Should I build a coop?

[ChickenPollo]

Hi guys. I just wanted to ask if I need to build a coop. Got 3 chickens the 12th of July and they will eventually grow up and jump the fence better so should I build a coop to prevent them from escaping or will chicken wire work?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Coops are necessary for predator protection and protection from the elements. Chickens can live outside but depending on your climate they may at least need a roof over their head.
I don't know where you live. Chickens don't need a coop but without one to safely lock them up at night, predators will eventually take them. Chicken wire isn't sufficient protection from predators either. It only keeps chickens in.

 

[LikeAHen]

Of course you should build a coop!
First because it's fun, it's the opportunity to do something creative, and second to give your chickens a place to sleep, to feel safe, to eat and to lay eggs!
To answer your question more precisely, chickens usually don't "escape", but preventing your chickens to escape is absolutelly not the primary function of a coop.

You can learn to build an awesome coop here: http://80fb09zax-s2gre6pen6je3e11.hop.clickbank.net/

Hope that helps

Good Luck!

 

[ChickenPollo]

Ok thanks. My chickens are in Spain so predators aren't a major problem around there. They can get shelter from rain or elements in a small unused greenhouse inside their living area.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You don't have rats, cats, dogs, Iberian lynx, foxes, mink, weasels, wild cats, bears, Iberian wolves, eagles, owls or hawks?

None of these?
http://carnivoraforum.com/topic/9527721/1/
http://www.iberianature.com/material/wild_cat_spain.htm
http://www.iberianature.com/material/bonelli.htm
http://www.iberianature.com/material/wolf.html
http://www.iberianature.com/material/wolf.html
http://www.iberianature.com/material/fox_spain.htm
http://www.iberianature.com/material/minkspain.html

 

[ChickenPollo]

Iberia lynx are at the border of extinction so no, no birds, no bears, no weasels. There's nothing but cats.

 

[MrsBrooke]

Iberia lynx are at the border of extinction so no, no birds, no bears, no weasels. There's nothing but cats.

A cat or stray dog will eat a chicken as easily as anything else will... You know the saying, "Everything likes chicken."

I would build them a coop for peace of mind... Unless you don't mind ordering hatchery birds to replace the lost ones.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Iberia lynx are at the border of extinction so no, no birds, no bears, no weasels. There's nothing but cats.

Weasels cover the entire European continent and all of Iberia, also mink, European polecats cover the entire peninsula.
It's just a warning. I've had chickens here for over 50 years. I never saw a mink in the wild before but mink killed about 60 of my chickens this summer.

I've never known a temperate region of the world without birds of prey.

 

[MeepBeep]

My chickens are in Spain so predators aren't a major problem around there.

Famous last words... Just because you don't see them doesn't mean they are not there... Also as said above pet dogs, pet cats will also kill chickens, does no one in your area have a pet dog or cat?

To be blunt, fact is you have multiple predators that will kill a chicken in your area, you are just not aware they are there...

For example this site says you have over 260 carnivorous mammals, just an educated guess but a few probably live around you and are just waiting for an easy chicken dinner...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mammals_of_Spain

 

[ChickenPollo]

Thanks guys. Cats I think are a minor problem because my chickens scared them away when they were 7 weeks old. That's probably cause I have a rooster which is always aware of everything. When they grow, cats won't even bother them but maybe other animals will. I can't build a coop till next summer because I live in dubai and my chickens are in Spain but my grandparents go check on them at least once a week.