Chook Me!

baby chick coop?

hi i got a chick off someone and he/she has been in my backyard for about 2 weeks so far. I was wondering, is it necessary to give it a coop, it seems to like to hide in the bushes, and at night it hides on the top of the same one every time. we have food and water next to it. I was thinking about building a coop but it has to be small. I've searched for plans to build one but they are all so big, usually for more than one chicken, I just want one for one chicken. also, does it NEED to have a run because our backyard is fenced in, and i think it's going to be running around the yard a lot anyway, I don't plan on locking the chick in the coop ever. thanks oh and I know it should have a friend but i don't think i could get another one unless the chick grows up to be a hen and has another and I think my parents only want one in their backyard >.>

Public Comments

1. Its a good idea to lock it up at night so it doesn't get eaten by something ie cats, dogs, raccoons, large birds....
2. If your backyard is fenced the chicken probably won't be harmed by predators and a good shelter might be a old mailbox or something similar so they can escape the rain etc. also you may want to stuff it with hay. When the chick starts laying eggs if it is a girl you will want an area for her to do this otherwise she might start eating her eggs because they are scattered through the yard.