New chicken lady here

[Chika-T]

hello my name is Tauni and I just received my first 4 chicks. I was also just gifted a big Noah’s ark boat I’m converting into a coop!! Any tips for keeping chickens in north Texas much appreciated! Also wonder if you can tell if a chick is a rooster at 3 weeks old? I’ve read mixed things.

 

[Nomadicus]

Hello and welcome to BYC. Glad that you have joined us in this poultry loving community. If the chicks are sex links yes you can tell. If not the it is not likely except for some breeds.

 

[Jenbirdee]

hi there! Welcome to BYC! Wow, that ark is super cool. I’m glad you have it parked in the shade. You’re going to have to add a lot of ventilation windows (and cover them all with half inch hardware cloth to keep them safe from predators.)Congratulations on your new flock!!

 

[Burnt Brass Homestead]

Hi Tauni

I love the boat coop

Welcome!

 

[WingsysRoost]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad to have you here!

That's a really unique choice for a coop! The only thing that I can picture while looking at it is the many photo opportunities it will provide!

 

[Tookie]

Hello, welcome to BYC! So glad you joined us!

Neat ark you have there! You may have to do quite a bit to convert it into a coop. You'll want it to be taller so you can have ventilation above their heads. Ventilation is very important.

Sexing at 3 weeks old varies, it depends on breed. Most of the time its too young.

 

[DobieLover]

Hello Tauni, and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
In your hot climate you're going to need excessive amounts of ventilation. I'm not certain how you're going to achieve that with that structure.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

Cute coop! You will need to cut in lots of ventilation in the ceiling, at least 1/2 to 1 square foot of vent space per bird. Cut in windows to fir cross ventilation.

Welcome to our community!

 

[triciayoung]

Welcome. That is a really cool coop - it just needs more ventilation, and depending on the weight - for protection, I would bring it up 2-feet above the ground and surround it with hardware cloth and an apron. I agree with all that have talked about ventilation.

 

[Kenneth Zweerink]

Welcome to BackYard Chickens. The Best of Luck with your Chicks and your Chicken Coop Plans. And a Big Hello from Eastern Nebraska.