post your chicken coop pictures here!

[junebuggena]

That was 21' per bird, the total space is 108'

But they are indoors, right, since you mention you want to put in a run. They have nothing to do. Nothing to occupy their time. No dirt loaded with bugs for them to scratch through. No grass. No leaf litter...
Get them outside, and you will see them calm down.

 

[gpeters3]

I really enjoyed ranging them but I don't feel like becoming a hunter again or buying a gun so the run will have to do. I know I don't share the feelings of many but, if it were up to me, all predators in my area would drop dead and nothing would be living on my property but my animals and family. I'm retired but still can't find time or energy to put out all the fires. I still have to finish the addition on my house, rebuild the garage, fix up the yard, put in grape vines, restore my 78 F250 and.......... I think the chickens will be sharing the green house which will occupy the rest of the back of the barn. They can run around the trees my wife brought from Texas (Harlingen) once I get around to setting that up. Right now, they are all in the living room..........

 

[junebuggena]

I really enjoyed ranging them but I don't feel like becoming a hunter again or buying a gun so the run will have to do. I know I don't share the feelings of many but, if it were up to me, all predators in my area would drop dead and nothing would be living on my property but my animals and family. I'm retired but still can't find time or energy to put out all the fires. I still have to finish the addition on my house, rebuild the garage, fix up the yard, put in grape vines, restore my 78 F250 and.......... I think the chickens will be sharing the green house which will occupy the rest of the back of the barn. They can run around the trees my wife brought from Texas (Harlingen) once I get around to setting that up. Right now, they are all in the living room..........

T-posts and welded wire fencing. It doesn't have to be Fort Knox. It just has to be strong enough to deter daytime predators. Or at least, until you get a run installed, put things in their coop for them to explore. Dump some grass clippings in once or twice a week. If you've got a few big branches or stumps sitting around, put those in the coop. Hang a cabbage or head of lettuce just out of reach so they have to work to get it. There are lots of simple, cheap things you can do to break up the monotony of being inside all the time.

 

[TalkALittle]

But they are indoors, right, since you mention you want to put in a run. They have nothing to do. Nothing to occupy their time. No dirt loaded with bugs for them to scratch through. No grass. No leaf litter...
Get them outside, and you will see them calm down. 

Gpeters3, I think what junebug is saying is that while you have more than the generally recommended amount of space for the number of birds you have, the *type* of space may not be adequate. Without access to space that allows for one's birds to engage in natural behaviors, one is likely to see a greater incidence of behavioral issues arise within one's flock. This may very well be the reason for the "fighting" that you've observed. I would put a priority on getting a run built. Birds who are engaged in food seeking behaviors like scratching through dirt and leaves, have access to areas to dust bathe, can roost at various heights to preen, and are housed in a run with adequate sun exposure will be occupied with those activities and far less likely to be in conflict.

 

[birds4kids]

Even a handful of scratch in the coop litter is something to pass the time.

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

I do that when they have straw in there coop and it starts to get nasty and I put in a lot and put some corn in there and it's all turned over and lasts twice as long but I use sand now

 

[perchie.girl]

I really enjoyed ranging them but I don't feel like becoming a hunter again or buying a gun so the run will have to do. I know I don't share the feelings of many but, if it were up to me, all predators in my area would drop dead and nothing would be living on my property but my animals and family. I'm retired but still can't find time or energy to put out all the fires. I still have to finish the addition on my house, rebuild the garage, fix up the yard, put in grape vines, restore my 78 F250 and.......... I think the chickens will be sharing the green house which will occupy the rest of the back of the barn. They can run around the trees my wife brought from Texas (Harlingen) once I get around to setting that up. Right now, they are all in the living room..........

You will make it work. I did.

deb

 

[gpeters3]

I really enjoyed ranging them but I don't feel like becoming a hunter again or buying a gun so the run will have to do. I know I don't share the feelings of many but, if it were up to me, all predators in my area would drop dead and nothing would be living on my property but my animals and family. I'm retired but still can't find time or energy to put out all the fires. I still have to finish the addition on my house, rebuild the garage, fix up the yard, put in grape vines, restore my 78 F250 and.......... I think the chickens will be sharing the green house which will occupy the rest of the back of the barn. They can run around the trees my wife brought from Texas (Harlingen) once I get around to setting that up. Right now, they are all in the living room..........

I meant the trees are in the living room, not the chickens. I'm going to have to work fast. The first chicks are getting really big and will need space pretty soon. I may just set up the run for now. The coop I have will give each bird 5.4 cuft and to be honest, I just don't feel like putting up a roof right now. Just have to figure out what to use for the top. I got away with chicken wire for about 4 years so, apparently, whatever predators we have here are not that ambitious to tear up the wire. I'm thinking probably hawks and stray dogs/cats and maybe an odd fox or coon. The coyotes apparently have been poisoned or pruned to the point that I don't hear them any more. I'll have to go take a look at what is out there. I just don't feel like tying a bunch of 3 or 4 foot strings together (a real pain) They make hardware cloth, I wonder if they make hardware blankets............

Anyway, my plan is to run the wire from the eves (12') down to the fence and the fence will have to be 5-6 feet so I can walk around in there so I'm thinking wood posts which will prepare me for any structure I eventually put in there. Metal posts are easy but I've never seen a 10 or 12 foot fence post It's only 4 or 5 posts so no big deal. I have to dig them by hand anyway because I have a sewer line along there somewhere and I don't really want to have to dig it up to repair it. They have to go down 4' to beat the frost. I know it's overkill but that's how I always build stuff. I'll probably set the posts and add the pole barn headers so it's ready to build, then just fling the wire over it for the run. (I hate doing things twice or three times) Got the stone and blocks moved today, couple loads to the dump Monday and I'm ready to go to work on the run It will be 9 x 32 x 12' high. Maybe I should consider boarding chickens...........(like horses)

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

I really enjoyed ranging them but I don't feel like becoming a hunter again or buying a gun so the run will have to do. I know I don't share the feelings of many but, if it were up to me, all predators in my area would drop dead and nothing would be living on my property but my animals and family. I'm retired but still can't find time or energy to put out all the fires. I still have to finish the addition on my house, rebuild the garage, fix up the yard, put in grape vines, restore my 78 F250 and.......... I think the chickens will be sharing the green house which will occupy the rest of the back of the barn. They can run around the trees my wife brought from Texas (Harlingen) once I get around to setting that up. Right now, they are all in the living room..........

Have u thought about putting tunnels around in little sections and just let them range through the tunnels and once there is nothing but dirt in the tunnel u can pick it up in the little pieces and carry it and build another tunnel in another spot but it always has to go from there run in one or two spots because u don't want a bunch of whole in ur run for the tunnels

 

[TJordan]

Well if I had the money I would buy some supply's and send it ur way but sadly I don't but we're are ur chickens going to stay until u get another built hopfully u get better soon I forget what I a
Was going to say but hopfully I remember

I put them in the run and covered 3 sides and the top with tarps. We hope to start rebuilding tomorrow. I plan to build a small coop for the next babies with their own run. But this time I'm going to have some safety feature for the heat. That or they will stay inside until week 5-6 so they can survive any weather without a heat source. Hopefully this is the last cold snap and they will be safe. I just called and confirmed that the local feed store has chicks like what I lost. Well some of them. I will have to wait for a cuckoo Maran. They don't have any right now but I can replace my Wyndottee chicks.