smells like chicken???

[RogueFishr]

ok, thanks to my daughters 2nd grade class, I am the new proud parent to 3 little freakin chickens. They are a week old and are now in a box, under a heat light, in my house. Apparently you can't put week old chickens outside. Anyway, I have a couple questions. How old do they need to be before they are fine outside, in normal, outside temperatures?? (Please don't tell me 1 year ). And, since a chicken coop is now inevitable, do chickens smell? I mean when I can finally get them out of the house, and into the coop? I am wondering how far from the house this setup needs to be? Any other tips or suggestions about chickens? The goal here, is to have farm fresh eggs . I would also appreciate any info on chicken coop security. I know for a fact, we have a cougar, a fox, and at least 2 raccoons living nearby.

Thanks for any help,

RF

[Small Fry]

You should be able to put them out once thay have most of their feathers. About 6 weeks or so. By then the weather will be plenty warn enough to set them out. We have 15 plus birds 30 feet from the back door. I like having it close by since we pick up eggs everyday year round. They have a yard of their own thats about 30 feet x 40 feet. The only time they smell is if we slack off on keeping the coop cleaned out. We haven't had problems with racoons of coyotes. I setr up a fence small charger and ran 2 wires fairly low to the ground, one about six inchs and the second one at 16. So far it's worked.

[GSD]

Originally Posted by RogueFishr

I would also appreciate any info on chicken coop security.
RF

I moved my new flock from the garage to the coop this week. They are 5 weeks old and fully feathered. Had the weather not warmed, they would have probably stayed in the garage at least one more week.

Coops can be as simple or elaborate as your imagination can be. Here's some pictures of some small scale coops that might fit your needs, with only 3 chickens: Chicken Coops

Here's another website that has a wealth of Chicken info.

5 to 6 months you should start seeing eggs
(if you didn't end up with cockerels)

[ajfishfinder]

I got mail order chicks early this year in feb. Kept them in a stall in the barn until I couldn't stand it any longer. I moved them out with the adults a bit too early. On one of those cold nights they pig-piled for warmth and trampled 2 of them. The books say to start at 95 degrees and cut back the temp 5 degrees a week until it is 70ish. They can handle a few cool nights if they are in something with element protection and some straw for bedding. Mine are just now starting to figure out that sleeping on a roost is more comfortable than being crammed in a nest box.

[Grantspastor]

Although I've never seen your daughter, I'm picturing how much fun she is having with the baby chicks. Good on you Dad!

[RogueFishr]

Thanks for the help! I am going to begin work on a new chicken coop for Happy Feet, Fluffy, and Smokey today.

RF