I have been thinking about getting chickens for years. A friend of mine just ordered some black Dutch Bantam chicks and got way more than she expected. She ordered 16 and got 27. I'm taking 2 or 3.
I will be converting a small dog run into a chicken run. I was thinking of using a medium size plastic dog crate for housing. It's already got air vents in it, a removable lid, and a lip around the opening. I will put it up on bricks and weigh down the top with bricks (so it doesn't tip over in the wind). The chicks are too young to need nesting boxes yet. I'll worry about that later.
Can anybody advise me if this won't work or if there are any other modifications besides adding bedding that I should do to make the crate comfortable?
I will be doing a nicer setup in the future, but I need something immediately. Thanks in advance for any advice!
Kelly
Replies
Hi Kelly,
if they're little chicks it probably won't be a problem. We put our little chicks in an open, really big. rubbermaid bin filled with bedding, water, food and a heat lamp. If you're going to keep them outside when they're really small (first few months), you might want to be sure the area is secure from cats and other outside prey. Once the birds are full-grown they should be able to fend for themselves.
I don't recommend a dog crate for full-grown chickens, however. I think it might be too small. They need a nice area where they will lay their eggs, sleep and get some shade in the hot summer months. I don't think the dog crate will be enough. Just my opinion.
Good luck with them!
Laura
They'll have shade, and a run as well. :)
They will still need a heat lamp as chicks even if they are inside, but definately if they are outside. Since I don't know what the dog run looks like, make sure there is a covered area overhead and that would be the place to build nest boxes and put their roosting bars...The run and coop will need to be totally predator proof including from above. Cats are only a problem when they are chicks, but dogs, coyotes, bobcats, owls and hawks will be able to take them out even after they are full grown. I have a friend who had a bobcat (in the middle of Scottsdale right near a major road) break through the fence into the coop and killed 75 out of 80 of the chickens in about 3 minutes. Not trying to scare you, just want to illustrate how important it is to make sure the coop is very VERY secure.