The deed is done! So the window is only 16 inches wide and 12 inches tall. It is also two feet above the roost/nest boxes! The window is also placed much higher than the cut on the door - it is only a feet below the roof! the window opposite the door is really high! The door is also cut (if you look at the picture, the first two boxes on the door provided an outline for a huge cut. Half the door is gone honestly.. and if needed, can be covered with cardboard. As the galvanized steel mesh, I have now decided to buy double the amount and put it on both sides of the door/both sides of the wall as well as stretching it out as far as I can and screwing it at least 5-6 times. I don't get raccoons here nor cats but I'm thinking they might come if I have chickens? I live in suburbs surrounded by city but I'd rather be safe than sorry. How would I get about putting a roof vent? Do I just ask someone to cut a small hole near the roof?
I've not yet installed a roof turbine vent, so I cant tell you how to do it. I'm assuming its a basic cut, nail & caulk process, but I obviously need to do more research. I definitely want one in the next coop we build (especially since we now have a duck in there.) I recommend you search the internet for "install roof turbine vent" & I bet you find a ton of how to info & maybe even a few videos too.
Chicks should not be fed layer feed. Layer feed is intended for actively laying mature birds. Chicks need chick starter or grower feed. The calcium content in layer feed can be deadly to young chicks. And the protein content is too low to support growth and feather development.
Oh yeah! Apologies for not being clear on that! They are on currently on starter feed and will be until 6 weeks, then I will switch them to grower feed right up to 20 weeks/before they lay then I'll purchase layer feed. I was just asking for future reference
X2
Layer feed is for those actively building egg shells.
Layer is about 4% calcium. all other feeds are about 1% calcium, which is sufficient for all birds not needing the extra calcium to build shells.
"Oh yeah! Apologies for not being clear on that! They are on currently on starter feed and will be until 6 weeks, then I will switch them to grower feed right up to 20 weeks/before they lay then I'll purchase layer feed. I was just asking for future reference " I'll also supplement with oyster shells in the future!
Goodness, I missed a lot in one day! Let me try to catch up...
Window and door vent look excellent! And I like that the window is high up. I'd say you've got a pretty good amount of ventilation for now...maybe next summer you can add a vent under the eaves.
Nestboxes look great too! If they aren't attached too securely yet, I might move them down to 2 feet off the ground so that the roosts can be higher...if the nesting box height is too close to the roost height, the chicks will start sleeping (read: pooping) in the nest boxes.
I'm curious, what do you mean by buying extra galvanized mesh and stretching it out farther? What I did (and it's worked well so far!) is buy enough 1/2 inch hardware cloth to cover the opening, plus a few inches. So for your 12x16 window, cut a 14x18 inch piece of hardware cloth, so it can overlap one inch on each side. Then, use screws and washers to attach it to the wood (you can alternate with staples if you want). If you attach the hardware cloth on the INSIDE of the window rather than the outside, it'll not only look nicer, but it will be harder for predators to pry at the connection points. Just make sure you buy 19 gauge hardware cloth with 1/2 inch openings.
That feed brand looks nice, and I see they sell chick starter, grower, and layer. Seems like a great brand! But I absolutely agree with what everyone else said: stop feeding your little chicks layer feed and buy them a back of chick starter feed. It should be 18-20% protein and very little calcium. Do you have a Tractor Supply or a True Value store near you? Any place that sells livestock feed? They should have chick starter. Some brands have a combined chick starter/grower, and that's ok too as long as it's 18% protein.
If you can't get to a feed store tomorrow to get the new feed, I'd make your chicks some scrambled eggs! That has almost all the nutrients they need, and they'll be fine with that until you can buy chick starter.
I know, so many people are replying and I am beyond thankful<3 You all truly make me smile! I was thinking about stretching it a foot further than the dimensions of the window so if a raccoon tries to pry it's going to have to work really hard! Now that I'm thinking about it - you're right!! I think adding it to the outside is going to make it look super ugly! I was thinking about doing both the inside and outside so it would be double enforced.. but is that overkill? Great idea about the hardware cloth! I'll purchase hardware cloth instead!! And in case you didn't read my other replies above - they are currently on starter feed! At 6 weeks I will switch to grower then at 20 weeks/before they lay to layer feed! Sorry I wasn't too clear on that ><
Here's a few pictures of where the girls will free range! I have yet to purchase the hardware cloth because they are currently living inside my house in their brooder.
