PLEASE HELP I DON"T KNOW WHAT TO DO

[black_cat]

So for the time being it is just enjoy and learn from the experience, so when you finally get to choose your own breeds, coop and run, you will be quite experienced and make a good choice.

Yep! I have my breeds all picked out, and my coop plans drawn out-(literally I have building plans in my sketchbook XD) But I do REALLY want to keep these hens. After caring for them for less than a week, I already wouldn't want to send them back.

 

[mamasteg]

Yes... a chunnel... chicken tunnels! They are made out of ...chicken wire...hardware cloth... welded wire.... whatever! I made about 50 ft of them from a roll of welded wire from lowes!
I wouldnt use them unless someone can supervise.... they are not predator proof... but, they cant fly away and they go where you want them.
Heres mine....

I can’t decide what my favorite thing about these pictures is - the adorable jumping fairy? the happy pup observing the action?? or the herd of chickens marching en masse??? Going with ‘all of the above’!!! I think daily posts of your chunnel activity would soothe the ruffliest of feathers in these odd times.

 

[RobertaD1]

I can’t decide what my favorite thing about these pictures is - the adorable jumping fairy? the happy pup observing the action?? or the herd of chickens marching en masse??? Going with ‘all of the above’!!! I think daily posts of your chunnel activity would soothe the ruffliest of feathers in these odd times.

THANKS! We certainly enjoy them as much as the chickens do! They LOVE to run the 30 foot distance to the trampoline, and we giggle as they do it! I have a run that is plenty big enough for my chickens... but I want them to be able help with some of this yard work...LOL! They really aren't predator proof... and they are not in use unless someone is home all day, but, when they can get out in them... they do! If, by chance, we aren't able to set the tunnels for the day.... BOY do we hear about it! WELL worth the $75 investment in welded wire!
They have also upped the egg production of our older birds! They were starting to not lay every day... we even went through a 3 month period of no eggs, but now, they are coming back. I can make those things go anywhere!
(At least until I can convince the husband to move the old round wire 14 ft corn crib to the south side of my coop for another run!)

 

[aart]

We have PLENTY of zip ties so I won't skimp on them.

Better than staples.

 

[black_cat]

THANKS! We certainly enjoy them as much as the chickens do! They LOVE to run the 30 foot distance to the trampoline, and we giggle as they do it! I have a run that is plenty big enough for my chickens... but I want them to be able help with some of this yard work...LOL! They really aren't predator proof... and they are not in use unless someone is home all day, but, when they can get out in them... they do! If, by chance, we aren't able to set the tunnels for the day.... BOY do we hear about it! WELL worth the $75 investment in welded wire!
They have also upped the egg production of our older birds! They were starting to not lay every day... we even went through a 3 month period of no eggs, but now, they are coming back. I can make those things go anywhere!
(At least until I can convince the husband to move the old round wire 14 ft corn crib to the south side of my coop for another run!)

Your army of chickens is a truly majestic sight to behold marching through those chunnels XD
A few questions for my research gathering purposes: how many chickens do you have, how big is the run (square feet?) and how big is the coop? I'm trying to gather info for my own coop build planning XD

 

[RobertaD1]

My coop is the farms original coop... about 120 years old... its 380 sq ft
my run is 256 sq ft
IF I get my way... and I work on it all the time... bwhahahaha... I will add a round run with approx. 154 sq ft more.
I have 23 chickens at the present. 4- 3yr olds.... 13- 17 week olds.... 6 - 8 week olds...2 of which are cockerels
I would like to hatch our next additions come spring.

 

[black_cat]

My coop is the farms original coop... about 120 years old... its 380 sq ft
my run is 256 sq ft
IF I get my way... and I work on it all the time... bwhahahaha... I will add a round run with approx. 154 sq ft more.
I have 23 chickens at the present. 4- 3yr olds.... 13- 17 week olds.... 6 - 8 week olds...2 of which are cockerels
I would like to hatch our next additions come spring.

