However, if you keep them too long, they are likely to dry up. Temperature. You always want to lock up your chickens at night so that predators cannot enter. A chicken that learns this habit can’t be cured, and others may follow her lead. Of course, you have to assess your strengths and capabilities in handling power tools too. How To Keep Your Chickens Water From Freezing. Aside from that, chickens also need a place to stay in during the cold winter months and during inclement weather. If they are in a confined area, in my opinion a bigger area than some do, there are waterers and feeders that can feed them for days. Your chickens should have about 10 square feet of space per hen. 6 Years. If you can hang the food, easier, see how they bury it?! Free range chickens need a run for training, management, and bad weather (and even shade in hot weather). In this case, you should not mind keeping the coop clean on a weekly or even daily basis. Rinse and air dry! In winter, it can serve as artificial light when it’s too cloudy outside. They live in cages. They might only use two of those and making one nesting box for each hen is overkill. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, , or if you’re adventurous enough to tackle a. , we’ll give you enough details so crafting your chicken house is easy peasy. Backyard Chickens: Frequently Asked Questions, Build A Chicken Coop & Keep Out Predators In 11 Easy Steps. You can find a lot of inspiration about how to build a chicken coop out of pallets with my free plan ideas here. I got them from a friend about a week ago, they are about 3-4 months old. Plus, if it's super cold, they can freeze and crack. This article has been viewed 70,426 times. For the evening feeding I always feed inside the chicken yard (mine have a yard and a coop) so I can get them back in for the night. Have a question? If you’re planning a vacation, it’s best to call a chicken sitter to look after your feathered babies! A whistle or bell are both excellent options to use as a chicken call. For the first week of letting them out, you should also test them with a couple of hours a day before dark. You can resize the pallet, or keep them the way they are for a rustic, shabby-chic look. I have 3 young hens- RIR, Buff Orpington and a Barred Rock, from what I can tell. Taking a vacation away from your animals can be a little stressful. I like to give my chickens 3 square feet each, meaning 10-11 is the number of chickens that size coop can house comfortably . You can find different free chicken coop blueprints and plans with hen houses for flocks as small as 2 and even specific chicken coop plans for 6 chickens online – so there’s really no excuse to not build a chicken coop for your feathered friends. In this article, I’ll take you step by step and answer all your “how to build a chicken coop” questions. Other chickens will follow suit soon after to ensure they get a share of the treats. I have 6 chickens in a 8 x 16 foot enclosure. She has worked on a rural chicken farm built around marketing free-range eggs, where she managed the care for the poultry year-round. Quite at the bottom of the food chain, our fluffy butts are hunted by animals morning to night, both from the air and land, and from the water if there’s an alligator swamp nearby. A hammer (or nailing gun, which is what we use). However, many people seek automation when it comes to their coop setups and this can also allow you the ability and freedom to leave when you need to. This article has been viewed 70,426 times. And the longer they’re locked up, the more likely they’ll develop bad habits and respiratory issues from urine and dust. The taller the better – your chickens will roost at dusk, and they’re less likely to become a meal for a predator if they’re 5-6 feet in the air. Hens need constant access to food and water, and enough space to move around on. After scraping everything, slosh pure or diluted vinegar and brush. You may want to consider relocating your chicken coop to a shadier area of your yard if high temperatures continue to be an issue. So, in my opinion, you don’t need someone watching the chickens all day long. You can expect your chickens to have all of their adult feathers somewhere between 5-8 weeks of age. Sometimes … The bodies were piled neatly in the corner of the coup. The reason behind leaving them locked in their coop for the first 24 hours is that they will realise that the coop is their home. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This will vary some depending on the breed and the individual chick. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. A frequent questions I get is “How many chickens can you put in a 4×8 coop?”. You don’t want the chickens eating your eggs—you want them yourself! With a such a huge task like this, it’s easy to get overwhelmed – especially after you realize that your new feathered friends are a meal for hungry predators. How long to keep chickens in coop before free range? It wouldn’t be large enough for larger breeds like brahma chickens, though. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. You can get these from local businesses (just be sure to ask whether you can take them). Based on experiences in the farm, 6 boxes would be enough for 20 chickens. Get someone to let the chickens out early in the morning, and have them check to make sure they have plenty of food and water, and collect eggs then, close up the coop at night. How long do you leave chicks with mother? DO NOT use chlorine or bleach – it will mix with the ammonia in your flock’s urine. So, a 4×8 coop with be comfortable enough for 3 normal size birds (, Bantams require less space compared to heavy breeds. Keeping chickens can be a nerve racking experience, especially if you’ve never done it before – but it really is quite easy, so long as you have all the equipment, know what to expect and aren’t afraid to get up close and personal with these delightful feathered friends. per day daylight equivalent, or they will not lay. You can also train your chickens to return to the coop when you call them in case you spot a daytime predator or need to clean their area of the yard. You could also try banging a bowl or cup on the side of the coop. This is a common question, and can help you decide how big to build a chicken coop for your backyard. The more important, and probably the trickier, thing to ensure is that the chickens are safe from … Want to do it right? 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