Help please! Some chicken questions!

[cluckmecoop7]

Hi all,

I am super nervous about tonight! My almost 10 week old chickens are outside for good! They are going to live in my coop for the rest of their lives. I have a list of questions that I need answered ASAP! Because it is already 11:55 AM. So, here are my questions:

1. Should I put water inside the coop for at night?

2. What time should I shut them in the coop?

3. When is a good time to let them out in the morning?

4. Should I stay up all night and watch the coop, or is it safe to get some sleep.

5. It is going to be 33 degrees tonight...should I block up one of the vents to make sure they stay warm?

Thank you everybody who took the time to read this!

Cluckmecoop7

 

[Nlchicken]

Hi all,

I am super nervous about tonight! My almost 10 week old chickens are outside for good! They are going to live in my coop for the rest of their lives. I have a list of questions that I need answered ASAP! Because it is already 11:55 AM. So, here are my questions:

1. Should I put water inside the coop for at night?

2. What time should I shut them in the coop?

3. When is a good time to let them out in the morning?

4. Should I stay up all night and watch the coop, or is it safe to get some sleep.

5. It is going to be 33 degrees tonight...should I block up one of the vents to make sure they stay warm?

Thank you everybody who took the time to read this!

Cluckmecoop7

Dont worry your babies will be just fine.
1.I have water and food available to my girls 24/7.
2.You can close them in any time that is convenient for you but with that said when I first got chickens I found it easier to wait till dusk to close them is as once it starts to get dark they will usually go to their roost and settle in for the night on their own then you only have to close the door. If you try to close them in earlier you will get lots of exercise chasing them around the run if you have one.
3. You can let that out anytime. I let mine out everyday once I am up and ready to go out.
4.it is safe to get some sleep they will be fine. It's ok to watch though everyone is nervous at first.
5. As long as the vents are above the roost so that the draft does not blow directly on them they will be fine. Chickens are great at generating their own heat and are good for temps down to -20 Celsius. This winter we had nights that were in the -30s Celsius and I checked on the girls and everyone was quite comfortable

 

[diamondsilkies]

1. Should I put water inside the coop for at night?
I would, that way they have it right when they wake up.

2. What time should I shut them in the coop?
Once they know the coop as home, they will start to go in by themselves. I just close it up once everyone's inside.

3. When is a good time to let them out in the morning?
Because this is a new space, you'll want to keep them in the coop for two weeks so that they learn that the coop is their home. After that, you can just let them out when you wake up. Chickens wake up very early, because they see daylight before us.

4. Should I stay up all night and watch the coop, or is it safe to get some sleep.
If you're worried about some aspect of the coop not being safe, you may want to watch them. However, if you're fairly confident that there's no way for a predator to get in, get some sleep. They should be fine.

5. It is going to be 33 degrees tonight...should I block up one of the vents to make sure they stay warm?
I don't know much about cold weather and young chickens (I live in Arizona), but hopefully someone else with more experience will come along.

Good luck with your new babies! Getting chicks is always so exciting!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi there!

Let me see if I can help ease your mind.

1. Should I put water inside the coop for at night?

I personally do NOT put food or water in my coop ever as I don't want extra moisture or attractant for rodents. If you don't leave a light on (and I wouldn't), then the chickens will not get up to access it anyways. They stay put in the dark as they can't see very well. I keep food and water in the run and remove feed at night.

2. What time should I shut them in the coop?

If you are still training them, you might need to use a treat to call them in before locking up. Once they are trained they will automatically put themselves to roost around sunset. I lock up once they have all gone in. If they haven;t figure out the whole sunset thing yet... some might wait until it's too dark and spooky to want to go in... with a few nights help they quickly learn to head in sooner. Please note that if your predator load is too heavy, you may need to adjust your practice. Winter time lock up is around 5 pm. Summer time may not be until 9 pm.

3. When is a good time to let them out in the morning?

When it's convenient for YOU! I let mine out shortly after sun up, partly because egg laying hormone is effected by day length and I enjoy getting lots of eggs. My coop is fairly dim. Also though, the early bird does get the worm... more bugs are out in when it's still cool. My timing varies by season... Some morning they are out by 6:30. While heavy rain winter mornings, I might not go out until 9 am or so... especially if I am trying to be considerate of neighbors with all my crowing.

