First Chicken Coop coming Thursday!!

[StephanieRose44]

My 12 chicks are all between 6-8 wks old and have been staying in a makeshift coop that I built out of an extra large dog cage, but after looking at every single coop I think they make on the internet I finally ordered one and it will be here on Tuesday. I know that everyone says the best way to go is to build one yourself but it’s cold where I live (NY) only to get colder, they only going to get bigger and I want them to be comfortable and safe, so my only option as of now was to Just get a coop. I know it will have to be assembled so hopefully that won’t take too long. I have a heat light in the makeshift cage/coop now because when I put them in some mostly all were still puffballs and didn’t have that many feathers to keep warm. I’m wondering if I should just take the light out of the picture completely once they get into the coop? I also have a rooster who is also a meat bird that I’m trying to raise with my flock, I don’t want to kill him or regime him but I know how they are bred to grow fast and possible heart problems and leg problems (he’s on a diet and getting a lot of exercise) he was sick to me as a white leghorn so I had no idea, but he is big he’s 2x the size of most of the others and he’s alreqdy making the rest of the birds a little bit cramped in the cage. My question is in the coop should he move in with the rest of them or will there be problems if I do that ?What if I find out I have more roosters do they need to be separated from the hens if so when, how and why? My meat bird/rooster is not a bully he’s very sweet but he’s a big bird and I don’t want him hogging the food or knocking over one of the smaller birds, or (so I’ve heard) attacking/pecking/hurting the others. So if he’s well behaved as of right now what should I do, keep him seperated or hopefully it’s possible to keep him in the coop until it gets a little nicer/warmer out, but I have no idea how it all works hens/roosters.

 

[Grits&Eggs]

My rooster was a sweet chick, but slowly became protective...We re-homed our rooster using Craigs list - took a while - good luck

 

[StephanieRose44]

At what age did this happen and protective of the rest of the flock You mean? For some reason (idk maybe because he’s a meat bird as well) he doesn’t seem to be interested in much besides food, like when I let them all out he will leave the rest of the chicks and follow me to where the food is.

 

[cmom]

If he is already with the other birds and all is well, I would leave him with them. They are still quite young at 6/8 weeks so maybe you will want to keep the heat a little longer. Just my opinion. Please post some pictures when you get set up...

 

[mixedbreeds]

The roosters will probably start to get assertive around 4 to 6 months. That’s what I have seen anyway and it depends on how much room you have in the coop, prefab coops are normally smaller than the specs show so crowding is a possibility.

 

[townchicks]

How big is the coop that you ordered? I haven't seen any prefab coops that will hold 12 adult birds. If the manufacturer says 12, then 6 is more likely right. Depending on your heat source, you may not be able to add heat anyway, I certainly would not recommend putting a heat lamp in a prefab. One tip I have, is before you put the coop together, add screws and fender washers to secure the hardware cloth properly. The staples can be easily ripped out by raccoons, and possibly other predators, like dogs. Good luck, I hope it works out for you. Keep us posted.

 

[StephanieRose44]

The coop is 36" (L) x 43"(W) x 38"(H) is the measurement on the living space, and 4 nesting boxes attached are 12”x12”. Right now I just need something that’s bigger & more secure than what I have them in now. As of right now they’re not fully grown but by that time if the coop doesn’t have enough room my plan was to get another coop. I do have two silkies and one who is a little stunted but she’s growing daily now. But this coop is strictly to get them through the winter until it’s warmer out here in NY. The coop I ordered looks like it’s easy to modify or make adjustments, I have a fenced in garden it’s 15’ x 15 so the coop and any other coops needed will be in the garden. At what age are they fully grown ? 18 weeks

 

[llombardo]

Do you have a picture of the coop? I completely modified a pre fab and made it how I wanted. It works for now.

 

[StephanieRose44]

Yes this is it...

 

[llombardo]

Make sure to put locks on the main door and that nest box door. Can't tell with the windows, but make sure hardware cloth is covering them--bolt it on there. Do a double layer if you can(I doubled all my hardware cloth on the coop)That may get you through the winter, but you will most likely need another coop by the spring