In an effort to make my chicken run fun for the girls, adding roosts, and boxes, I have created an environment that encouraged them to roost in the run. Didn't care, as long as warm enough. My first coop is a 4x2 box, set up wrong, given to us by a man who got it free from Craig's list, he says kept 8 chickens in it, I pray they were bantams! Coop is inside a 10x10 dog kennel. I have since changed its interior. Never slept in it, but will hang out in it during the day.
Go to get chicks, have to get six, next week, six more (cuz they're different, better layers), buy a 250.00 online coop, awful. Not rain proof, barely tall enough, also in the kennel, will hang out in, but not sleep in. Still shy of appropriate square footage for chickens, so still need more coop, bottom line is need to build it. So chicks roosting in run, in spite out two small coops. I put tarps along the walls to stave off chilly breezes. Add another 10 ft on the run. Now we build our coop. Coop is 6x 5 1/2 ft, with two 6ft perches running length of coop and 2 nest boxes. Put food in coop, catch polish, stuff in first night, 2 ee's sleep alowith them. 2nd night stuff all twelve thru pop door, lock them in. Tonight come home from work, polish roosting on lowest roost in pen, not covered.( I took down all high roosts under the roofed part of run( where they try to roost at night)). 5 of the chickens are in New coop, and five on top of old coop, looking for the roosts. This part is tarped and covered so not a hazard, But... Will they go into the shelter if it gets too cold/windy? Or are they such creatures of habit they will roost in run until I intervene? Basically asking if I need to catch them and keep stuffing them in at dusk, or if they will "get it" and go in for the winter.
Thanks for any input, love this site!!
Go to get chicks, have to get six, next week, six more (cuz they're different, better layers), buy a 250.00 online coop, awful. Not rain proof, barely tall enough, also in the kennel, will hang out in, but not sleep in. Still shy of appropriate square footage for chickens, so still need more coop, bottom line is need to build it. So chicks roosting in run, in spite out two small coops. I put tarps along the walls to stave off chilly breezes. Add another 10 ft on the run. Now we build our coop. Coop is 6x 5 1/2 ft, with two 6ft perches running length of coop and 2 nest boxes. Put food in coop, catch polish, stuff in first night, 2 ee's sleep alowith them. 2nd night stuff all twelve thru pop door, lock them in. Tonight come home from work, polish roosting on lowest roost in pen, not covered.( I took down all high roosts under the roofed part of run( where they try to roost at night)). 5 of the chickens are in New coop, and five on top of old coop, looking for the roosts. This part is tarped and covered so not a hazard, But... Will they go into the shelter if it gets too cold/windy? Or are they such creatures of habit they will roost in run until I intervene? Basically asking if I need to catch them and keep stuffing them in at dusk, or if they will "get it" and go in for the winter.
Thanks for any input, love this site!!
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