Yesterday I put up some chicken wire and posts to keep the chickens corralled into one small area of the yard. We have four foster dogs left that should be leaving in the next month and then I can take it down and let the chicks have free run of the entire back yard with our dogs, who are chicken safe.
For the time being I've got their little bucket and some grass in the room and their lamp over it to keep them warm. Temps at night are around the 50s although it's possible it could drop down again. Weather has been all kinds of wonky this year. If that happens I'll create a 'tent' for them with their bucket and drop the light lower for more heat. Or maybe I'll just put another bucket out there upside down with a hole along the side so they can walk in and have the light over it. Anyway, I'll make it work if that happens. And given the nasty weather right now, that could be a project for me today. Ugh!
Anyway, these are photos of their room. So far the tentative plan is:
*Remove the rest of the 'table' that's on the entry side. I'd like to use that side of the room as storage. Feed, straw, etc.
*Build a double stacked row of nesting boxes on the far side where the window is. Question - should I cover that window with plywood? I like the idea that when it gets really hot in summer I could open it for any breeze or to let the hot air out, but at the same time my brain is seeing so many hazards that could happen because of the window. So I'm leaning toward just screwing a piece of plywood over it.
*The roof of the room is open and about 10 feet high so at least that would allow the heat in the summer to rise and flow out so it doesn't get stifling hot, but at the same time when it's cooler we could lose vital heat. I will keep a couple heat lamps in the room and put them over the nest boxes though so it won't get cold. Is that good enough?
*Double row of nest boxes or single row? It's about 8 feet across on that side. I currently have 10 hens and I'm picking up about half a dozen more today. Will a single row work or should I stick with the double row? Or move the nest boxes along the back wall which is about 12 feet long? I've got White Rock, Black Austrolorp, Barred Rock and RIR.
*What size should the boxes be? I've read that you don't need a box for every chicken, that they don't mind sharing. I'm *hoping* I'll wind up with at least a couple broody hens. Does that make a difference in the design plan?
Any other ideas after looking at the pictures? Anything you see that's a danger that needs to be changed? Anything I should add to the plan? I'm going today and getting a bail of straw for the floor and in the nest boxes so I can get the last of that cedar bedding out of there.
For the time being I've got their little bucket and some grass in the room and their lamp over it to keep them warm. Temps at night are around the 50s although it's possible it could drop down again. Weather has been all kinds of wonky this year. If that happens I'll create a 'tent' for them with their bucket and drop the light lower for more heat. Or maybe I'll just put another bucket out there upside down with a hole along the side so they can walk in and have the light over it. Anyway, I'll make it work if that happens. And given the nasty weather right now, that could be a project for me today. Ugh!
Anyway, these are photos of their room. So far the tentative plan is:
*Remove the rest of the 'table' that's on the entry side. I'd like to use that side of the room as storage. Feed, straw, etc.
*Build a double stacked row of nesting boxes on the far side where the window is. Question - should I cover that window with plywood? I like the idea that when it gets really hot in summer I could open it for any breeze or to let the hot air out, but at the same time my brain is seeing so many hazards that could happen because of the window. So I'm leaning toward just screwing a piece of plywood over it.
*The roof of the room is open and about 10 feet high so at least that would allow the heat in the summer to rise and flow out so it doesn't get stifling hot, but at the same time when it's cooler we could lose vital heat. I will keep a couple heat lamps in the room and put them over the nest boxes though so it won't get cold. Is that good enough?
*Double row of nest boxes or single row? It's about 8 feet across on that side. I currently have 10 hens and I'm picking up about half a dozen more today. Will a single row work or should I stick with the double row? Or move the nest boxes along the back wall which is about 12 feet long? I've got White Rock, Black Austrolorp, Barred Rock and RIR.
*What size should the boxes be? I've read that you don't need a box for every chicken, that they don't mind sharing. I'm *hoping* I'll wind up with at least a couple broody hens. Does that make a difference in the design plan?
Any other ideas after looking at the pictures? Anything you see that's a danger that needs to be changed? Anything I should add to the plan? I'm going today and getting a bail of straw for the floor and in the nest boxes so I can get the last of that cedar bedding out of there.