Raising Chickens to Hens for the first time! (Maryland)

[Living_Legend]

so they dont need to eat or drink water from 5:30pm to 7am? (with food and water in run)

 

[kurtandsusanb]

We have our feeder inside and the water outside but they are coming in at dusk so it's their time to roost and sleep.

 

[lazy gardener]

I'm in Baltimore County near Maryland PA line. I looked at these solar activated doors. Do chickens ever get accidently locked out at night if they dont come inside before the door shuts? I never owned chickens. Doing all the research now.

Yes, they do get accidentally locked out OR IN. Also, the electric doors can have glitches. Mine occasionally binds up in the track. So, I check it every night that I am home just to be sure. It is on a timer, and I have to keep the timer adjusted to match day length.

so they dont need to eat or drink water from 5:30pm to 7am? (with food and water in run)

When they go to roost, they stay put for the night.

Since you have a busy home, it's even more important that you have a set up that is convenient: I strongly suggest that you build a walk in coop. Stay away from the cute little doll house coops. They always falsely advertise how many birds they will hold, and they are poorly constructed, not meeting the needs of the flock or the flock keeper. Your birds will need at least 4 s.f. in coop and 10 s.f. in run per bird. Lots of ventilation: 1 s.f./bird or 10% of floor space. Deep litter is the easiest to manage. I recommend a walk in coop, minimum size 4 x 8, no matter how few birds you have. Lots of natural lighting. Outside access to nest boxes will allow you to collect eggs frequently without soiling your shoes.

 

[Blooie]

They don't see well in the dark, and when the sun goes down so do their eyelids. That's why after they've been roosting for awhile is the best time to catch them if you have do something with them. I put a threadbare blue washcloth over the end of a flashlight, securing it with a rubber band, and it gave me enough light to see but not enough to wake up my sleeping beauties.

So they don't eat or drink once they roost - and many of us feel that food and water in the coop entices rodents into the coop. Like most, I kept chickens' food and water out in the run. But I had an extremely secure run, so I never closed the pop door between the run and coop, ever. They could come in and go out at will and didn't have to wait for me to get up, go out and open the door to the run.

 

[shawthorne44]

When it is dark they will be roosting and not eating or drinking.

Our coop is raised so they can wander around under the coop to stretch their legs. The run also includes the area in front of the coop. When we go for the weekend, we leave them in their coop/run area. The food and water is in the secured run. For our food we use a 5-gallon bucket with PVC elbows attached that they stick their head into. Holds a week of food for our 19 chickens. The secure run is small for the number of chickens, maybe 5 sq.ft per hen. But they are only locked in there when they are sleeping, when they are waiting for me to wake up, or an occasional long weekend. Once they start laying eggs it becomes easier to ask a neighbor to let them out/in since they get the eggs.

People have referenced it, but search for Mama Heating Pad here. I sooo wish I'd done that with my chicks. My chicks are fortunate that we live in Texas and I got them late enough that only had about a week of 24/7 heat lamps.

Another thing. Storey recently released the 4th edition of their Chicken Book. It seems to be the gold standard of books.

 

[Living_Legend]

I am now on the idea of ordering a 10 pack of chicks from Tractor Suppy. Reviews says when you order a 10 pack most people recieve 12 chicks.

Would this setup be good for up to 12 full grown hens? (not that i am going to buy this but build a replica)
https://www.lancasterchickencoops.com/Q610C-combo.php

1/2″ x 1/2″ Poly Coated, Galvanized Wire On Ground Under Coop and Run besides the sides. I would love to make this preditor proof and now need to worry about closing the door to the run.

 

[Living_Legend]

They don't see well in the dark, and when the sun goes down so do their eyelids. That's why after they've been roosting for awhile is the best time to catch them if you have do something with them. I put a threadbare blue washcloth over the end of a flashlight, securing it with a rubber band, and it gave me enough light to see but not enough to wake up my sleeping beauties.

So they don't eat or drink once they roost - and many of us feel that food and water in the coop entices rodents into the coop. Like most, I kept chickens' food and water out in the run. But I had an extremely secure run, so I never closed the pop door between the run and coop, ever. They could come in and go out at will and didn't have to wait for me to get up, go out and open the door to the run.

extremely secure run. I think that is my goal. I will go the extra mile so I also dont have to go the extra mile dailly openning closing the pop door

 

[Living_Legend]

When it is dark they will be roosting and not eating or drinking.

Our coop is raised so they can wander around under the coop to stretch their legs. The run also includes the area in front of the coop. When we go for the weekend, we leave them in their coop/run area. The food and water is in the secured run. For our food we use a 5-gallon bucket with PVC elbows attached that they stick their head into. Holds a week of food for our 19 chickens. The secure run is small for the number of chickens, maybe 5 sq.ft per hen. But they are only locked in there when they are sleeping, when they are waiting for me to wake up, or an occasional long weekend. Once they start laying eggs it becomes easier to ask a neighbor to let them out/in since they get the eggs.

People have referenced it, but search for Mama Heating Pad here. I sooo wish I'd done that with my chicks. My chicks are fortunate that we live in Texas and I got them late enough that only had about a week of 24/7 heat lamps.

Another thing. Storey recently released the 4th edition of their Chicken Book. It seems to be the gold standard of books.

I will look up the Mama Heating Pad. I am also interested in making PVC pipes for feeding and water to be able to hold a weekend worth of supplies so I dont have to depend on others if I cant make it home in time or go away for a weekend.

 

[Blooie]

For an idea, you can click on the "My Coop" link under my intelligent looking, amazingly gorgeous avatar - hey, I call 'em as I see 'em and take 'em as I get 'em!

Then go to the "Coops" forum of BYC, click on the size you think will best suit your needs, and peruse....oh, and bring coffee - you're gonna need that and a hand towel to occasionally wipe the drool off your keyboard!!

 

[Living_Legend]

For an idea, you can click on the "My Coop" link under my intelligent looking, amazingly gorgeous avatar - hey, I call 'em as I see 'em and take 'em as I get 'em!

Then go to the "Coops" forum of BYC, click on the size you think will best suit your needs, and peruse....oh, and bring coffee - you're gonna need that and a hand towel to occasionally wipe the drool off your keyboard!!

Good God. This coop is no joke with layers and layers. I got a lot of research to do. Thanks!