Questions about moving to coop

[jmtcmkb]

I researched here and found lot's of positive comments on wood pellets in the coop. I am using 100 % Pine Horse bedding pellets. I got a 40lb bag for 6 dollars. My chicks are almost 3 weeks and there is no dust, and that was my main concern. The pellets absorb the poop and dries to practically nothing and the pellet turns to saw dust, I like it so far. I can order either from my husbands work and the pellets are a bit more expensive, but I am willing to pay slightly more for no dust and easy maintanence.

 

[wyododge]

Ours were outside in the coop with a small run at three weeks. We let them out all day immediately. Took them out of the brooder and put them right in the coop.

This is them in the small run, they were actually outside all day off our deck at 3 days old. We made the run to give them a place to go in the grass and gravel.

 

[GardenState38]

Quote:
Interesting! I hadn't thought about pellets. Just wondering about whether they have the same sort of insulating properties in the winter that shavings and/or hay does?
I like the less dust aspect!
My entire garage had a thick layer of dust everywhere when they were in their brooder

 

[Newwell]

I have 5 week old BO's & RIR's that I want to move out of the house & into the coop this weekend. The coop will be finished tomorrow (7'x4'). They are fully feathered now & have been going outside in a pen for most of the day over the last 2 weeks. I bring them back into the house at night where they stay in their large 2' x 6' box. They have not had a heat lamp for 2 weeks now as I was trying to acclimate them. The day time temps have been between 50 & 65 degrees, but the nights are quite cool - 38 - 42 degrees. (My indoor temp is 70 degrees.) I plan to use pine shavings for floor bedding. There is a roost that is ~ 10" above the floor. They have 2 roosts in their box right now that they use frequently. From reading the forum I found that it is recommended to leave them "locked up" in the coop for several days to get them use to their new home and not allow run access.
Any suggestions concerning the transition would be very much appreciated.

 

[Newwell]

Oops, I forgot to mention that I have 8 chickens (6 BO's & 2 RIR's).

 

[GardenState38]

Quote:
I definitely recommend locking them in the new coop for a few days before giving them run access. It does help them to learn that the coop is home. Although I listened to people who said they'd automatically know to go inside at night, mine didn't. After 2 nights of chasing them down and putting them inside myself, I finally decided to lock them up for a few days (the weather was atrocious anyhow!) About 3 days did the trick for mine. Next time I let them out, they began their nightly ritual, which is now routine...
at dusk, one begins to make nervous squawking noises, and paces around, going up and down the ladder into the coop. Another one begins to follow her, both going in and out of the coop...then the others start to get excited and peer into the coop...but it isn't until the leader decides that it's time to go in that they all pile into the coop and sort out the roosting arrangements for the night--takes a few minutes of nervous squawking and fluttering before it's all ironed out.

My girls took to roosting immediately, although I've heard some people worry that their chicks are sleeping on the coop floor.

You've already given them a good start by allowing them outside during the day, and it sounds like you have an adequate number of chicks for your coop to be warmed by their body heat--they should be ok. I keep a thermometer/hygrometer in the coop to monitor the temperature and humidity, so I know when/if I have to open/close vents/windows.
I have a coop with an attached run. Although the run is pretty secure, I ALWAYS close the coop door at night as soon as the girls go inside. They are then completely predator-proof and it keeps the coop warmer and draft-free.

I was very nervous about transitioning my chicks, but it's been working out fine and they are much happier in their roomier coop and run than they were in the cramped brooder! I can tell by the way they strut around, tails high in the air!

Good Luck!

 

[jmtcmkb]

Another concern I just thought about! My coop is modeled after the witchita cabin coop here on BYC. Well the only access for me is a front wide door that exposes the entire coop area.....I wonder if they will try and escape when I check on them every day! In other words its not a walk in coop, it has a hatch for them to get into the run, but the only other access door is basically the entire front side of the coop.
I would insert the link to the coop I am talking about but I dont know what the heck I am doing wrong, every time I try to insert a link it doesnt work...probably a brack issue, but I have tried several times with no luck.

 

[GardenState38]

I had a similar worry (I tend to worry a lot)--My coop has a side door for "human access" and it opens the entire side of their coop.
So far, no one has managed to get past me

I keep a sharp eye on them (I only have 5) and if I have to have the door open for any length of time, I find that a tossed handful of mealworms are a good distraction for them.
They're much more interested in hunting for snacks than making a break for it!
However, I do most of my business with the coop (filling feeder cleaning, adding bedding, DE, etc.) when they are out in the run. They may poke their heads in to see what I'm doing in there, but soon lose interest once they see I'm not doing anything that involves treats.

My yard is completely enclosed with a 6 ft high fence, so I'm not TOO worried if they get out (and eventually after they have begun laying, I'd like to "free range" them in my yard.) But I don't think my girls would stray more than a few feet from the coop anyway, and I could easily entice them back with mealworms (I buy them in the big plastic tubs! LOL)

If I had designed my coop, I would have made a "dutch door", I think it's called--allowing me to just open the top half to gain access (my coop is small!) I had thought about tacking a blanket up so that when I open the door, the blanket covers the lower half of the doorway, but so far that doesn't seem necessary.

 

[jmtcmkb]

Quote:
Yes my plan is to access while they are in the run and I have their hatch door closed, but the first week in the coop, I am not going to let them in the run, didnt think of that

. My poor hubby if I ever ask him now to make me a smaller access door on the side.... major brownie points My coop is small too, 4x5 and 5 chickens

 

[rpchris]

I put my chicks out in their brand new coop when they were 5 weeks old. The temperatures were very similar to what you describe. They all did fine without any additional heat.

I put my chicks in their coop early one the morning and left them locked in the coop with food and water most of the day then let them out in the run late in the afternoon. These were both brand new environments for them. As it got dark I turned on the interior light in the coop so it wouldn't be a dark scary place and as the sun was setting they all went back inside the coop on their own. It was amazing. I've never had to round them up and put them inside. Now they go in the coop if the light is on or not.

My coop also opens up in front like the Witchita and they don't try to escape past me. My buff sometimes flies up to my shoulder for special attention but that's about it. The others either go out into the run when I open the coop door if the pop door is open, or sit on their roosts and let me scratch their necks in the evenings. Only when I open both doors and stand back for several minutes will they jump out of the coop.

If I go near the run door, then they all pile up by the door because they know it is free-range time or treat time.

Good luck.