I have an awesome cement patio that is regularly hose down! Lots of shade for them! My room connect to the patio and I have large clear sliding doors so I can keep an eye on them all day!
Next to the coop is our huge lemon tree! I'm not sure is chickens can eat lemons? But they fall everywhere. I'll be careful to pick them up if they can't. We also have squash right next to the coop which is why my mom refused to convert that structure into a coop.
The small tree closest to us is a peach tree, after that is an orange tree. To the far left top corner is a papaya tree, two chili plants, and a kumquat plant/tree? Tomatoes are also there!
Beside the coop, on the left hand of the picture is a water apple tree, next to that on the right side is our Chinese apple tree, then closest to the coop on the right side is our soft persimmons which is full of fruit right now! But their green so you can't see them. There is also a grapefruit tree and behind the coop is apricots.
We also have mint and various herbs growing. Dragon fruit as well!
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A quarter of our patio with leather couches that can easily be cleaned off. Our whole backyard is fenced in by 6 foot walls!! I am really worried about the plants on the patio though. My mom loves her plants! That is also a guava tree!
Here are my girls! This picture really depicts how Athena (My BPR) is a loner, the Australorps (Willow, Chanel, Skye, Mary Poppins) leave her out but she does regroup with them. Should I be worried? ): Btw, they are currently living inside in their brooder. I let them have supervised play for 2-3 hours everyday since they turned 2 weeks? The guy said they were about a week and a day when I got them - how old do you think they are?
We constantly have fruit on the floor and I'm so excited for our clean up crew! All our trees and plants are low to the ground so they can hop on and roost! DO you think our backyard and coop will be big enough to add maybe 3-5 more hen sin the future?!
Once again, thank you everyone for your replies. I have never met such a sweet community online.
Anything that you don't want them to eat/destroy should be covered in bird netting. They will eat all the tomatoes before they are even ripe. It's sold at most stores with a lawn/garden section. It's a fine, black, nylon mesh sold to keep wild birds out of fruit/veggie patches. It works great to keep chickens out, too. You barely notice it unless your close up to it.
x2 on the above. Chickens are great for a lot of reasons, but if left to their own devices they'll absolutely do a number on your mom's plants, herbs, and any low-hanging fruits! Bird netting is perfect and isn't very expensive. Highly recommend that.
I'm glad we've all been able to help! Your chicks are cuties and your lawn looks amazing. Sometimes if you have an almost homogenous flock, the one who's a different breed can be left out a bit, but that's not always the case. As long as the others aren't picking on her to hurt her, she should be fine! I love their names, by the way. Willow was the name of one of my little chicks.
It's hard for me to tell how old they are...they have nice feathers but still have fuzzy heads. Other more experienced BYCers can help more. If the man you got them from was correct about their age, how old would that make them now?
Unfortunately, 1/2 inch hardware cloth is rather expensive...search for it on Amazon or at Lowes/Home Depot and you'll see what I mean. So as long as you secure it well with screws and washers, I wouldn't bother doubling it up. It comes in different widths and lengths, so play around with some math and buy an appropriate size to cover your openings. Also, definitely buy a pair of Tin Snips that can handle 19 gauge to cut the wire to size to cover your vents. SO worth it. Most hardware stores sell them, and Amazon does too.
And yes, your coop is huge! It can definitely handle some more chicks if you ever decide to add.
Anything that you don't want them to eat/destroy should be covered in bird netting. They will eat all the tomatoes before they are even ripe. It's sold at most stores with a lawn/garden section. It's a fine, black, nylon mesh sold to keep wild birds out of fruit/veggie patches. It works great to keep chickens out, too. You barely notice it unless your close up to it.
x2 on the above. Chickens are great for a lot of reasons, but if left to their own devices they'll absolutely do a number on your mom's plants, herbs, and any low-hanging fruits! Bird netting is perfect and isn't very expensive. Highly recommend that.
