Quarantine setup - anything else I should do?

[Wrightfamilyhomestead]

Hi there! I'm a new chicken mom, and I have gotten a few more birds from a neighbor that are in quarantine. However, I was very nervous when I first got chickens about predators (we do have raccoons in the area, though we have a large dog and I haven't seen them in my yard before). I worked hard to create a secure coop for my chickens, and the idea of these new ones being more vulnerable doesn't sit well. Here's my setup. Zip ties holding the two crates together, and I'll add caribeaners to the doors. They're not full grown yet, about 14 weeks. I have a roost inside and one outside, and a moving blanket for some insulation under the tarp. Anything else I should do both for bird happiness and safety? Thanks!

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. Are the crates firmly anchored so that predators can't flip them over?

Can you put a wire apron around it to deter digging predators?

 

[theoldchick]

A temporary electric fence will help keep the predators away, and remember on windy days those tarp will turn into kites.

 

[Wrightfamilyhomestead]

Welcome to BYC. Are the crates firmly anchored so that predators can't flip them over?

Can you put a wire apron around it to deter digging predators?

Great ideas! Any ideas what I should anchor it down with?
There is a plastic bottom in the "coop" side. Do you think the apron is still necessary?

The other option is to have one crate in the garage and manually move them in at night, but then they only get half of the space at any given time.

 

[3KillerBs]

Great ideas! Any ideas what I should anchor it down with?
There is a plastic bottom in the "coop" side. Do you think the apron is still necessary?

The other option is to have one crate in the garage and manually move them in at night, but then they only get half of the space at any given time.

The apron keeps digging predators from tunneling into the enclosure.

You can weight the crates down with concrete blocks on top. Or drive in pieces of rebar and fasten the crates to them with heavy zipties.

It would also be a good idea to wrap the cages in hardware cloth so that raccoons can't reach through the wire and pull parts of the chickens through (horrible-sounding, but it happens).

Here's an example of a wire apron on my Outdoor Brooder. I just laid it on the ground instead of fastening it to the structure since I knew I would be taking it up in a few weeks.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/run-to-outdoor-brooder-conversion.76634/

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Great ideas! Any ideas what I should anchor it down with?
There is a plastic bottom in the "coop" side. Do you think the apron is still necessary?

The other option is to have one crate in the garage and manually move them in at night, but then they only get half of the space at any given time.

I would definitely move them to a more secure area especially at night. They will just sleep and don't need as much room. I would also set up a hot wire for day time predators if you keep it outside like that. I'm pretty sure a dog could get into that set up if they were intent. Really the space issue is less of a concern for a temporary time - I'd opt for safety over space since it is temporary.

 

[Wrightfamilyhomestead]

Thank you! I pulled the crates back apart and moved the "coop" one back into the garage. I'll decide as I go the best options for during the day, but will for sure keep them inside at night.

 

[aart]

Thought you decided quarantine was moot at this point?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/quarantining-new-chickens-help.1485451/

 

[Wrightfamilyhomestead]

Thought you decided quarantine was moot at this point?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/quarantining-new-chickens-help.1485451/

No, I said at the end of that thread that id still be keeping them.separate for awhile and monitoring them.