Newbie coop and care questions

[mom'sfolly]

Hi. I've almost got the coop done and I have some final questions. We have three birds, about 6-8 weeks old. They are in the run during the day and garage at night. Our coop will consist of a 4x3 hutch style hen house and a 5x4 run. Right now we've been treating the run as a tractor but it will be attached to the hen house. Here in Texas do I need to shut them up in the henhouse at night or can they be in the entire coop area? They still don't like to roost, unless it's for an escape attempt, so they will be on the ground. Also, what kind of latches are best for the doors? My predators here in the burbs are probably coons and possems. How long do they have to be in the coop until is't safe to let them out to free range? And for a final question, will they get over the three foot high section of my fence? Thanks for all the good information that has got me to this point.

Karen

 

[chix]

your biggest concern is about predators getting to them so if they have the whole area to play/sleep ensure that the run is covered so coons can't get in. yes, once your birds get bigger they will be able to fly over a 3 foot fence.

 

[mom'sfolly]

Drat about the fence. When we refenced a couple of years ago we dropped the back to three feet for the view. Maybe I'll have to clip the wings. The run will be covered and will have a partial wired bottom to keep the critters out, with flagging stone around the edges to help keep the area clean. My girls are out for about 10 hours a day now. They are making a dent in the local oak worm population. Wohoo!

Karen

 

[AccidentalFarm]

Could you just use chicken wire to 'roof' the area? It shouldn't impair the view.

 

[CranberryBirds]

Hi,
I would shut them in at night. A determined raccoon can go under/over/through almost any kind of fence and could kill all your birds in minutes.
GOod luck!