Two hens in a 10×10

RendFou

In the Brooder
Aug 27, 2019
4
29
44
TN
Howdy. Me and the Mrs. were recently gifted two hens for eggs. July I believe it was. They had just started laying. I moved a small wooden house into an unused 10x10 kennel. Hung some shade tarps over it and fed them each a cup of chick starter twice daily. That's what the lady gave them to us said to feed them. A week ago I bought them laying pellets. Purina, and they turned their nose up at it. So now I have to pulverize it for them or they won't eat it. Hope they'll start in on it theirselves before long. Rain had been bad for about a week now. (They usually roost on top of the doghouse and wont get in it even in a downpour.) The pen had got to smelling pretty ripe so I went online to find advice what to do about it and found this place. First thing I did was run to town and buy a few bags of course sand. Came home, raked and scooped it out, poured the sand and they seem to like it. It doesn't smell nowhere near as bad as it did. Thanks. I wonder if I should put a bigger house in for them with a roosting pole in it? I also wonder if I should put a waterproof top on it? Here is what they have. I dont know what kind they are. One lays a blue egg, the other lays a brown egg. Any advice is appreciated, and like Minnie Pearl at the Grand Ole Opry...."I'm just so proud to be here!"

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Welcome to Backyard Chickens. The chain link fencing is nice BUT, the openings are large enough to let smaller predators get inside. It would be best if you got some 1/2" hardware cloth and attached it securely to the chain link. It should run from ground level to about 18" upward.

Chickens tend to lay close to the fencing and raccoons can reach thru the chain link and bite off any chicken parts they can reach.

Raccoons have thumbs and can open almost any lock humans can.
 
Did you switch their food "cold turkey" from the chick start to the layer pellets? I find that I have to make a switch kind of gradually. Chickens are like kids about food, they don't like sudden change and are a little suspicious about anything different. So for one week I will alter their food by one-fourth. That is, I will mix about one-quarter of the new food in with what they are currently eating. They will fuss, but they'll eat it. The second week, I mix it 50-50. Again, I'll get some complaints, but they'll eat it. Third week, 75-25, with the new feed being dominant. By this time they hardly notice the change. And finally, the last week of the month, the process is complete, they are getting all new feed and liking it.
 
Raccoons have thumbs and can open almost any lock humans can.

Have to respectfully disagree. Raccoons are indeed very dextrous, but they do not have opposable thumbs; only humans do. But they are very clever, manipulative and determined, and can use their paws and powerful claws and teeth to get into things you didn't think they could!
 

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