Wow....*is extremely jealous of your setup and amount of chickens* Thanks, that's super helpful for me to know!

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

In about 2.5 months, I'll sit down with my parents. We'll discuss how things have worked out, and I will try my ABSOLUTE hardest to convince them to let me keep the chickens. The reason it'd be 2.5 months is because I'd need a few weeks to build a better coop. I will make it known that if they can't have a real coop, then I'll give them back. They know how much I want chickens, and hopefully that will convince them to let me build a bigger coop. If things go badly with that discussion, then yes, we give back the coop and chickens, and my heart is broken and I will be very unhappy. I'm doing all of the work caring for the chickens, so I only ask for what I can't do on my own. I'm doing as much of this as possible without help.

My advice to you would be to bide your time and be patient. Do the very best you can with what you have at the time. Take very good care of your chickens and give them as much of your time and attention as you can.
I have been a kid, and I have had kids, so I do see your parents point of view as well as yours. Show them that you are mature and responsible and that your chickens will be well-cared for and neat and clean. No one wants a mess in their yard and no one wants to end up looking after their kids’ abandoned pets.
( I can remember an incident with my one son and his ferret that he swore he would take care of, and guess what happened.)
When your parents see that you are seriously devoted to your chickens, and caring for them, even after the “novelty” has worn off, they might be inclined to consider your thoughts on improving your coop and run.
Another idea which would be cheaper and less obtrusive. Buy a roll of cheap fencing, like chicken wire, that you can unroll into a circle to make a play yard. That way, you can let the chickens out to play when you have time to watch them. When they go back in the coop, you can roll it up again And put it away.
i did this for my ducks when they were smaller so they could swim and play. I’ll post a photo Or two. You might have to enlarge the pic to see the wire.

 

[RobertaD1]

Wow....*is extremely jealous of your setup and amount of chickens* Thanks, that's super helpful for me to know!

Our coop has required a LOT of renovation and work to keep it up for our flock. We added the run, there wasn't one present with the coop. When its all said and done, we have, over the last 8 yrs, sunk about 4K into our coop; roof, siding, run, hardware cloth, etc.... But, with proper maintenance, it shouldn't need many new improvements!

 

[black_cat]

My advice to you would be to bide your time and be patient. Do the very best you can with what you have at the time. Take very good care of your chickens and give them as much of your time and attention as you can.
I have been a kid, and I have had kids, so I do see your parents point of view as well as yours. Show them that you are mature and responsible and that your chickens will be well-cared for and neat and clean. No one wants a mess in their yard and no one wants to end up looking after their kids’ abandoned pets.
( I can remember an incident with my one son and his ferret that he swore he would take care of, and guess what happened.)
When your parents see that you are seriously devoted to your chickens, and caring for them, even after the “novelty” has worn off, they might be inclined to consider your thoughts on improving your coop and run.
Another idea which would be cheaper and less obtrusive. Buy a roll of cheap fencing, like chicken wire, that you can unroll into a circle to make a play yard. That way, you can let the chickens out to play when you have time to watch them. When they go back in the coop, you can roll it up again And put it away.
i did this for my ducks when they were smaller so they could swim and play. I’ll post a photo Or two. You might have to enlarge the pic to see the wire.

Yep! Now that we've gotten an extension for the run, I'm gonna be patient and deal with what I've got. I think that the whole 'abandoned pets' thing is why my parents wanted the rental-that way if I abandoned them (which I won't) we could just give the chickens back. The chickens are making a bit of a mess in their coop right now, but that is because they are confined in a small space. Not enough space=more poop per square foot! I will look into getting some chicken wire at some point for the whole playing thing. Otherwise I will back off on the asking, up until the deadline of when I'd talk about having them stay. Out of curiosity, what happened to the ferret? (I love ferrets and they're adorable, but I don't think I'd be able to care for them well) (I'd just be bad at it) (I'm not passionate about them like I am about chickens, so I wouldn't stay dedicated)