Chicken Coops for Sale in Beaverton, Alabama
Chicken Coops for Sale in Beaverton, Alabama
Our Finished Chicken Coop
These past few days had us outside enjoying the beautiful weather. One of the jobs I crossed off the list was to clean out our new chicken coop.
Because of our over the past year or so, our family was going through several dozen eggs a week. (I can’t help it – I’m hooked on !)
So last summer we quit “planning” to get our own chickens, and actually did it. The whole family pitched in to build a little abode for our egg-laying beauties. And because we were first-time chicken owners and newbies in all chicken-related topics, we joined and gleaned months worth of ideas, do’s and don’ts, and building plans. (I can’t recommend this site highly enough! If you have the slightest inclination of doing chicken anything, go here and read to your heart’s content.)
It was so helpful to see photos and designs when we were in the planning stages, I thought I’d share pictures of our coop and the hows and whys of what we did.
The chicken coop
Instead of starting from scratch, we bought a small granary from my brother-in-law; about 9’x7′ inside measurements. This gave us about 3 sq. ft. per bird. The coop is nothing fancy really. It isn’t visible from the road and we don’t live in town with neighbors to care about the view from their back window, so we used as much scrap material as possible. Plus we didn’t think the chickens would mind.
So far they haven’t rebelled.
We re-tinned the roof (that’s my honey!) and I got to use the saw sawl to make holes for the windows and vents. You can call me Mrs. Handyman. . .
Inside the chicken coop
Framing the windows and vents was the most time consuming part since the building wasn’t square. We used insulation and vapor barrier for the walls for added moisture protection and warmth because the windchill can get -40 below or more in the winter.
We made the roosting boards parallel and the same height because apparently hens will act like old biddies and fight for the top most board. (Some people’s kids. . .)
We rounded the edges of the roosting boards so it’s easier on the hens’ feet. The boards can be removed for ease of cleaning the poop boards underneath.
Poop boards seemed quite popular among chicken peoples and we’ve quickly learned why. First, chickens poop more when roosting, so the roosting boards are placed above the poop board. This makes clean up as simple as buying a wide sheetrock mudding tool and scraping the droppings into a bucket each day. We then add the droppings to our compost pile.
We originally built a rollaway community nesting box directly underneath the poop board, but the chickens ended up laying eggs everywhere but there. Eventually we added a ‘normal’ set of 12″x12″x12″ nesting boxes and they’re happy campers again.
We decided to use the deep litter method. We spread a bag of wood chips on the floor and because the hens leave most of their droppings on the poop boards, there’s minimal waste on the floor. The chickens like to scratch and fluff the wood chips so it gets stirred up and aerated. This means the coop is less smelly, and there’s only a few minutes of daily cleaning of the boards. If needed, you can add more wood chips throughout the year.
We clean the coop out fully in the spring and fall. So far it’s worked wonderfully.
We nailed a board across the doorway to prevent the rising litter from falling out every time we opened the door.
The feeders are gravity fed. They’re made of PVC pipe with a 90 degree corner and a cap at the end. We like that we can leave for several days at a time and don’t have to worry about having someone come out to do chicken chores for us.
This water stand was Travis’s idea. The hens have a platform to stand on so no matter how high the litter gets, they can reach the water comfortably.
The chicken nipples underneath are another idea shared by BYC that I LOVE. The water doesn’t drip, there is no poop or mud to worry about, and our full grown hens figured it out within 24 hrs. The pails are covered with lids to prevent the water from getting dirty and it lasts for at least a week (we add apple cider vinegar).
When we’re home, we clean them out and give them fresh water every few days.
There’s electricity on the wall above the waterers with a timed light switch. We use bird bath heaters to keep the water from freezing during the winter. We had to add the slanted plywood because the hens were roosting on the pails. (I told you they fought for highest roosting privileges.)
The pop door is a simple design, and it works great. It slides up and down, held in by L shaped boards.
When in the closed position, the hook and eye on the right prevent racoons (or children!) from trying to lift the door from the outside.
We used 1/2″ x 1/2″ hardware cloth to cover the insides of the windows and vents. . .
