When to move chicks outside -North TX

[TheBushyFamilyFarm]

Is the coop the same one the adults are in? If so, I wouldn't put them in at night until you have a good week at least of them proving they can get along in the run during the day. Actually putting them with the others in the coop is for me the last step, as the coop doesn't give them room to escape like the larger run would.

Yes. Once we put them outside they’ll be in there with the big girls. There isn’t a great way for us to separate them at that point, because we close up the coop at night.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Yes. Once we put them outside they’ll be in there with the big girls. There isn’t a great way for us to separate them at that point, because we close up the coop at night.

Right, so for now I personally would bring them in at night, until you're confident that the adults won't go after them in close confines. Unless that coop is big enough to be divided for safety, which it doesn't appear to be.

 

[rosemarythyme]

It is ventilated, yes. Hard to tell from that photo. The ventilation is near the top on the sides of the coop.

Is there more than that that isn't shown, like on other sides? I don't know how hot north TX gets compared to central or south, but that would not be enough in my moderate climate, especially now that you're increasing the number of birds.

 

[LaFleche]

It is ventilated, yes. Hard to tell from that photo. The ventilation is near the top on the sides of the coop.

Better install hardware cloth instead of the chicken wire as raccoons, martens, possums etc. can easily rip through chicken wire and kill all your birds in an instant.

 

[TheBushyFamilyFarm]

Is there more than that that isn't shown, like on other sides? I don't know how hot north TX gets compared to central or south, but that would not be enough in my moderate climate, especially now that you're increasing the number of birds.

Yes there is more ventilation than that, on the top and on all sides. I’m not really worried about the coop itself- we got it from a local chicken farmer we know very well (he has 800 chickens now) and it’s worked for him for years in this climate. It’s hard to see the whole
thing from the photo I posted since we have a tarp on top of the chicken run.

I’m less worried about the coop, and more worried about when to bring the girls outside.

 

[TheBushyFamilyFarm]

Better install hardware cloth instead of the chicken wire as raccoons, martens, possums etc. can easily rip through chicken wire and kill all your birds in an instant.

I’m not really looking to make changes to the coop. This coop has held up for years by a local chicken farmer even without the chicken run we added. So the coop itself is inside of a run and cannot be accessed by birds, possums, etc. I think it will be ok.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

@LeFleche is talking about the chicken wire around the run. Predators can easily break through the chicken wire and decimate your flock. Many of us have learned the hard way that chicken wire only contains chickens, it does not deter dogs, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, cougars or just about anything else that regards your flock as their own personal KFC.