New at this... Chick / coop/ rooster questions

[kearstin17]

so my chicks are around 8 weeks and since it has been in the 90's during the day & high 50's at night I put them in there coop 3 days ago. My question is.... Is it normal for the chicks to spend more time in there coop then in there run? I am new at this and have never had chickens before. Also one of my chicks is a rooster and since they have been in the coop he has started attacking the other chicks. He walks up behind them and just starts pecking and pulling out there tail feathers. He was never like this till they were put in the coop. Is this normal? and what can I do about it? I am not keeping the rooster I just am having a hard time finding someone to take him.

 

[Lollipop]

Just pull his little head right off. LOL. Get some anti peck spray at a pet shop and in the bird section. Might hafta reaply once in a while, but that should do it...........Pop

 

[cafarmgirl]

Mine often do the same thing when they are young and first move to the coop. Once they have gotten settled they'll start exploring their area more and more.

As for the one who is pecking and pulling out feather's? I have no tolerance for that generally. If he should start drawing blood and the others see it and start pecking you could have a whole nasty problem start up that is hard to break. If it were me I'd pull him out of there for a while, a few days maybe, then try putting him back in. He'll have to reestablish his place in the flock and may not be so uppity. If he starts up with the pecking again then I'd keep him out until have found him a place to go, if that's your intention anyway.

 

[Kikiriki]

Hanging out in the coop during day? Do they have good deep shade available in the run?

I had one hot day already that was bad enough to make the girls pant. I tried ice, but they were skittish and avoided it. I am thinking about making an small ice house for them... Fill empty soda bottles with spray foam, glue them together to make an igloo with a shelf on top to hold the ice since cold sinks. Probably need it on an angle with an outlet for condensation. The door would be 10 inches off the ground so it forms a cold pocket below the door opening. It would just rest on the dirt so I can move it to clean inside. The water bottle shape will cause the walls to be porous with openings for fresh air, but Im thinking to make the lower portion less open to hold in more cold.

Thinking as I type, sorry...this is still in planning stage, as you can guess... It is based on the original meaning of an "ice box" where the freezer on top was to hold the block of ice one bought rather than making ice like our units now do.

Any feedback would be appreciated!

 

[cluckiemama]

I have never had a rooster. Am hoping all 8 of my new chicks are female! My neighbors would not appreciate a noisy rooster!

 

[cafarmgirl]

Hanging out in the coop during day? Do they have good deep shade available in the run?
I had one hot day already that was bad enough to make the girls pant. I tried ice, but they were skittish and avoided it. I am thinking about making an small ice house for them... Fill empty soda bottles with spray foam, glue them together to make an igloo with a shelf on top to hold the ice since cold sinks. Probably need it on an angle with an outlet for condensation. The door would be 10 inches off the ground so it forms a cold pocket below the door opening. It would just rest on the dirt so I can move it to clean inside. The water bottle shape will cause the walls to be porous with openings for fresh air, but Im thinking to make the lower portion less open to hold in more cold.
Thinking as I type, sorry...this is still in planning stage, as you can guess... It is based on the original meaning of an "ice box" where the freezer on top was to hold the block of ice one bought rather than making ice like our units now do.
Any feedback would be appreciated!

Unless it's very large I don't know how many chickens are going to be able to get in there or how efficient it would be once a few warm birds are inside. On the hottest days here I just turn on a fan in the coop and provide water for them to wade in. Some people set up a mister with the fan. Plenty of full shade, a breeze from the fan and wetting their feet has seemed to be the most effective and easy way to cool them, at least for me.