Silly question - when you move your coop....

gritsar

Cows, Chooks & Impys - OH MY!
14 Years
Nov 9, 2007
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SW Arkansas
What do you do with your chickens?

Now that the big tractor is fixed (we hope) we intend to move the juvenile's coop further out into the garden area. We plan on removing the (hanging) feeders and waterers while it's being moved, but I don't know what to do with the chickens during that time.

If it was a straight shot out to the new location I'd probably vote for leaving them in the coop, but it will have to be moved uphill at one point and then pushed to back it into the spot we have prepared. The coop will be pulled on its skids and then, using the forklifts on the front of the tractor, pushed into place.

We have two very large dog kennels (think german shepherds) that we could put the chickens in temporarily. We definitely don't want them back on the screened porch. We also don't want to move it while they are freeranging because then we'll have to catch them all to show them where the new location is.

Help!
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If you are talking about very short term, I use wire cages, dog carriers, cardboard boxes, whatever I can get my hands on.
Most anything will work if it's just for a little while.
 
I'm not sure how big everything is and I count 20 juveniles. Personally I would have moved them in with the adults a long time ago, but you obviously don't want to do that.

I think you have answered your own question. Put them in the dog kennels while you move the tractor. Depending on which is bigger, the kennels or the tractor, leave them locked up somewhere during the day, then leave them locked in the tractor all night, and hope they still recognize it as home the next night. Maybe move as many as you dare from the kennels to the tractor as soon as the move is finished so you can get them used to it as home during the day. The main goal is to make sure they spend the night in the new location.

With Impy's personality, you might want to lock him in with some adult hens to see if they can teach him some manners and avoid him having a captive audience of younger pullets. Seriously, I'd consider who to lock Impy up with. I'm not going to try to sort that one for you.

Good luck with it. I suspect we'll get a few posts on the adventure but that you will be successful in the end.
 
Quote:
The adults coop is only big enough for them - 8ft. x 10 ft. The babies coop is not a tractor, but a shed turned coop - 10ft. x 12 ft. The birds do free range together, babies and adults, but still stick pretty much to their own flock.
The babies were locked up in their new coop - when we moved them from the screened porch to their coop - for a week, but are back to free ranging again. I would have preferred to keep them locked up until after we made this final move, but the tractor was broke down and they were getting very restless being locked up all the time.
The problem is that the little ones still consider the fenced yard part of their domain and the german shepherds have an issue with that.
Surprisingly, Impy had settled down quite a bit now that the meaties are squatting for him. He doesn't harrass the other pullets nearly as much now that he has some pullets willing. There's no way I could lock him up with the adults. My adult girls have kicked his hindend numerous times and there's no telling what Thor would do to him in a confined space.

I guess they're going in the dog kennels.
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