maggieandotis
Songster
Hi,
(This is my first time with backyard chickens so I do not have all of the terminology right just yet. My apologies.)
This is a photo of my (5) 8 week old chickens and (1) 8 week old rooster. My sweet husband who finds a way to improve their "condominium" on a regular basis, added a new roosting bar at the top of outside patio area. They all love it and when the sun goes down at night, all (6) climb up there instead of going into the house (coop?).
My old neighbor had BYCs that I used to take care of when they were out of town and my job at night was to close the coop/house doors after they had all gone in for the night to keep them safe from predators. Because of this, I have been forcing my chickens to go inside but they all seem to want to stay on that perch. Is it okay/safe to let them do so?
When we built our coop my husband put chicken wire down at the base on the outside and attached it to the foundation. The wire forms about a 12" perimeter all around the outside of the coop and is down about a foot and covered with dirt. My husband thought if a predator wanted to get in the coop and started digging, they would hit the chicken wire and not be able to get in. Three out of the four sides he also topped with heavy rocks with the exception of the front of the coop where the front door is (rocks could not go there because we need to open the door).
Lastly, he installed a light right above the door that stays on all night. So, you can see inside the fenced in area at night. The chicks sitting on the roost are visible even though I get the impression they think they are invisible.
Should I let my chicks sleep outside at night or force them to go in. We have a lot of coyotes in our area.
Thank you for your input!
Maggie
Fallbrook, CA
(This is my first time with backyard chickens so I do not have all of the terminology right just yet. My apologies.)
This is a photo of my (5) 8 week old chickens and (1) 8 week old rooster. My sweet husband who finds a way to improve their "condominium" on a regular basis, added a new roosting bar at the top of outside patio area. They all love it and when the sun goes down at night, all (6) climb up there instead of going into the house (coop?).
My old neighbor had BYCs that I used to take care of when they were out of town and my job at night was to close the coop/house doors after they had all gone in for the night to keep them safe from predators. Because of this, I have been forcing my chickens to go inside but they all seem to want to stay on that perch. Is it okay/safe to let them do so?
When we built our coop my husband put chicken wire down at the base on the outside and attached it to the foundation. The wire forms about a 12" perimeter all around the outside of the coop and is down about a foot and covered with dirt. My husband thought if a predator wanted to get in the coop and started digging, they would hit the chicken wire and not be able to get in. Three out of the four sides he also topped with heavy rocks with the exception of the front of the coop where the front door is (rocks could not go there because we need to open the door).
Lastly, he installed a light right above the door that stays on all night. So, you can see inside the fenced in area at night. The chicks sitting on the roost are visible even though I get the impression they think they are invisible.
Should I let my chicks sleep outside at night or force them to go in. We have a lot of coyotes in our area.
Thank you for your input!
Maggie
Fallbrook, CA
