RobinBird75
In the Brooder
- Dec 4, 2020
- 1
- 15
- 34
Hi everyone! How is it the first forum I ever join is for chickens?!? Kinda funny.. During quarantine my boyfriend made me a shangri-la coop. I live in northeastern Massachusetts and I did a ton of research online, including this site to get exactly what I wanted. My coop should easily fit about 10-12 chickens, but my town only allows 6. I started the chick journey in March 2020. I've already eaten 2 roosters (not allowed). I had one chick never develop correctly. I brought two new ones into the flock to supplement when they were still young. I do enjoy my chickens. Lost a white one to a chicken hawk a couple of weeks ago after all the leaves fell.
Here's where it gets interesting... I signed on a new 5 acre property this week and the previous owners couldn't figure out how to move their chickens and coop the distance so I told them I would take them on. Now I find myself with poorly cared for chickens in an OK coop with a horrible run. There were about 21 on the day of signing with a dead one in the coop. Can't make it up. Their nesting area is awful. They leave eggs everywhere. Not their fault. I spent dusk at the property today (it's a total rehab and we can't live there yet) and discovered about 6 chickens living in the trees. We expect our first snow of the season tomorrow.
Here's my question for the chicken folks here... I want to abandon the current coop and turn another shed on the property at higher ground towards the backyard into the coop - there is a full fence to keep anyone who isn't going to fly out, in. The current run has no coverage and isn't cared for and smells awful - it sits at the driveway (even though there's 5 acres) so the entryway to the house/property is poopy smelly. They don't appear to be free-rangers at all, which makes me sad since the run is so bad. Will chickens 'learn' to be free and come home if the home is different? Or should I continue to coop them and transition them to the new coop as its ready and leave the old one sort of 'open' to attempt to catch the others, maybe? I would be willing to add an automatic door to the old coop temporarily to attempt to secure it as we can. ?? I don't want to be a bad chicken mom - but I'm not sure what the best answer is here...help.
Here's where it gets interesting... I signed on a new 5 acre property this week and the previous owners couldn't figure out how to move their chickens and coop the distance so I told them I would take them on. Now I find myself with poorly cared for chickens in an OK coop with a horrible run. There were about 21 on the day of signing with a dead one in the coop. Can't make it up. Their nesting area is awful. They leave eggs everywhere. Not their fault. I spent dusk at the property today (it's a total rehab and we can't live there yet) and discovered about 6 chickens living in the trees. We expect our first snow of the season tomorrow.
Here's my question for the chicken folks here... I want to abandon the current coop and turn another shed on the property at higher ground towards the backyard into the coop - there is a full fence to keep anyone who isn't going to fly out, in. The current run has no coverage and isn't cared for and smells awful - it sits at the driveway (even though there's 5 acres) so the entryway to the house/property is poopy smelly. They don't appear to be free-rangers at all, which makes me sad since the run is so bad. Will chickens 'learn' to be free and come home if the home is different? Or should I continue to coop them and transition them to the new coop as its ready and leave the old one sort of 'open' to attempt to catch the others, maybe? I would be willing to add an automatic door to the old coop temporarily to attempt to secure it as we can. ?? I don't want to be a bad chicken mom - but I'm not sure what the best answer is here...help.
Glad you joined.