I'm glad we've all been able to help! Your chicks are cuties and your lawn looks amazing. Sometimes if you have an almost homogenous flock, the one who's a different breed can be left out a bit, but that's not always the case. As long as the others aren't picking on her to hurt her, she should be fine! I love their names, by the way. Willow was the name of one of my little chicks.
It's hard for me to tell how old they are...they have nice feathers but still have fuzzy heads. Other more experienced BYCers can help more. If the man you got them from was correct about their age, how old would that make them now?
Unfortunately, 1/2 inch hardware cloth is rather expensive...search for it on Amazon or at Lowes/Home Depot and you'll see what I mean. So as long as you secure it well with screws and washers, I wouldn't bother doubling it up. It comes in different widths and lengths, so play around with some math and buy an appropriate size to cover your openings. Also, definitely buy a pair of Tin Snips that can handle 19 gauge to cut the wire to size to cover your vents. SO worth it. Most hardware stores sell them, and Amazon does too.
And yes, your coop is huge! It can definitely handle some more chicks if you ever decide to add.
I am so blessed to have you guys!! I can't get over it! Thank you for the bird netting advice, I was really worried about that!! And man.. It IS expensive for hardware cloth - I'll just do one side hehe.
My concern right now is the milk crates as nesting boxes. Do they nesting boxes need to be bigger? They're about 8 inches deep but 12-14 inches wide. I already covered then with cardboard to make them dark and cozy. I also added something to the bottom so the nesting material won't fall out. I was thinking about buying those nesting pads from Amazon. Will milk crates work or should I make wood ones? The milk crates are definitely roomy but they're not that deep. Do nest boxes need to be extremely deep?
Nesting boxes don't need to be too deep. I've heard lots of people use milk crates and like them. As long as the bottom is covered, they'll be perfect! You could post a pic if you'd like more specific feedback.
Turns out my Australorp chicks are actually Black Sex Links so I brought the most aggressive one back to the feed store to exchange for a real Australorp chick and ended up picking up two Ameraucana's too (although I think they are Easter Eggers and the guy is bluffing since he gave me the wrong chicks in the first place). The three 3-day old chicks are currently inside in a different brooder. I will introduce when they are the same size as the others in the future.
In total now I have 7 chickens! Will these two nest boxes suffice or should I add another?
I have 11 hens and they all use 2 nest boxes. They don't all lay at the exact same time, so I think you'll be fine with just 2 for your flock. No feed store sells pure Ameraucana, they order hatchery "Ameraucana," which are Easter Eggers. They don't intentionally sell misrepresented birds, they sell what they ordered from the hatchery. It's the hatcheries that are the ones lying to their customers. They are also less accurately sexed than other breeds. Out of 12 chicks, I ended up with one rooster. He's one of my Easter Eggers.
I have 11 hens and they all use 2 nest boxes. They don't all lay at the exact same time, so I think you'll be fine with just 2 for your flock. No feed store sells pure Ameraucana, they order hatchery "Ameraucana," which are Easter Eggers. They don't intentionally sell misrepresented birds, they sell what they ordered from the hatchery. It's the hatcheries that are the ones lying to their customers. They are also less accurately sexed than other breeds. Out of 12 chicks, I ended up with one rooster. He's one of my Easter Eggers.
I'm in So Cal. It's HOT! 100+ all week, 109 last week. Re ventilation: Until you get a turbine, a cheap fan in that back window blowing OUT should ventilate the coop nicely without being drafty. It would pull air in from the door. X 10 on you won't ever need heat. Chicken body temp is 104-107. They'll be toasty warm in that beautiful house. Heaters and heat lamps are a real fire hazard anyway. Love the pics and the plans. About the plants...they all look very inviting! Great spots to dig, peck, dig, sleep, dig, dine... Yikes! You might want to check the thread on poisonous plants. Good luck with your flock! They'll love it!
