluck at me and seem like they desperately want out of the run. I have lots of yummy bugs in my yard, I suppose.

 

[LaFleche]

If you want the chicken keeping hobby mainly for your children, starting with chicks or even incubating some hatching eggs might be the thing to do instead of renting mature production hens.

There are small incubators available and it will be a revelation for your kids to watch their development during incubation (candling is THE event!) and how the chicks work themselves out of their eggshells, so they can bond with them right from the start.

As your space is limited and you do not want to sacrifice your garden, bantams might be the right choice. Bantam Wyandottes come in various colour variations, lay a reasonable amount of eggs and are easy to handle, Silkies or Polish are easy to tame as well.

ETA: And if you are into blue or green eggs, cute bantam Araucana will provide them and be people friendly as well.

 

[clarkbre]

Too funny. I just told my husband what you wrote, and he was like we'll see... Anyway,I just measured and we do have the space for about a 4'x10' (or maybe 5'x8') run if we end up keeping them. I'm hesitant to build a bigger run right now for two reason: if we DON'T end up keeping them, I don't necessarily want all that grass destroyed (I know, it's a superficial reason, but I've worked hard to get grass to grow in that area!), and 2) I'm worried about predators, mainly foxes, digging under. The run they came with has fencing on the bottom so they are safe, and I worry that we'd be liable if something happened to them because they were in a different run (it didn't say anything about that on the agreement). We do have foxes in our neighborhood (as well as a Cooper hawk that hangs out on my block).

You're actually in a VERY good spot. It sounds like you're committed (paid upfront?) to these 2 hens. Other than expanding their run area to give them a little more space, let it ride! See how the summer/fall goes with 2 and take notes.

Questions to ask:
- Are you and your husband both equally committed to keeping chickens for years to come?
- Are you enjoying the entertainment of the hens?
- Are 2 hens supplying enough eggs or would you like more?
- Are you willing to commit an area of your yard to it? (Sounds like 40 sq ft might be the initial plan)
- What do you currently like and dislike about the rented coop and run?

Once you honestly start answering these questions in the summer/fall, take the winter to research and design a coop/run AND the chicken breeds you would like to raise. Then, in early spring, start building your design. At that point, you can get the first run of chicks in the spring and raise them as you own. That is it's own fun experience as well.

 

[clarkbre]

I'm in southeast PA, and luckily the spot we have for them is under a giant spruce tree, so they do get mostly shade. And @Ridgerunner, we have had them about 3 weeks, but I've been moving the whole setup around some so the poop doesn't build up. I think I'm going to keep it in one place going forward but put wood chips in the bottom. They don't seem stressed or unhappy, just kinda bored! Every time I go out, they cluck at me and seem like they desperately want out of the run. I have lots of yummy bugs in my yard, I suppose.

They need fresh ground to peck, scratch and do their thing. They will be happier for it.

 

[Krugerrand]

You're actually in a VERY good spot. It sounds like you're committed (paid upfront?) to these 2 hens. Other than expanding their run area to give them a little more space, let it ride! See how the summer/fall goes with 2 and take notes.

Questions to ask:
- Are you and your husband both equally committed to keeping chickens for years to come?
- Are you enjoying the entertainment of the hens?
- Are 2 hens supplying enough eggs or would you like more?
- Are you willing to commit an area of your yard to it? (Sounds like 40 sq ft might be the initial plan)
- What do you currently like and dislike about the rented coop and run?

Once you honestly start answering these questions in the summer/fall, take the winter to research and design a coop/run AND the chicken breeds you would like to raise. Then, in early spring, start building your design. At that point, you can get the first run of chicks in the spring and raise them as you own. That is it's own fun experience as well.

I think this is all very good advice. I think you really want to find out what chickens you want long-term. You have chickens that will lay great for 2 years and then the production will drop quickly and likely won't live long after that. (and that may be what you want!) Keep in mind, after this rental agreement, they'll be nearly half-spent.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/red-stars-lifespan.870608/#post-13186394

My only suggestion would be to start the design phase before Spring. As you get ideas, you can keep an eye out on things like Craigslist for materials cheap/free. And given the cost of materials these days, the savings can be substantial with early planning.

 

[3KillerBs]

I'm in southeast PA, and luckily the spot we have for them is under a giant spruce tree, so they do get mostly shade. And @Ridgerunner, we have had them about 3 weeks, but I've been moving the whole setup around some so the poop doesn't build up. I think I'm going to keep it in one place going forward but put wood chips in the bottom. They don't seem stressed or unhappy, just kinda bored! Every time I go out, they cluck at me and seem like they desperately want out of the run. I have lots of yummy bugs in my yard, I suppose.

Shade is great.

Your hens would LOVE it if you raked up some of the litter from under trees and bushes (complete with yummy bugs), and gave it to them to scratch through.

My ladies have denuded their pen of grass so I've never been more motivated to pull weeds than when they charge the fence after seeing me with a handful of green stuff.

 

[Alfia]

I think this is all very good advice. I think you really want to find out what chickens you want long-term. You have chickens that will lay great for 2 years and then the production will drop quickly and likely won't live long after that. (and that may be what you want!) Keep in mind, after this rental agreement, they'll be nearly half-spent.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/red-stars-lifespan.870608/#post-13186394

My only suggestion would be to start the design phase before Spring. As you get ideas, you can keep an eye out on things like Craigslist for materials cheap/free. And given the cost of materials these days, the savings can be substantial with early planning.

Thanks, great advice! Since we have a 3 year old, I think we would probably opt for hens with a longer lifespan.

 

[Alfia]

Shade is great.

Your hens would LOVE it if you raked up some of the litter from under trees and bushes (complete with yummy bugs), and gave it to them to scratch through.

My ladies have denuded their pen of grass so I've never been more motivated to pull weeds than when they charge the fence after seeing me with a handful of green stuff.

Ok, so woodchips with the frequent addition of mowed grass and yard clippings (and some kitchen scraps)?