Fatjay picks up chicks!

[EddieWalker]

Congrats. Now you will be tested in ways you never imagined!!!

I would raise the roosting boards to at least 4 feet at the lowest one.

 

[fatjay]

It was a bit dark last night so hard to get pictures. Everyone managed to survive the night. It's 90f in the coop and a bit muggy, so I put a fan in the window. It's full sun until about 2pm then in the shade.

I couldn't figure out how to get them from the old coop to the new coop, so I turned the old coop into a chicken rickshaw and wheeled it out and parked it by the door and passed the chickens into the new coop.

https://imgur.com/qvuYsZd

 

[fatjay]

Congrats. Now you will be tested in ways you never imagined!!!

I would raise the roosting boards to at least 4 feet at the lowest one.

4 feet? any reason why? That sounds high.

 

[ljjhouser]

I will have to say - your pictures are great. Watching your progress seems to have taught me several things about chickens. Very interesting.

 

[EddieWalker]

4 feet would be the minimum. All my roosts are 6 to 8 feet up. Their natural instinct is to be high enough to be safe. If I could go higher, I would. I also like being able to walk under the roosting branches. Usually there are chickens on them when I gather eggs.

4 feet? any reason why? That sounds high.

 

[fatjay]

4 feet would be the minimum. All my roosts are 6 to 8 feet up. Their natural instinct is to be high enough to be safe. If I could go higher, I would. I also like being able to walk under the roosting branches. Usually there are chickens on them when I gather eggs.

Interesting, I'll take that under consideration.

Right now they're all roosted on the first and second bar, but they're still tiny. I don't think they could get up to a 4' high bar.

 

[fatjay]

Opened the doors after I finished the rest of the top netting. Chickens wouldn't come out. So I picked one up and carried it around outside for a while. Then she crapped on me so i put her down. She went back into the coop. I left the doors open and came in to shower, hopefully they'll venture outside where it's at least 10 degrees cooler under the tree.

 

[fatjay]

Came out this evening to see if the chickens went in. Nope. Instead they were running around crying, they were lost and didn't know where to go. So I grabbed them one by one and put them in the chicken door. I would put 2 in, one would come back out, put another 2 in, another one out. Eventually I got them all in and they were huddling by the window on the perch next to where I was standing. Eventually, they went to sleep. Man, chickens are dumb.

https://imgur.com/34HMQDY

 

[fatjay]

We had a wounded warrior today. 6am and there was a fox circiling the run. One chicken got to close and he reached in and grabbed her wing and ripped it right off. I washed the wound real good and treated her with antiseptic and antibiotics throughout the day and she seems ok. The other chickens aren't bothering her either, so that's a plus. I will get the other coop set up tomorrow and put her there for her hopeful recovery. If she seems to be suffering, I have a hatchet.

So on the hottest day of the year, I spent 5 hours bent over installing ground fence. It's hot and awful out, 99f and 70% humidity. It's since dropped to 80f and 85% humidity. These hot days suck.

I got 24" chicken wire, and stapled it to the outside of the timbers, so there would be a 4" gap at the bottom, then tied it to the top. Smaller holes, and a gap, hopefully will give chickens the sense to get away instead of standing inches from the fence where something can get it.

Warning, graphic photo's at the bottom.

 

[EddieWalker]

Sorry to hear about your hens wing. Seems like the learning curve with chickens is always life or death. I had a similar experience, except it was with a Guinea's head, and a raccoon. Hopefully it recovers and isn't picked on by the other birds.