4. Should I stay up all night and watch the coop, or is it safe to get some sleep.

It's usually safe to get some sleep. Have you done research and predator proofed your coop?

5. It is going to be 33 degrees tonight...should I block up one of the vents to make sure they stay warm?

No, do NOT block the vent. At your stated age, they are fully feathered and wearing down jackets essentially. Blocking vents traps moisture... making it feel colder than it really is and possibly settling on combs, inviting frost bite (if it were cold enough). As long as the venting isn't creating heavy drafts that are blowing their feathers apart, they should be fine.

If they haven't already been "homed" to their coop, meaning they know it's their safe place... I too would keep them locked in for about 2-3 days while they learn it. If they've already been using it during the daytime... you should be good.

Happy adventuring!

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Thank you so much everybody! This really helped me!

@EggSighted4Life, you asked if I had done research how to predator proof my coop. Yes, I did. I think it's safe. I'm going to give it a another check before dark to make sure.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Thank you so much everybody! This really helped me!

@EggSighted4Life, you asked if I had done research how to predator proof my coop. Yes, I did. I think it's safe. I'm going to give it a another check before dark to make sure.

Sometimes people post pics to get input... usually after the fact though.

Feel free if you are able to post pics.

And since I don't know exactly where your research led you... I will just put it out there... that any holes should be covered with half inch hardware cloth... and chicken wire is not predator proof. Or no holes larger than half inch.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Good advice from everybody! Just another comment here. Our hen house has a wooden door we can shut over the only window. With that closed, the hen house is pitch dark inside. On dry days, we leave it open. With the window open we can shut the big door as soon as the hens are in, because they can still see to find their roosts and settle down. But on rainy days with the window shut, we can't close the door till everybody is roosted and settled.

(I say "hen house" rather than "coop" because I was told when I moved here that a coop is a small, rickety cage used for transporting chickens from one location to another and would fit in the back of my car. And such a coop doesn't rhyme with poop, it almost sounds like "cup.")

 

[IamRainey]

First of all, when they first go out in the coop it's a good idea to shut them up inside it for 10 days or a couple weeks so they imprint on it as the safe space they belong in.

Because they'll be in there continually they will need their food and water with them.

Later, when you open the pop door to the run, they'll go up and down based on the rising and the waning of the light. At that point, I'd remove the food and water to the run and leave it down there. Remove any recalcitrant chiclets to the run so they get where the food and water are now to be found.

It will take them a bit to get the rhythm of things. IF you have a predator-safe enclosure -- and you SHOULD! -- they'll be OK if a straggler or 2 don't make it up to the coop. Eventually, hormones and the pressure to be with the group will take over and they'll get the routine. During that time you should be tucked safe and happy and confident in your bed! After all, you've done everything you can to make their enclosure perfectly safe and predator-proof. Right?!

Back up in the coop, you may find that at first they pile up in a corner on the floor of the coop rather than using the roosts. That's how they feel safe and comfortable. I just let them decide when they feel more safe and comfortable on the roosts.

Above all, I am guided by the fact that they're better at being chickens than I am and I let them find their natural way.

 

[PirateGirl]

1. Should I put water inside the coop for at night?

They do not need water in the coop at night. We don't drink while we are sleeping and neither do they


2. What time should I shut them in the coop?

It can take time for chickens to figure this out, but if they all go to roost back in the coop on their own, they are in for the night and will not venture back out. I just lock up the door behind them after they have gone in. They don't have great night vision, so once it's nearly dark, it's time for them to go in, and once they go in, they don't want to or try to come out until the sun is coming back up and there is enough daylight.


3. When is a good time to let them out in the morning?

Once the sun is coming up. They can wait an hour or two if you are still in bed and they will be just fine. If I go out to let them out and the sun has been up for a bit the chickens will all be banging on the window of their coop waiting for me to open things up.

4. Should I stay up all night and watch the coop, or is it safe to get some sleep.

Get some sleep! If they are locked in, that's all you can do.

