Chicken coop

[Kelena]

I have some chickens that insist on being in my yard. Never wanted them. Don’t know where they came from. A rooster and about 5 hens. Happy polygamous family. Rooster is quiet. I would like some eggs but who knows where or if they lay eggs. I think they need a place to do that. Is there a basic chicken coop somewhere (not gonna make it—I’m busy). Do I need to protect them from rats and mongooses?

[terracore]

Last time I was at Walmart I saw chicken coops for sale in the garden center. I don't know if pandemic madness caused a run on them or not. Judging from the photo of the coop on the box I would judge that it's made of materials that won't last long in Puna, but if you could protect it from the rain would probably last a long time. Dels used to sell them so I suspect that Tractor Supply does too, though it could be a seasonal item.

Rats don't seem to bother chickens much. A broody hen will chase them away but mongoose will take the eggs, kill chicks, and even adult chickens. Worse yet they usually mutilate the bird without even eating it. Mongoose live in colonies so if you see one you are going to have several and it takes time to trap the whole colony but once you do, sometimes you get several months or a year of mongoose-free time before they are a problem again. We are currently having a mongoose problem at our place and that is with dogs that will kill them if they get a chance. We caught one a few days ago and since then we've had several eggs taken from the trap without catching the new culprit. Today we found out why, the mongoose is HUGE and too large for the trap to catch. It can get the egg without the trap being able to close on it. We are going to have to get a cat trap for it since the dogs have been unable or unwilling to take care of it.

A mongoose got in a scrap with our geese. None of our geese were injured and the mongoose was screaming a lot and although they chased it off it survived to kill some chicken peepers.

ETA: Tractor supply sells the live traps for the mongoose too.

[Mangosteen]

https://honolulu.craigslist.org/big/grd/...15114.html

[ElysianWort]

Here's a plan for a super simple chicken laying spot or makeshift coop:

Get a five gallon bucket. Nail it to a tree about 4 feet up or so. Line it with straw. (I just use long clumps of cut grass that I dry out)

Then put in a couple fake eggs (I use golf balls) in the nest. Hens will jump up in there and eventually lay.

I harvest a few eggs every day. Eventually the hen will brood and incubate her eggs. When the chicks hatch the fall is no problem for them. Like little cotton balls coming after mommy hen when she calls them.

Of course you can also build a box out of scrap lumber and a bit of roofing and nail that to a tree too.

ETA: you nail the buckets bottom to the tree so the cylinder is facing outwards horizontally.

[Ccat]

Here's a plan for a super simple chicken laying spot or makeshift coop:

Get a five gallon bucket. Nail it to a tree about 4 feet up or so.  Line it with straw. (I just use long clumps of cut grass that I dry out)

Then put in a couple fake eggs (I use golf balls) in the nest.  Hens will jump up in there and eventually lay. 

I harvest a few eggs every day.  Eventually the hen will brood and incubate her eggs.  When the chicks hatch the fall is no problem for them.  Like little cotton balls coming after mommy hen when she calls them.

Of course you can also build a box out of scrap lumber and a bit of roofing and nail that to a tree too.

ETA: you nail the buckets bottom to the tree so the cylinder is facing outwards horizontally.

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Aha! Brilliant..I would have never thought of that. I have had the same problem. Will try it.

Thanks


Ccat