cherrypick
In the Brooder
- Jun 20, 2020
- 12
- 4
- 49
I've had chickens for 25+ years now and live in western North Carolina. Some years ago I had all female hens, so I rescued a fighting game rooster (the one on my profile photo). A couple of months ago my last hen was killed by a predator. This was an odd occurrence. We have an acre of land fenced in with a nice size chicken house (not coop). We have an opening that the chickens use to go in and out next to the normal door that I use. For years it has been open (with a piece of wood up against it to make the opening just large enough for the chickens to go in and out) and nothing has got inside to harm them. But alas my hen was taken, dragged outside, killed, but was left. We buried her.
So my rooster was alone and would not go back into the house. I told myself that after my chickens all died that I didn't want anymore, but a couple of weeks went by and I got 2 hens as I thought my rooster was lonely. I've been shutting the hens in at night now but the rooster still won't go in there at 'night' AND after years of not worrying about closing their door I'm really already tired of doing it (and I know there will be times I might forget or can't). This year my husband built raised garden beds and the chickens are getting into them. I've thought about letting them roam outside the fence during the day..but that might be risky. So I've been trying to decide whether to give the hens back from where I got them and try to give my rooster to someone who has just hens (remember he was a fighting rooster that I rescued) OR if I should find solutions to both the chicken's door entrance and the garden. I know I could just go back to my original plan to not have any more chickens but then I'm stuck with my rooster who's lonely. Thoughts? Any suggestions on a carefree chicken entrance/exit and garden deterrence? Thanks!
So my rooster was alone and would not go back into the house. I told myself that after my chickens all died that I didn't want anymore, but a couple of weeks went by and I got 2 hens as I thought my rooster was lonely. I've been shutting the hens in at night now but the rooster still won't go in there at 'night' AND after years of not worrying about closing their door I'm really already tired of doing it (and I know there will be times I might forget or can't). This year my husband built raised garden beds and the chickens are getting into them. I've thought about letting them roam outside the fence during the day..but that might be risky. So I've been trying to decide whether to give the hens back from where I got them and try to give my rooster to someone who has just hens (remember he was a fighting rooster that I rescued) OR if I should find solutions to both the chicken's door entrance and the garden. I know I could just go back to my original plan to not have any more chickens but then I'm stuck with my rooster who's lonely. Thoughts? Any suggestions on a carefree chicken entrance/exit and garden deterrence? Thanks!
I'll have to look into an automatic door opener. I suppose wiring is needed. If so we'd have to supply that as right now there's no electric to the chicken house.
