New to Chickens... advice?

[jlhill9236]

My husband and I live on a 5 acre farm and we recently got 6 chickens for the first time. We built them a completely enclosed "pen". It has a coop with 8 boxes and a farily large run that is enclosed with chicken wire on the sides and even the top. The chickens have finally started sleeping in the coop at night, but will they actually go in there to lay their eggs? We don't lock them in the coop, because it is secure from any outside critters.

They are extremely friendly and will run to the door when we walk towards them. There is one that we think has a "crush" on my husband. She has a tendency to walk onto his foot and stare at him until he picks her up and holds her. The others are just as friendly, but a little more skittish. Is this normal? I know that alot of people have chickens as pets, but it just strikes me as odd that they are so enamored by my husband.

 

[Judy]

Welcome to the forum!

Just call him the chick magnet!

You only need 2 or 3 nest boxes, and they will probably lay eggs in them on their own, if they are inviting -- they need a little hay or other nesting material. Many people put a golf ball, plastic Easter egg or other fake egg in their nest boxes to encourage them -- it seems to send the message that this is a good place to lay. If they haven't started laying yet, they may do some strange things at first, such as lay while on the roost, til they get accustomed to the process. I hope there is a roost for them to sleep on so they don't sleep in the nest boxes -- this leads to poopy eggs!

You should be forewarned that chicken wire does not keep out most predators as it's not usually strong enough -- dogs and coons are some of the most common predators, and they will both tear right through it. The chicken wire top is good though, to keep birds like hawks and owls out.

There is a huge amount of information on this site. I'd suggest checking out the learning center and the FAQ forum.

 

[ChicKat]

Hi and welcome-----

It does sound like that chicken has a crush on your husband. I think chickens can form attachments.

Depending upon where you live chicken wire may not be enough to keep your chickens safe from night-time (or even day-time) predators. Raccoons and the like have been known to get in chicken wire, unfortunately.

Regarding laying in the nesting boxes, if you put fake eggs, golf balls or the like where you want them to lay---in chicken-logic that will mean that some other hen determined it was a good and safe place to put eggs, so they will likely follow suit when the time is right. They like boxes that are shady, private, safe etc. The wild ancestors of our present day chickens were cavity dwellers--so they like their nests to be like a cavity. Best of luck with your flock.

 

[jlhill9236]

Thanks for the comments!

We have another type of fencing from the ground to about 4 feet up and then the chicken wire starts. I can't remember what the fencing is called but it keeps our dogs and our barn cat out. We don't seem to have raccoons in this area, thankfully. My husband takes care of the oppossoms with .223. They haven't messed with the coop so far. We built the coop to be bigger then what we need so we can add to our flock in the future. We have sawdust and straw in the coop for bedding and nesting. There is a roost for them, not a great one in my opinion but there is something. We are planning on building 2 more coops this summer so hopefully we can fix the mistakes we made when building the first one.

The golf ball trick sounds like a good idea... now to find some golf balls.

Thanks again for the advice and input... I appreciate it.

 

[Myles]

Thanks for the comments!

We have another type of fencing from the ground to about 4 feet up and then the chicken wire starts. I can't remember what the fencing is called but it keeps our dogs and our barn cat out. We don't seem to have raccoons in this area, thankfully. My husband takes care of the oppossoms with .223. They haven't messed with the coop so far. We built the coop to be bigger then what we need so we can add to our flock in the future. We have sawdust and straw in the coop for bedding and nesting. There is a roost for them, not a great one in my opinion but there is something. We are planning on building 2 more coops this summer so hopefully we can fix the mistakes we made when building the first one.

The golf ball trick sounds like a good idea... now to find some golf balls.

Thanks again for the advice and input... I appreciate it.


Instead of the golf balls, get 1 or 2 easter eggs. Even a couple real eggs once they start laying. My chickens just automatically started laying in the nests. I think yours will too.

I bought a few cheap 2x4's and buried them around my coop. No critter problems for me so far. I think 4 inches down is enough to keep most critters at bay. Also having a rooster is a huge help.

 

[Myles]

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