Unique Situation.

[farmchicken]

Hi! I'm new here, I've been lurking for awhile, but just now posting.

I have a somewhat unique situation...my family is buying my mom some chickens for mother's day. She has always been in love with chickens and her grandmother raised chickens on our family farm. We recently had the old chicken coop re-done and restored. We know my mom won't actually go out and get the chickens herself, so mother's day is a great excuse to get her started. She would have had chickens a long time ago, but inside her city limits do not allow it, thus why the chickens have to go to the farm.

We would just get a few hens...probably no more than 4 starting out. However, no one lives at the farm during the week, so the chickens would have to be on their own so to speak (with food and water provided for them). My parents go to the farm on the weekends. We could probably get people to go out and check on the chickens if need be.

They also have 2 house cats that live out there to keep the mice at bay. My parents treat these cats as their own and I wouldn't exactly call them your average farm cat.

I'm worried that having chickens will attract coyotes, that will in turn maybe try to attack the cats that my parents love. The cats can get in a closed in backyard, the garage or on the screened in back porch as they please. I've been learning a lot on here by reading through other threads, just interested if anyone has any input on this situation??

 

[ChickenToes]

The cats might go after the chickens, too.

I don't think having chickens on a separate piece of property is a big deal, but they really should be checked on once a day. They can do all sorts of fun things, like tip their feeders and waterers over, fly over fencing, etc. Is their a neighbor or other family member that could check on them more often?

 

[farmchicken]

The coop really is secure, but I guess we don't know exactly how secure it is until we test it out. We do have some distant family members who live out near the farm and some neighbors who might be willing to check on them.

 

[WingingIt]

My first thought is that if you are buying chicks (young) then someone is going to have to take care of them daily. Preferably a couple of times a day to change the water, check for pasty butt, make sure there's feed and they aren't too hot or cold. Not to mention, they get smelly, so someone needs to clean the shavings every couple of days.

If you're buying full grown chickens then your biggest issue is going to be making sure that they have enough feed and water to last until the next visit and those systems have to be VERY reliable because if they can knock off the water or find a way to make it leak out, they will.

They won't last long without water.

Are they going to be in a coop all the time? Is there a run for them to get out into to get some sun and search for bugs and stuff? Personally, I think they need that. But that leaves you with having to have a predator proof run/coop. Our run here isn't totally predator proof but we lock them in the coop at night and it's MUCH more secure......so if you plan on doing the same thing you're going to have either have someone come over and lock them in at night or make your run VERY secure if they'll have an open door to the coop inside the run. If a predator can get in the run, they can then just walk into the coop, you know? They make automatic door things that will open and close the coop door at times you predetermine, but you have to have the chickens trained to go in the coop at night first, which can take a few days of picking them up at dark and putting them in there until they get the hang of it. That's going to be a problem unless someone is there to do it.

Do you maybe go to the farm for a week or two during the summer? If so, that would be a great time to get them so you can get them 'trained' about going in the coop, try out your water/feeder situation with you there for backup in case it fails and work on any safety issues you discover. Maybe for Mother's day you could spend time going over what breeds she'd like and placing an order for delivery during the summer?

 

[bakerjw]

In the end I think that you'll just be feeding predators. With little human presence they will have plenty of time to tear up or dig through to get the chickens. Heck they get them when people are around all of the time. An electric fence might be a good option though.

 

[farmchicken]

We were going to get older chickens. I have no problem having chicks here with me for a few weeks, but I think it would be better just to get some older chickens to start. The coop has a covered/enclosed run and a nesting/roosting area. I wish I had a picture of it on my computer, but I don't. They would be allowed out to free range on the weekends (of course, being put up at night). I was going to go pick some chickens up on Wednesday and take them out there, and stay out there until my parents get out there on Saturday, so they would be watched for a few days before being left alone.

 

[Lunachick]

It's a nice thought for your Mom, but I wouldn't do it. Unless you have someone go over there everyday and feed and water and check on the coop & run. That's a lot of work during the week. Do you have someone to do that? And you would have to be SURE that nothing could get into the run or coop to get at the chickens. I would wait until you have all that figured out before you bring innocent animals there and not know how they are during the week.

I'm sure there are people that do this, but personally, I wouldn't recommend it. I'd be a nervous wreck worrying about them all week long.

 

[Dogfish]

Build a secure run and coop, add an auto door, build or buy a large bucket feeder or two, build a chicken nipple watering system, and check on it daily for a few weeks to make sure everything runs smoothly. Also add a roll-out nest box. This way food, water, safety/shelter, and eggs are all taken care of on any given day.

I built my coop and run to allow me to leave my chickens for a few days at a time, with minimal dependance of actions from my wife and kids to maintain them. My coop has all of the above. Five minutes in the morning and 5 minutes in the evening is all I do. This way I can go on a hunting or business trip and know that all they have to do is peek in on them and all will be fine.

 

[jBlaze]

If your mom was raised with chickens how will she feel about them being on the farm and she is in town? Some people would think that is ok, others might be bothered by that. Just try to think of it from her perspective as well.

 

[little_grey_bantam]

Red Jungle Fowl.

You can get a bird that does REALLY well free-ranging...

We had RJFs for YEARS... and then after people stealing them... a few bad winter storms (they would NOT let us get them out) and a mother bobcat who took out the rest of them, we were left with none... (except the ones the neighbors STOLE which we're trying to STEAL back LOL).

Anyways, try a breed that can care for themselves... preferably ones that go broody to replenish the stock.

Our RJFs had chicks, raise them and every year we lost some, but every year they hatched out more.
Adding new bloodline every couple of years would be good too...

Try that :0) No care, nothing... all you have to do is raise 'em up and set 'em free! :0)
A little care now and then would be nice, like a hand out snack or throwing out some grain.