On vacation/ 3 month pullets gone

[Jjdesmo11]

Hi, I need suggestions on making my coop more secure and or eventually making a bigger run. I have 9 chickens and 1 rooster in a 4x8x6 coop. I had 5 adult chickens given to me 2 yrs ago and they have been free ranging during the day and I have been leaving the coop open. I since added 8 week old babies after my hen went broody. I bought an automatic coop door opener and added roosts, bigger food and water etc. my neighbor also gave me 4 chickens that are about 5 months old. So I watched them all for a week before leaving and my babies were getting along fine with the flock. Sadly they were gone when I got home and I won’t get chicks again until I can secure or make a bigger run so they can comfortably stay caged while I’m gone. I’m not very handy but my husband might be willing to help here and there. I appreciate any suggestions! Also are the nesting box holes too small? Can I somehow attach to swing set? The chickens like to hang out there. The back door is my biggest concern and maybe I need a heavier coop door? Thx

 

[Latestarter]

Sadly they were gone when I got home

You talked about several different groups/ages... When you say they were gone, are you referring to ALL of them? or the 5 months olds (no longer babies, sorry)? The newer 8 week old chicks? I'm sorry but also not clear what happened to cause "gone"... did they escape and wander off? were they taken by predation? Did the older birds do the velociraptor thing and eat them? OK, aside from all that, here are a couple of observations/answers:

1. Chicken wire is useless as protection from predation. It is designed to restrain chickens (or rabbits) from leaving their designated area, or keep them from getting in to an area they are excluded from (garden). Snakes/weasels/mice can go right through the holes and any sizable predator can rip right through it in minutes and be off with a chicken dinner. You really need something stronger like hardware cloth (1/2" is better than 1/4" as the wire is heavier gauge). You cold also alternately use 2"x4" welded wire fencing or even scrap chain link fencing to "back" the chicken wire. It won't stop small predators but will keep chicks inside the run and large predators out. Save the existing chicken wire to use to cover the run to keep birds of prey out.

2. That back door needs reinforcement and a much better/stronger/more secure latching mechanism. The way it's warped out at the bottom and in at the top provides a gap that chicks can escape and a place for predators to gain access leverage. Raccoons especially are very adept at popping those latches like what you have and walking/climbing right in for dinner.

3. The entrance holes into the nest boxes look kinda small to me, but if your birds fit through and are using them, then there's your answer... they're fine. It's a chicken coop, not a 5 star resort hotel. The chickens only care about function.

4. There are some on here who disagree, but IME chickens don't "perch"... they prefer (In order) A) the highest point they can reach to roost and B) prefer to stand more or less flat footed with their toes curled over the forward edge of the roost. They then hunker down on their keel bone (for balance/support), & in cold weather it allows their feathers to keep their feet/toes warm. Yes they WILL "perch" on the thin edge of a sheet of 1/2" plywood/particle board or a 1" pole, but generally it's because that "perch" is higher than their provided roost. High & wide is better IMHO... at least 3.5" for large fowl.

5. All of this comment is based on large fowl birds: Not sure of the size/floor area of the coop, but please keep in mind that adult chickens really need ~4 square feet per bird inside. Each chicken needs ~18" of linear space on the roost in warm weather but can get away with ~12" in really cold weather (they'll snuggle together for shared warmth). If multiple roosts, they should be at the same height and at least 24" apart horizontally to prevent fighting, feather picking, and pooping on the lower level roosting birds.

6. The run door needs a latch down lower as a raccoon or skunk can pull/push the door open enough to gain access with the latch so high up.

7. Yes, you can make the run large enough to encompass the swing set. You can make it whatever size you desire. Large fowl really need ~10 square feet per bird inside a run. They can get away with less if they are allowed to free range. Just keep in mind that if your birds climb up onto/in the swing set, they could potentially fly out.

Good luck moving forward!

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

I would enclosed the whole of that playground set, that would be awesome!

 

[lazy gardener]

Late starter covered all points well. In addition: IMO, nest box roof/lid is not predator secure. And, I emphasize the space requirement. Coop is severely lacking ventilation. Minimum recommendations are 1 s.f./bird OR an area = to 10% of floor space. Your ventilation should have an inlet and an outlet. Install a few windows. Your birds will thank you. Any opening you could push a quarter through, is an open invitation to predator access. A predator could easily lift your pop door unless you have it somehow secured when it's in the down position. My pop door drops down behind a piece of moulding so prying fingers/teeth can't get under it to lift it up.

 

[Jjdesmo11]

Late starter covered all points well. In addition: IMO, nest box roof/lid is not predator secure. And, I emphasize the space requirement. Coop is severely lacking ventilation. Minimum recommendations are 1 s.f./bird OR an area = to 10% of floor space. Your ventilation should have an inlet and an outlet. Install a few windows. Your birds will thank you. Any opening you could push a quarter through, is an open invitation to predator access. A predator could easily lift your pop door unless you have it somehow secured when it's in the down position. My pop door drops down behind a piece of moulding so prying fingers/teeth can't get under it to lift it up.