5. It is going to be 33 degrees tonight...should I block up one of the vents to make sure they stay warm?

Make sure they have dry bedding and lock their door. They should be just fine. You can always set an alarm and check on them once or twice in the middle of the night. I did this early on with chicks outdoors and dropping temps. If you get up at midnight and it's only 10 degrees and not 33 as predicted (the weatherman is good at being wrong) you might need to bring them in your house or give them a heat source. Back to your vent question, if the vent is near the ceiling, I would not block it. they create their own climate control by puffing up their feathers, as long as a breeze/draft cannot blow directly on them, they will be ok.

 

[Ridgerunner]

1. Should I put water inside the coop for at night?

Some people water in the coop only, some water outside only, some of us do both, all for our own reasons. There is no one right way to do this where every other way is wrong. Exactly the same thing for feed, some feed in the coop only, some outside only, and some do both for our own reasons. Chickens are not going to be eating or drinking in the dark so you don't have to have food in the coop from that respect. If you leave them locked up in the coop for a few hours after sunrise, well they will wake up hungry and thirsty, so I think you should have food and water waiting on them. But if you don't leave them locked in for more than an hour or two after they wake up (sunrise) I don't consider it necessary.

2. What time should I shut them in the coop?

Typically chickens return to the coop when it starts to get dark. I lock mine up after they return to the coop. If yours have not been trained to return to the coop to sleep they mayl try to go to bed somewhere. At that age they may try to roost or they may sleep in a bunch on the ground or coop floor. If they do not return to the coop I wait until it gets sort of dark where it is easier to catch them and lock them in the coop. Eventually they will learn to go to bed in the coop. That may take a day or two, I've had some that took up to three weeks before the last one got the message. If you can, lure them into the coop before dark then lock them in then. As usual there are different ways to go about it.

3. When is a good time to let them out in the morning?

That depends some on whether you feed or water inside the coop or outside. It also depends some on how crowded they are. If you have them shoehorned in there so tightly they start attacking or eating each other, then early is better. That's one of the advantages of providing them plenty of room, you have more flexibility in how you manage them. Just be down there fairly early the first day or two to see if they are peaceful or not. You should gain confidence pretty fast as to how you can manage them.

4. Should I stay up all night and watch the coop, or is it safe to get some sleep.

I understand they are your babies and you really love them. You would be devastated if anything happened to them. You feel responsible for them. Lots of people on here feel that way.

How to answer this? If they are locked into a predator proof coop they are pretty darn safe. If they are not, then there are risks. If you know of any weaknesses in your protection, fix them.

5. It is going to be 33 degrees tonight...should I block up one of the vents to make sure they stay warm?

I don't know what your coop or vents look like but it is not your job to keep them warm. It's your job to allow them to keep themselves warm in cold weather and cool in hot weather. At ten weeks they can manage that quite well themselves as long as they do not have a direct breeze blowing on them and they have plenty of ventilation. 33 degrees is above freezing, you do not have to worry about frostbite. When temperatures are above freezing that will not happen. They are pretty good at handling direct breezes themselves as long as they have a good place to go.

What you do with that vent depends on where that vent is compared to other vents and how your coop is built. If you have other vents, especially up high, you probably will not do any harm by closing it. If that vent turns your coop into a wind tunnel whenever the wind blows you probably need to permanently block it anyway before winter. Just saying you have a vent doesn't tell me anything about how that vent functions or how your coop functions. If that is your only vent I'd certainly leave it open. If you have other vents it probably doesn't matter that much.

I don't want to sound too harsh on you. Your reaction is normal, maybe a little excessive but within normal bounds. If you have prepared the predator protection and ventilation well (and you have a lot of latitude on ventilation) they should do well. I don't know how well you have prepared so I can't blindly say everything will be great. From your post I expect you to have done well and you will pass with flying colors. I also don't believe there is anything I can say that will calm you down and get you to stop stressing over it. Practically every member of this forum have been through this and the vast majority come through it great, even when they did not do everything exactly right. I'm hoping you have that same result. Please let us know tomorrow.