. . .and plexiglass for the actual windows.
We made sure to have plenty of vents (thanks to sage advice from Pat’s Ventilation Page) and used eyes and rope to open and close them at different heights.
Finally, we added a small lean-to to the side so the hens could come out in the winter. This helps block snow drifts right in front of the pop door, and they can still come out for fresh air and sunshine when they get cabin fever.
It might not win a beauty contest – but there’s something to be said for function-ability Hope this gave you some ideas!
What have you done to your chicken coop? We’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions!
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Chicken Coop On Wheels Designs in Beaverton, Alabama
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Beaverton Alabama" into any one of the numerous search engines and a wealth of information will pop up. This information will provide links to other websites that will be informative and will provide the right direction for finding Beaverton Alabama chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Beaverton, Alabama With the massive increase in poultry maintaining there has actually been a similarly large rise in the array of chicken stuff for sale. Fowl housing is an instance in point. It's also a classic example of the excellent old bandwagon being got on as numerous prospective fowl housing specialists peddle a variety of accommodation asserting to be the ideal option to your chicken housing needs. Typically the price looks attractive, your house looks eye-catching, hell also the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Certainly they recognize a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are numerous inexpensive as well as nasty cages swamping the market. I know this as I've examined a variety of them in the area, as well as seen a ewe run straight via one when the feed bucket appeared. The result was nothing but a costly stack of fire wood and a tiny flock of bemused as well as now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Run Ideas in Beaverton, Alabama
Typically these mass produced models are constructed of fast grown timber - come the initial decline of rain they swell, leaving you either fortifying a door that will not shut, or ripping the doorway furniture off in a vain effort to release the squawking citizens. The very first cozy day means the wood dries out and splits, the really felt roofing system bubbles as well as boils, and come nightfall the hens refuse to enter. This is not because of their dissatisfaction at the decline of their when appealing apartment yet considering that the hovel is currently a haven for, and also most likely crawling with, the chicken caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add the fact that it said on the blurb that it would certainly suit four huge hens when that equipping density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also exactly what are you left with? A few hinges as well as some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to 4 birds need to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this could depend upon whether you choose for a totally free standing house or one with a run attached. Thinking you are ranging your birds in a huge area and also the pop opening door is big enough for the breed you keep, after that the primary needs of real estate come down to three factors which will certainly specify the number of birds the house will hold; perches, nest boxes and ventilation. Most types of chicken will certainly perch when they go to roost during the night, this perch must ideally be 5-8cm large with smoothed off edges so the foot sits easily on it. The perch should be above the nest box entry as chickens will certainly likewise normally look for the acme to perch. A perch below that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they produce the most poo) bring about stained eggs the following day. They shouldn't nevertheless be so high off the flooring of your home that leg injuries could possibly happen when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens require regarding 20cm of perch each (in little breeds this is certainly less), plus if more than one perch is installed in the house they need to be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their neighbors however are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Ideally your home needs to have a the very least one nest box for every 3 birds and also these must be off the ground and also in the darkest area of your home. Your house must have sufficient air flow: without it then condensation will develop every evening, also in the chilliest of weather. Understand, air flow works on the concept of cozy air leaving with a high void attracting cooler air in from a reduced gap - it's not a collection of openings on opposite wall surfaces of the house as well as at the same level, this is just what's referred to as a draft. If you have a house with a run connected after that the points above are still true, but you must additionally take into consideration the run size. The EU maximum legal equipping density for a complimentary variety bird is (and also allow's face it, among the inspirations for maintaining some chickens in the house is possibly boosted or much better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m settled. Take a close check out some of the deal houses - it could well be your home has the appropriate perches, correct air flow and enough nest boxes for a practical variety of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to spend the day on? Therefore as the claiming goes, "you get exactly what you spend for". You may assume you've grabbed a bargain, however you and also your group could possibly rue the day you did. Acquisition the ideal house as well as it will last for a couple of decades, otherwise longer given the appropriate therapy. In the long run your fowl and your chicken keeping experience will be considerably the much better for it.plans chicken
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