New to chickens, unsure about some behaviors

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You are worried that it is too cold, and I am worried that it is too hot. Heat bothers chickens way more than cold.

I too, think you got young birds. Which is way better than getting old birds ready to quit laying.

I think if you do nothing, they will be roosting in a few days. May be a good month before they lay. But I would expect eggs through most of the winter.

This is a fun hobby! Welcome.

Mrs K
 
OK. Long post about that coop...

Manufacturers of prefab coops *always* lie about capacity. I'll bet they said 3-4 chickens for that coop which would be crazy. @FrostRanger gave you the commonly accepted numbers for minimum space in a coop/run. Manufacturers use factory farm numbers to justify their capacity numbers. Unfortunately, newbies often fall into that trap. I did with my first coop.

The Brahma is a particularly large chicken in a small coop which will drive some of the comments below.

1- The roost bar. It may be a little too close to the nests. You may need to move it right up to the edge of the door. I wouldn't do that just yet, but keep it in mind as you see how your girls grow and fit in there.

More important is the bar itself. How wide is it? It looks fairly narrow which is harder on the chicken's feet. Ideally, it should be 2-3" wide. Also very important is that the top edges need to be rounded. Sharp edges may be part of why they aren't roosting there now. Use sanding paper or a wood file to round off those edges.

2- Accessories for the coop. I recommend you get two items for the coop. First, a plastic kitty litter scoop- something like this. You can use it to scoop the poo in the coop and remove minimal shavings. You should also get ceramic eggs, golf balls or even round painted rocks for use in the nests. When your girls start laying, they will quickly figure out that they should go to the nests and lay where those "eggs" are.

3- Ventilation. As noted above, you need much more ventilation. It allows for air flow and cooling when it is hot. It also allows moisture (breath and poo) to leave the coop which is particularly important in winter when freezing temperatures can cause frostbite.

Ideally, you should open up areas that do not face the prevailing winds. This will prevent precipitation from getting in and prevent cold winds from directly blowing on your girls in winter.

I see 4 areas that you can cut holes and cover with 1/2" hardware cloth. That is the same kind of fencing you have on the coop currently. Select 2 areas that make sense and don't face the prevailing winds. I'd leave a 1" frame of the wood in those areas to attach the hardware cloth.
  • The wall above the pop door.
  • The vertical wall above the nest boxes.
  • The two side doors.
4- Run area. I'm less concerned about the coop space with 2 birds than I am that the run is properly sized. It really should be at least 20 sqft. If you do extend it, be sure to wrap it with more hardware cloth to keep out predators. Extending the roof would be nice, but optional. I'd also recommend that you put another roost out there about 1ft high for them during the day.

The grass in the run will die soon enough. Chickens normally scratch the soil and eat some of the greens, so it is inevitable. Mud and poo will become a problem. I hope water doesn't pool in that area.

So, what do you do about the floor as the grass dies? I'm not an expert on all the options, but have one that works really well for me. I bag up a bunch of dead leaves in the fall and use them in the floor of the run. It will counteract the smell from the poo and as the chickens scratch around, they will break down the leaves and poo into an excellent organic matter over time. You can add additional leaves as needed as they break down. I only clean out my run area twice/year and use the organic matter in my gardens and under trees/bushes.

----

BYCers- Do you have any alternate recommendations for the run floor? I only use deep litter leaves, so that's what I recommended, but I know there are other options.

@Gary335- Good luck and keep asking questions. You'll become a pro soon enough. Keep in mind that you should not put more than two chickens in that coop. If/when you decide to expand, you'll either need to get a second coop or build your own (preferred).
 
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Wood chips or mulch are also good options. Some people like sand but it's too much work IMO, I'd rather use something I can do deep litter with and call it a day. Try different things out and see what works for your climate and management style
 
TooCheep said:
BYCers- Do you have any alternate recommendations for the run floor? I only use deep litter leaves, so that's what I recommended, but I know there are other options.
Click to expand...
Without expansion, no form of deep litter will work in a run that size, it's simply impossible to build up the volume needed.

More realistic options would be sand with daily scoop out, if the run can be kept dry (generally this only works well in arid climates) or regular full cleanouts of whatever organic litter material is chosen.
 
Good advice all around! Welcome to BYC. I just want to add that POL means "point of lay." Your birds are not quite yet at that point, where they start laying, but soon will be. Expect smallish eggs to begin with, but in a month or so they will be giving you lovely eggs. We'll want to hear when you get your first eggs, with pictures, of course!
 

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