Store bought coop... I know, bad idea.. too late

[mgharris30]

Hey! I don’t see anything you have done wrong! Looks like a pretty typical (and great) first go to me...and the coop is cute! does it snow where you are in Texas? those little coops get quite cold!
I can relate to the ordinance issue nice start to your flock! darling babies.

Normally, no. However, we did just have Snow-magetton. The location of the coop is to allow for electricity. We have a warming light up there now, thought usually it's off. We will add a fan, somehow, soon. Summer's get hot quickly.

 

[Halfpasthen]

I think the extra large chick may be a meat bird, not necessarily older than the rest...

 

[21hens-incharge]

I think the extra large chick may be a meat bird, not necessarily older than the rest...

Nope. It is a young male rhode island red that is simply older then the rest. Pic is on page 1 close to the bottom.

 

[Matejka]

Texas weather is hard. East Texas tells me hot and humid with a few cold spells in winter. Born raised 60± years here in Texas from East Texas-now central (close to Bryan/College Station). Your doing great! Coops are tricky. Try to remember to reduce heat and don't worry about cold. We all buy/use down jackets, chickens have theirs naturally.
You have your wire run, wooden coop with roost bar and nest box and most importantly--chickens! Good start!
It's all about learning what works what doesn't and enjoying life.
If you can't have roo's, then figure out what to do with them. Rehome, cull (kill and eat), sell, give away. Before long you WILL know the boys. My coop is prefab-but it works. I did have a dog attack that damaged it, I repaired it, then reinforced entire outside with welded wire. It's not purty, but it works.

 

[Katsmeow77]

+1. That would be a fast, and easy way, to expand your run. Sometimes you can find used dog kennels for a good price. Even new, they are not too expensive.

That is what we did. We found a used dog kennel and bought a roof cover to fit it. It works well. My coop is on a stand so they have the entire floor of the kennel to be in. I’ve seen people have mesh tunnels that connect from the coop to around the yard and back to the coop for a better “outing” experience.

 

[mgharris30]

All good suggestions so far! I would just add that if the bully has been separated for a few days already you can probably try adding him back. It's likely that while he's been isolated, the pecking order has likely changed and when he is reintroduced, he'll be demoted to the bottom, and have to learn to be more polite.

Also, early differences in growth speed can mean a lot with chicks. I have a bunch of 10-day-olds, all from my own relatively similarly-sized chickens, and I swear the biggest ones are twice the size of the smallest ones. But that may even out some as they grow. Granted, the cockerels will stay bigger and the silkies will stay smaller, but the size differences may become a little less extreme as they age.

If he continues to hurt the other ones, you could separate him again and then reintroduce him after you've made some changes to expand the run. Most aggressive chickens will be less so if they have more space. A quick and dirty solution that might work for the present would be getting some chicken wire fencing and some posts and setting it up just outside the door of the run. It would be roofless so you'd still have to close the door to the run at night, but it would give them extra space and you could hang out with them in there. That might give you a little wiggle room until you can get around to making a more permanent addition to the run.

In case you do end up getting more chickens later, there are a few breeds that can be autosexed at birth, so that you can buy chicks and not have to worry about half of them being roos. You could also do pullets - that's what I did when I was starting out - but they are a lot more expensive.

Also, I just have to say, your city is ok with roaming dogs but has an ordinance against roosters? Yet another example of people's priorities being completely backwards.

As far as the ordinance goes, there is one for roaming dogs. But, the rooster one gets enforced and the dog one doesn’t. I found a friend who wants to add a roo to her flock. I’m passing him on today.

 

[kodster]

Suggestions, which you should feel free to disregard.

Raise the roosting bars, so your birds don't sleep in the nesting boxes. As is, the bars are so low it will make cleaning difficult, too.

Remove an inside panel (if it exists) under the roof to add free, weather protected ventilation.

Expand the run off the side opposite the door. Simple framing, wall it appropriately for your predators (hardware cloth, etc). Whether or no to roof it is also predator dependent. Prices right now on building materials are outrageous, you **may** be better off attaching a chain link-style dog run/kennel, depending on dimensions, then securing hardware cloth to it to whatever height is necessary. Wood will require more framing, and has roughly tripled in price, so metal, in addition to being more durable, may actually be cheaper at the moment.

I leave sexing of your birds to others, more experienced than myself.

View attachment 2648992

@mgharris30 MY recommendation, using a part of @U_Stormcrow suggestion? Just get the 10x10x6 dog run kennel and put the existing coop in the middle of it, leave the coop run door open so the birds have access to the larger run area. You can put a shade cloth designed for those kennels over the top which would provide shelter for the birds as well as protect them from overhead predators and ground predators. Put hardware cloth... 1/2" would be fine, 4' wide, around the INSIDE of the kennel, from the ground up, so that coons, et al, can't reach through the chainlink to grab at the birds and pull them through it. Cheaper right now than buying lumber, and the quickest solution to your predicament.

 

[Andrea5718]

That would be great!!! I think the white silkie is a boy because it stood up to the older one. I'm looking for pics of him. He's good with people, but I was afraid one of the other chicks. would get hurt.

Just because it (silkie) stood up to a bigger hen does not make it a rooster. The smallest hen in my flock is half bantam and something else...but she is also the meanest little lady in the flock. She bossed EVERYONE around, including the new rooster I got, until he realized HE was the boss. She settled nicely into second in command, and takes no STUFF off of anyone!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I didn't read all 7 pages, but I just wanted to say your chickens don't hate you. Don't take their behavior personally. They are prey animals and it's natural for them to fear large scary creatures like ... humans. Over time they will learn to trust you if you don't move abruptly, speak softly and give them nice treats occasionally like mealworms. Have fun and enjoy!

 

[mgharris30]

The Silkies (The fuzzy ones) are the only ones I can't tell the gender on. All of the others so far look like pullets! As for the coop, I'm not good on coops. Good Luck!

That would be great!!! I think the white silkie is a boy because it stood up to the older one. I'm looking for pics of him. He's good with people, but I was afraid one of the other chicks. would get hurt.