What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[jman2007]

Hi.

 

I have a broody hen and have placed some fertile eggs under her. At present she is in a cube and is looking after her eggs well. Does anyone have any advice on what do to when the chicks hatch as I guess I cant leave them in the cube or they will fall out the door. Is it best to make them a small house under the cube so that mum and chicks can live in it once they are born? Any advise welcome.

 

Thanks

[Redwing]

They need a separate house away from the others

 

A rabbit hutch would be ok for the broody - move her and the eggs at night

 

Once the chicks hatch they'll need a run - again away from the other hens

 

After six weeks the broody can be carefully integrated with her old pals and the chicks need to stay in their separate run (depending on numbers this may need to be bigger as they grow) until they are 18 weeks old when they can be slowly introduced to the others

 

the final consideration is what you plan to do with them, if you plan to keep any girls your cube run will need to be big enough to cope when they are integrated as adults. Also think about what you will do with any boys

[jman2007]

She is on her own already in the cube as my other 2 live in the eglu. I was going to keep mum and chicks in the cube and my 2 black rocks in the eglu.

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Personally I'd have mum & babes in the eglu and the BRs in the cube.........the eglu has very little in the way of level changes for the chicks when they are tiny, then they can be integrated into the cube when they are older as Redwing has said.

 

If you don't want to swap them over, then a hutch under the cube would be a better plan

 

Good luck

 

Sha x

[Lewis]

I'd swap them over to the eglu + put the PP's in the cube, too

[Egluntyne]

Me too. The Eglu is ideal as a nursery.