New to raising chickens

[clrmwebb]

Hi everyone! We are new to raising chickens and have a few questions,, ok a lot.

So far we have a small chicken coop that houses up to six chickens (house with a very small pen). We plan on getting three hens and a rooster. Hens for pets/eggs and a rooster because I think they are cool. We are buying hay , feed, and a water dish today and hoping to purchase the chickens this week.

We were going to let them roam in the daytime and put them in the pen at night. We have lots of woods around us ( we are new to the country life) . Is it safe to let them roam? Our other option is making the pen bigger, which will delay getting the chickens.

On the pen .should we secure it to the ground so nothing can dig under it?


Thanks for the input.

 

[keesmom]

What are the dimensions of the coop and run? Just because it's advertised to hold 6 chickens that does not mean they will be comfortable.

What is the run enclosed with? If they used chicken wire be aware that's only good for keeping chickens in. It is ineffective at keeping predators out. If you plan on locking them in at night you will have less to worry about.

You can let them roam but there is no guarantee they will be safe. Everything likes a chicken dinner.

 

[mrballance]

Hi everyone! We are new to raising chickens and have a few questions,, ok a lot.

So far we have a small chicken coop that houses up to six chickens (house with a very small pen). We plan on getting three hens and a rooster. Hens for pets/eggs and a rooster because I think they are cool. We are buying hay , feed, and a water dish today and hoping to purchase the chickens this week.

We were going to let them roam in the daytime and put them in the pen at night. We have lots of woods around us ( we are new to the country life) . Is it safe to let them roam? Our other option is making the pen bigger, which will delay getting the chickens.

On the pen .should we secure  it to the ground so nothing can dig under it?


Thanks for the input.

You should plan on a bigger run. You should make sure nothing can dig under it. If you plan on free range without supervision , You should plan on losses