Kikiriki
Songster
Hi AMA Chick! I'm a newbie, too: in fact I just picked up my three girls yesterday. They are gold sex links, about 5 weeks old, and feathered so they went right into their brand new coop.
I started by hanging both the feeder and waterer inside the coop because I was planning for them to stay inside.
Having the feed and water in the coop made it pretty tight in there even though they are small still. It is 23" x 31" and about 3 1/2 feet tall wooden box (a repurposed indoor dog house we'd had made for the adopted farm dog who is afraid of loud noises--didn't work at all to help him and took up too much floor space). I closed off the dog opening and gave it doors, but had no bottom. It is set up in the corner where my house and porch meet sitting up off the ground on concrete blocks, with other blocks to close off the holes. I put sand on the ground and a bunch of leaf litter from the yard. I need to take some litter out because they like the sand with just a nice scattering of leaves...the area where it is deep litter seemed to make them nervous and they avoided it.
I used a quart sized pitcher with a chicken nipple for the waterer. I put their beaks to it and tapped to show them how to get the water and they learned to do it right away. In fact, I was nervous they weren't getting enough water so I gave them a dish of water, too, but they ignored it favor of the chicken nipple. I gave them starter feed and dried mealworms by hand because I want them to know I am the bringer of good things! I also gave them a bit of grit and some oyster shell to gobble at will. I showed them their perch and the ladder. And just kept talking to them, and feeding them a little at a time by hand.
So despite the advice to leave them locked in the coop for a week, I am not doing it. One escaped, but when she got nervous she ran right back to it. They have a nice run full of bugs and since they really seemed to figure out where "home" is very quickly, I elected to let them out for a couple of hours and I brought their water out, too. After I let them out, I sat with them, handled them, and moved around them very slowly. My adopted farm dog turns out to be an excellent minder, too! My german shepherd cannot be trusted near them...she is too excited and wants to chase them and possibley take a taste. It was so cool that the farm dog put himself right between her and the chickens. He lays still and the peep girls just scratch all around him! Did I get lucky!! The best part is it seems to be therapy for him to have a job he understands. He is so calm and content now! The run is not finished: the fence only goes four feet high and the top is open. I do have hawks and do not want to feed them, so right now black dog is in the run with them and I'm monitoring from the porch. (He caught a hawk flying after chickens inside the barn at his former home...what a guy!)
At dusk last night, I got a cup of starter feed with a little scratch, showed it to each one of the girls one at a time, starting with the bravest, and let her have a nibble. I shook the cup, and led each one back to the coop. I put them up on their perch and they settled right down to sleep. During the night, however, they knocked down the feeder, pooped all over it, and didnt eat any of the food (I guess they were all full of bugs and food to grind up?). I will set up a second water bottle and keep one inside the coop and one outside. Their feeder, however, will stay outside, but I will not leave feed in it overnight. And given the choice of feed or scratching for bugs, they are going for the bugs.
I have the whole thing set up under a giant oak tree so they are out of the direct sun starting in spring (heat is a bigger problem than cold here). The oak roots are so dense nothing can dig into the run and I have chicken wire attached to an old repurposed picket fence. I have to put up gutter today because the coop is right under the drip line of the roof, then I'll enclose the top and sides.
I am so happy to finally have my peeps! I think you'll do fine, AMA Chick, and you'll also find what does and doesnt work for your set up. But, us new moms are nervous and want everything perfect, huh?
I started by hanging both the feeder and waterer inside the coop because I was planning for them to stay inside.
Having the feed and water in the coop made it pretty tight in there even though they are small still. It is 23" x 31" and about 3 1/2 feet tall wooden box (a repurposed indoor dog house we'd had made for the adopted farm dog who is afraid of loud noises--didn't work at all to help him and took up too much floor space). I closed off the dog opening and gave it doors, but had no bottom. It is set up in the corner where my house and porch meet sitting up off the ground on concrete blocks, with other blocks to close off the holes. I put sand on the ground and a bunch of leaf litter from the yard. I need to take some litter out because they like the sand with just a nice scattering of leaves...the area where it is deep litter seemed to make them nervous and they avoided it.
I used a quart sized pitcher with a chicken nipple for the waterer. I put their beaks to it and tapped to show them how to get the water and they learned to do it right away. In fact, I was nervous they weren't getting enough water so I gave them a dish of water, too, but they ignored it favor of the chicken nipple. I gave them starter feed and dried mealworms by hand because I want them to know I am the bringer of good things! I also gave them a bit of grit and some oyster shell to gobble at will. I showed them their perch and the ladder. And just kept talking to them, and feeding them a little at a time by hand.
So despite the advice to leave them locked in the coop for a week, I am not doing it. One escaped, but when she got nervous she ran right back to it. They have a nice run full of bugs and since they really seemed to figure out where "home" is very quickly, I elected to let them out for a couple of hours and I brought their water out, too. After I let them out, I sat with them, handled them, and moved around them very slowly. My adopted farm dog turns out to be an excellent minder, too! My german shepherd cannot be trusted near them...she is too excited and wants to chase them and possibley take a taste. It was so cool that the farm dog put himself right between her and the chickens. He lays still and the peep girls just scratch all around him! Did I get lucky!! The best part is it seems to be therapy for him to have a job he understands. He is so calm and content now! The run is not finished: the fence only goes four feet high and the top is open. I do have hawks and do not want to feed them, so right now black dog is in the run with them and I'm monitoring from the porch. (He caught a hawk flying after chickens inside the barn at his former home...what a guy!)
At dusk last night, I got a cup of starter feed with a little scratch, showed it to each one of the girls one at a time, starting with the bravest, and let her have a nibble. I shook the cup, and led each one back to the coop. I put them up on their perch and they settled right down to sleep. During the night, however, they knocked down the feeder, pooped all over it, and didnt eat any of the food (I guess they were all full of bugs and food to grind up?). I will set up a second water bottle and keep one inside the coop and one outside. Their feeder, however, will stay outside, but I will not leave feed in it overnight. And given the choice of feed or scratching for bugs, they are going for the bugs.
I have the whole thing set up under a giant oak tree so they are out of the direct sun starting in spring (heat is a bigger problem than cold here). The oak roots are so dense nothing can dig into the run and I have chicken wire attached to an old repurposed picket fence. I have to put up gutter today because the coop is right under the drip line of the roof, then I'll enclose the top and sides.
I am so happy to finally have my peeps! I think you'll do fine, AMA Chick, and you'll also find what does and doesnt work for your set up. But, us new moms are nervous and want everything perfect, huh?
