Hi! I’m new to chickens and wanted to introduce myself. I have 12 chickens born in mid April. Three Easter Eggers, one Ameracauna, one Black Astralorp, and 7 Golden Comets. It’s possible that one of my comets is a rooster. They are split between 2 kiddie pools and “ gated in” on our breezeway. My coop won’t arrive until the week after July 4th. Poor planning g on my part but I really wanted the coop I ordered. It’s sized for 14 chickens and I have 12. Not planning to free range in the beginning. Too afraid of predators. Any advice for when I transition them to the new coop?
Hi Louise, it's very nice to meet you. Welcome to Backyard Chickens. Please post your photos at "what breed or gender is this," and they will do their best to sort them out for you.
Hello, Louise, and welcome to active posting on BYC! Nice to meet you. Did you order a pre-fab coop that stated it would house 14 chickens? If you did, you are in some trouble as those coops generally hold about 1/4 of the stated number of chickens. You need a minimum of 3 sq ft per bird, 4 is better unless you have a very large run that is as secure as the coop so the door can be left open all the time.
Howdy Louise and Welcome to Backyard Chickens. Delighted to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC! Thanks for joining our community!
Hi Louise and welcome to BYC. Since you do not intend to let your birds free range, there’s no real “transition” - more of a shove them in and leave them to it. Be cautious about space issues - Space requirements
Hi Louise and welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join our happy flock. What part of Massachusetts are you in? As @DobieLover said, if you purchased a prefab coop online they can accommodate your wee chicks while you build a bigger coop. I bought one that could hold 4 chickens and had to make it bigger just to stuff my rooster in it. This is a great place to learn and share. Best of luck with your wee ones.