Newbie

[ElPolloGuy]

Hello all!

My name is Scott, I live in San Diego, CA and I am a new chicken owner and member to this site although Ive been coming here for advice for a few weeks. My 4 girls are about 2-1/2 months old now. They are getting big and I'm worried the coop may not be big enough. They love it when I let them out to run in the yard but I worry about predators like hawks and coyotes. I'm thinking about building a larger fenced in area for them to have free access to all the time. Any advice is greatly appreciated and I'm happy to be part of this community!
Cheers,
Scott

 

[trailrider330]

Welcome to the BYC flock! We are glad you joined us!

 

[Frindizzle]

Welcome to BYC, Scott!

 

[drumstick diva]

Glad you joined us at Backyard Chickens. You may want to check out the coops section above - it showcases many sizes, shapes, and types - some folks document their build with descriptions and reasons WHY they added a feature or two.

If you check out predator threads you can gain some insight in preventing some of their attacks and also their MO's.

Rule of thumb is 4-5 sq.feet per bird inside the coop excluding nest boxes and roosts. 10 sq.feet per bird in the outdoor run. It's best to have the birds locked up at night in the coop to give some protection from night predators - especially owls, who don't care if you have a fence or not. Chickens don't like to move around in the dark - so outside they would be sitting ducks for any predator with no witnesses to their attacks.

 

[N F C]

Hi Scott,

A covered run could solve your worries about keeping your birds safe from predators while they are outside the coop. Make it as large as you can, tall enough you can stand up in it and add some things to keep the chickens busy and happy (a place to dust bathe, a roost, waterer, etc.). Have a closable chicken door from the coop directly into the run and a people door on the outside of the run to make things easier for everyone. You'll also want a secure lock on the door to keep out unwanted visitors.

Thanks for joining us!

 

[7littlegirls]

HELLO!

Welcome to BYC

 

[Peep-Chicken]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[ChickenJay203]

Welcome to BYC!

 

[ElPolloGuy]

Thanks for the advice! I'm going to build a very large run (since I have the space and want my girls to be happy). I think I will need to expand the coop when they get a little larger. My store bought coop I have now is only about 6 square feet so sounds way too tight for 4 grown hens. Wish I found BYC before I got started but Hey I'm learning as I go.

Where I live the ground is pretty much just dirt. Do I need to put anything for the floor of the run or is dirt ok