Newbie questions???

[Egghead_Jr]

1) Will the 10 sq. Ft. Crate be large enough for the first 4-6 days?

I brood more birds in that space for three weeks.

2). The crate will be in my master bathroom which has a large window for light. Do you think this set up will work?

I've never seen a 10 sqft dog crate. If too small a space you'll see problems and birds won't be able to get away from heat source when older. First week they keep very close to heat source and not much space is required.

3). Will it be detrimental to the chicks if the bathroom gets a little humid when I shower or should I plan on keeping them in different bathroom (not in use)?

If your not going to brood in the garage from day one then keep them in separate bathroom. Door is always shut to keep pets out and dander contained to one unused easy to clean room.

4). How long do you think the 32 sq. Ft. Brooder box will be sufficient space for the chicks?

That's an incredible amount of space for 10 chicks. You could keep them in there much longer than time they could/should have been put out to coop and run.

5). While indoors would it be okay to let the chicks out on the bathroom floor to explore?

They are fine in the brooder. Holding and playing with them is fine too. It's your choice. They chirp loudly when stressed and/or cold. You'll soon understand the language.

Thanks, Medda

 

[Ketty Ash]

Do you start any vehicles in the garage?
Might be good to park the cars outside while the chicks are in the garage.

Can you safely keep a space heater running in the garage as well as the heat lamp over the chicks on particularly cold nights or days?

 

[lazy gardener]

No space heater needed. Those chicks will be just fine in the garage with MHP. Absolutely no supplemental heat needed aside from that provided by MHP. Those chicks are not even arriving until March.

To set OP mind at ease, @Blooie held my hand through my first experience with MHP. They were brooded in the house for the first couple of days, just to be sure that they were eating and drinking, and using MHP well. Then, I tossed the littles and their MHP into a box, and trundled them out to their grow out coop. This is MAINE! In APRIL. Temps down to 20's at night, and often down to high 30's and mid 40's during the day. Those chicks thrived and weaned themselves off the heat by the time they were 4 - 5 weeks old.

As for other questions, I'd not shower in the bathroom while the chicks are there. Moisture, plus the extra heat are not a good thing for the littles. I'd not bother letting them out to run around in the bathroom during their in house time. They are infants. While you can take them out to hold them, letting them run around on the floor will be more of a pleasure for you, than it will be for them. Food, water, heat, shelter are the things that will please them.

If you want to save yourself the work of building that brooder (Are you really going to be brooding chicks often enough to justify the expense?) you might consider other options. IF you are not going to be brooding chicks every year, perhaps you'd rather build a tractor, that could double as a brooder, yet get used in the yard for your birds past their chick days. If you are a gardener, build a tractor that would fit over a garden bed that would match it in size. Or simply save your money, and use an appliance box. You can just keep topping off the shavings in your brooder/tractor/appliance box until it's time to move the chicks to the coop. Then, if you've used an appliance box, you can simply break it down, and use it and the shavings to line your garden paths.

I can't speak highly enough about the benefit of MHP for brooding chicks. After using this system, I'll never go back to a heat lamp again.

 

[Medda]

My original intent was to build a 4x4 coop over a 4x12 run chicken tractor for 4 hens....but then Chicken Math hit before I even had chicks!!!!. I had started the tractor and got it partially framed before I decided to do a permanent coop/run. LOL I decided i wanted 2 of everything when shopping for chicks and ended up ordering 10!

I like the idea of using an appliance box or some other enclosure for brooding and saving the expense of building out the brooder box. I was going to use some of the materials I have on hand for the tractor but could definitely save those for the actual coop.