Do you have a picture of your door? Yes thanks all for the tips. I’m not handy and wondering if I can make anything fit well on the back door. Possibly frame it out? Or lift it up like small door? And as for Windows, I love that idea and looked into it before but would they require closing at night or is there a way around that? I’ve looked for used small windows in the past but my building material is thin and I don’t see how it will work. I guess youtube would have some resources. As for nesting box I need to find a wood study but not super heavy to lift, suggestions?And I better way to keep the rain from coming in. I have too much invested to tear down and would love to incorporate the swing set because my kids only use the swings. So if I would build off more I should use hardware cloth presumably? I agree space is an issue so I have been working to keep it super clean since I got the babies and don’t plan to add to my flock any time soon. Just now getting time to invest. And the 4 extra chickens (5 month olds) really took up my space. I’ll look at videos and maybe I can see what I can do myself. I just wish I could find a handy man who I could pay to help. Anyone have any experience with hiring someone? I’m at a loss sorry my questions are all over the place. I’ll see if you tube has any help.

 

[rosemarythyme]

And as for Windows, I love that idea and looked into it before but would they require closing at night or is there a way around that? I’ve looked for used small windows in the past but my building material is thin and I don’t see how it will work.

If you're using windows for ventilation, the point is to NOT close them unless necessary (i.e. a big rainstorm incoming). They don't even have to be actual windows with glass and such. To keep them safe at night you cover the windows with HWC or welded wire no larger than 1/2", and screw them in with screws and washers or sandwich it using a frame around the edges and screw that in.

 

[lazy gardener]

My windows are awning style, hinged at the top. If one pays attention to weather patterns, (at least here) and puts the windows away from typical prevailing wind patterns, they can be left open almost all year round, even in the winter. My winds almost always come from the west, so windows and people/pop door are located on S and E walls. My windows are opened between April and late November. When night time temps get down into teens/single digits, I close the window adjacent to the perches, and decrease the opening size of the other two. Because they are open at the bottom, they shed rain and snow, and even when open just a couple of inches in the winter, they still draw in quite a bit of air. (winter time temps get down to minus 20* F. There will be weeks at a time when the mercury never even makes it up to 0* F.

It's fairly easy to hang a window, especially if you cheat! I made lap joint frames for the windows (imagine a picture frame around the window, with the window hinged into the picture frame. Hinges at the top.) Before mounting the frame to the wall, cut the opening. Then, mount the frame to the wall, being sure to screw into the existing studs. If there are no studs at the window opening, you can put a header and sill across the top and bottom, and screw the frame to those. Be sure to put hardware cloth on the inside of the window opening. (you could even staple it over the opening before attaching the window frame, thus sandwiching the hdw. cloth between wall siding and window frame. The hardware cloth should be firmly attached, and will be in place whether the window is open or closed.

As for the pop door, my door is actually a large plastic cutting board. It's mounted between 2 pieces of aluminum J channel, with a wood stop at the bottom, and a piece of wood trim mounted so that the bottom inch of the door slides down behind the trim.

 

[Jjdesmo11]

My windows are awning style, hinged at the top. If one pays attention to weather patterns, (at least here) and puts the windows away from typical prevailing wind patterns, they can be left open almost all year round, even in the winter. My winds almost always come from the west, so windows and people/pop door are located on S and E walls. My windows are opened between April and late November. When night time temps get down into teens/single digits, I close the window adjacent to the perches, and decrease the opening size of the other two. Because they are open at the bottom, they shed rain and snow, and even when open just a couple of inches in the winter, they still draw in quite a bit of air. (winter time temps get down to minus 20* F. There will be weeks at a time when the mercury never even makes it up to 0* F.

It's fairly easy to hang a window, especially if you cheat! I made lap joint frames for the windows (imagine a picture frame around the window, with the window hinged into the picture frame. Hinges at the top.) Before mounting the frame to the wall, cut the opening. Then, mount the frame to the wall, being sure to screw into the existing studs. If there are no studs at the window opening, you can put a header and sill across the top and bottom, and screw the frame to those. Be sure to put hardware cloth on the inside of the window opening. (you could even staple it over the opening before attaching the window frame, thus sandwiching the hdw. cloth between wall siding and window frame. The hardware cloth should be firmly attached, and will be in place whether the window is open or closed.

As for the pop door, my door is actually a large plastic cutting board. It's mounted between 2 pieces of aluminum J channel, with a wood stop at the bottom, and a piece of wood trim mounted so that the bottom inch of the door slides down behind the trim.

Thank you so much! Yes I can picture it now. Thanks for clarification of having hardware cloth over window. Also I wonder in the interm if I could just cut a hole and cover w hardware cloth if the roof awning wil protect from rain getting in. Oh the possibilities. I will hopefully have it all done before next spring so I can get more babies. Pretty heartbroken they are gone.

 

[lazy gardener]

yvw

 

[Jjdesmo11]

yvw

Duraflo 620808 Gable Vent, 8-Inch X 8-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004Y75SUC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_UcGyBb03DCC94 8x8 in vents one in front and back and possibly a window. Thoughts on a vent like this?