As for having them in the house, I just want to make sure they are recovered from any shipping stress, eating/drinking, etc before moving them to the garage. I am now thinking I could build a scaled down version of the tractor for a 'playpen'/outdoor time as they grow until they go into the coop. Decisions, decisions......
Thanks, Medda

 

[Medda]

Looking for some clarification on coops. This whole adventure started out as a chicken tractor then evolved into a shed (8x16) with a 8x10 coop and a 8x6 tack room area. After much more research, I have finally decided on a Woods coop. I figured if I am starting from scratch I may as well do it right the first time and get what I want. So my questions on a Woods style coop:

1) 8x12 or 8x16? This will be for 10 birds at first with maybe 14 to 16 after the first year or two.
2) If 8x16, could the back 4 feet be blocked off/internally divided for a storage area or would that defeat the design/function of the coop? I ideally want to store the feed and coop tools at or in the coop away from the house.
3) If no actual dedicated storage area, can you store feed and tools within the coop (metal cans for feed)?

I’ve ordered a copy of the 1924 version of Woods book and should have it early next week. I also need to add that I will have an outdoor run approximately 10x20 (chain link dog kennel panels with HDW cloth, etc. for predator protection)

I really appreciate all the knowledge everyone here is willing to share so it’s easier for us first timers. It really does help to avoid mistakes or bad decisions in the whole process.

Thanks, Medda (Sharon)

 

[Acre4Me]

Looking for some clarification on coops. This whole adventure started out as a chicken tractor then evolved into a shed (8x16) with a 8x10 coop and a 8x6 tack room area. After much more research, I have finally decided on a Woods coop. I figured if I am starting from scratch I may as well do it right the first time and get what I want. So my questions on a Woods style coop:

1) 8x12 or 8x16? This will be for 10 birds at first with maybe 14 to 16 after the first year or two.
2) If 8x16, could the back 4 feet be blocked off/internally divided for a storage area or would that defeat the design/function of the coop? I ideally want to store the feed and coop tools at or in the coop away from the house.
3) If no actual dedicated storage area, can you store feed and tools within the coop (metal cans for feed)?

I’ve ordered a copy of the 1924 version of Woods book and should have it early next week. I also need to add that I will have an outdoor run approximately 10x20 (chain link dog kennel panels with HDW cloth, etc. for predator protection)

I really appreciate all the knowledge everyone here is willing to share so it’s easier for us first timers. It really does help to avoid mistakes or bad decisions in the whole process.

Thanks, Medda (Sharon)

Someone posted a link to the online version of the book you are referring to. I was able to look at the book and skimmed a lot of it and it does look like a good option for a coop. However, when you get the book you will notice that there is a specific design to the Woods coop to provide shelter from the wind (roosts at back of a longer-than-it-is-wide structure) and proper ventilation (angled roof ends with high windows that are specifically placed to be above the mid-point of the coop length), with a person-sized door placed as far away from the roosts to minimize draft (and is just behind and below the aforementioned high windows). I recall the book giving a variety of measurements for a variety of flock sizes, so once you get the book a lot of your questions will be answered.

I am also considering a Wood's style open-air coop since where I can place the coop will allow me to have the front open (covered in HWC) window facing East. I just need to determine if I have enough depth to place it, and to convince my spouse to build it.

Good Luck!

 

[rita2paul]

i keep mine in the spare bedroom in a in-door rabbit house it's plastic and really easy to keep clean, they have an anti slip mat which i change and clean every other day.

 

[Medda]

@JackE or @Howard E , would you know if it’s possible to have a 8x16 overall dimension woods style coop and section off a 4 foot area for storage without affecting the function of the coop?
Thanks, Medda

 

[JackE]

@JackE or @Howard E , would you know if it’s possible to have a 8x16 overall dimension woods style coop and section off a 4 foot area for storage without affecting the function of the coop?
Thanks, Medda

How much stuff are you going to store in there? In my coop, I store feed in a galvanized garbage can in the coop. But really nothing else. I would not want to give up the floor space to much else. If I wanted more storage space at the coop site, I would build a small storage shed attachment on the outside of the coop. Either hang it off the side, or off the back.

 

[Medda]

Mainly the feed and maybe a couple of rakes or pitchforks.

Thanks! Medda