Chicken Coops for Sale in Vina, Alabama
Chicken Coops for Sale in Vina, Alabama
Changes in the Chicken Coop
Courtesy of Natalie Honan
Changes in the Chicken Coop
By Natalie Honan
Many students have realized in passing that the chicken coop has been looking a bit more crowded than usual. Recently, a group of new chickens were introduced into the current chicken habitat south of the Grove House.
Six chickens, who originally lived off campus, were about to become homeless, when Teddy Menard PZ’16 volunteered to house the chickens at Pitzer. To make room for these new birds, members of the Garden Club built a chicken coop which was located in the grove and backed onto the fence surrounding Harvey Mudd’s field.
During a Garden Club meeting, Jim Miller PZ ’18 and Gabe Elliot PZ ’18 spontaneously volunteered to assume some caregiving responsibilities for the new group of chickens.
“Our basic duties were just to make sure that they had food and water and to collect their eggs. We also wanted to spend some time with them because even a little human companionship can brighten up their day,” Elliot said.
The new chickens were content in their original home in the orchard until one night, when a creature made its way into the coop and ate one of the chickens. Apparently, a long tree which extended over and around the coop allowed for an unknown animal to enter the chickens’ habitat.
After the first attack, Miller and Elliot decided to confine the chickens into the physical structure within their coop to try to keep them safe. Once the chickens were inside, rocks were placed against the exit as to keep the chickens in and the killer out.
However, after two days had passed, one morning students discovered the rocks had been moved and another chicken was found dead.
Miller and Elliot are guessing the creature was either a raccoon or a bobcat. The creature was nimble enough to remove all the rocks out of place, pointing to a raccoon. However, bobcats are physically stronger and could slaughter a chicken a lot easier than a raccoon might have.
“We’ll just call it the creature,” Elliot said.
Menard also speculated that whatever the creature was, it had to be able to climb a very tall fence, strong enough to kill a chicken, and agile enough to break into the hutch.
“To get up the fence, the creature would have had to climb seven or eight feet and then climb down the tree into the hutch. So maybe it was something small, like a fox,” Menard said.
Many animals have been wandering towards more urban settings as a result of the drought wiping out food sources in their natural habitats.
To keep the remaining chickens safe from the creature, the Garden Club decided to relocate the chickens into the original chicken coop. Miller and Elliot explained that the group did not initially want to combine the flocks, due to the dangers of discord and disease within the two chicken populations.
“They grew up separately, they each have their own defined pecking orders and by putting them together, we were worried that they would fight to try and establish dominance over each other,” Elliot said.
“There’s also the issue of disease. One flock of chickens is used to a different set of germs, bacteria, and parasites than the other. So when you introduce them together, there’s the risk that one group will not have built an immunity that the other one has,” Miller added.
Regardless, the creature was a more direct and guaranteed threat to the safety of the chickens than the risks that came with combining the flocks. Left with no other choice, the Garden Club moved the four remaining chickens of the newer flock in with Pitzer’s original flock.
Upon first introducing the two flocks to each other, the chickens were met with some disagreement. The chickens did not socialize with each other and chased each other around when they were fed.
“There were definitely cliques formed, they did not get along. The original chicken flock would hang out closer to Mead and the other one would stay in their separate corner,” said Miller.
Miller and Elliot stated they believe the main reason for the preliminary conflict was limited space in the small tree in which most of the chickens sleep.
“There were complaints from people in Mead about all the noise the chickens were making because the chickens were fighting in the morning,” Elliot said, “This probably had to do with them all getting out of the tree in an orderly fashion.”
With time, the chickens are slowly growing more comfortable with each other. According to Elliot and Miller, they chickens have started mingling with each other. Menard reported not seeing chicken feathers (an indication of chicken violence) or hearing as much squabbling.
“I think overall it was a good transition, I think they’re safer and hopefully happier. Although, they are missing two of their comrades,” Elliot said.
Currently, members of the Garden Club are planning to expand the size of the coop as well as the housing structure to eventually have the capacity for up to 20 chickens.
Miller and Elliot both said the chickens play an important role in “bringing joy to the community.” They like to think of the chickens as the celebrities of Pitzer College. Menard added that the chickens “give students a special chance to engage with their campus.”
“They’re a very unique and interesting opportunity to express responsibility. The opportunity to have a relationship with the chickens is also important” Menard said.
Moreover, the chicken coop adds visual appeal to the grounds. The chickens are a highlight of the admissions tours and to school visitors.
“It’s a lovely space. The chicken coop is very old. It’s on display and very visible, so I think aesthetically it plays a very important role,” Menard said.
They also provide eggs for the Pitzer Food Collective and other Pitzer students.
Elliot and Miller wanted to dedicate this article to the first chicken who was slaughtered, “R.I.P. Mona.”
Chicken Coop Cheap in Vina, Alabama
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Vina 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 Vina Alabama chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Vina, Alabama With the substantial rise in poultry keeping there has actually been a similarly large rise in the array of fowl paraphernalia for sale. Poultry real estate is a case in factor. It's also a classic example of the great old bandwagon being got on as numerous potential chicken real estate professionals pitch a variety of cottage claiming to be the optimal remedy to your chicken housing requirements. Often the cost looks eye-catching, your house looks appealing, heck even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Undoubtedly they understand a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are many economical as well as horrible coops swamping the market. I recognize this as I've tested a number of them in the field, and also seen a ewe run directly with one when the feed bucket showed up. The result was just a costly pile of fire wood and also a little group of bemused and currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Large in Vina, Alabama
Most of the time these standardized designs are created of quick grown up timber - come the first decline of rainfall they swell, leaving you either defending a door that won't shut, or ripping the door furniture off in a vain effort to release the squawking inhabitants. The initial cozy day means the lumber dries out and fractures, the really felt roofing bubbles as well as boils, and come nightfall the chickens refuse to enter. This is not because of their dissatisfaction at the decrease of their once desirable residential property but because the hovel is currently a haven for, and also probably abounding, the poultry caretaker's bane, red mite. Add the fact that it said on the blurb that it would certainly suit 4 huge hens when that stocking density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as what are you entrusted? A few hinges as well as some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to four birds ought to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you elect for a complimentary standing house or one with a run affixed. Assuming you are varying your birds in a large space as well as the pop opening door allows sufficient for the breed you keep, then the major requirements of housing boil down to 3 factors which will certainly specify the variety of birds your home will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes as well as ventilation. Most types of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost in the evening, this perch ought to ideally be 5-8cm broad with smoothed off edges so the foot sits conveniently on it. The perch needs to be above the nest box entrance as chickens will additionally normally seek the acme to perch. A perch less than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they generate the most poo) bring about soiled eggs the following day. They shouldn't nevertheless be so high off the flooring of the house that leg injuries could possibly occur when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens require about 20cm of perch each (in small breeds this is obviously much less), plus if greater than one perch is set up in the house they need to be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their next-door neighbors but are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Preferably the house needs to have a least one nest box for each 3 birds and these ought to be off the ground as well as in the darkest location of your house. Your home needs to have adequate ventilation: without it then condensation will certainly develop every evening, also in the coldest of weather. Realize, ventilation works with the principle of warm and comfortable air leaving via a high void attracting cooler air in from a lower space - it's not a set of holes on contrary wall surfaces of the house and at the very same degree, this is exactly what's called a draft. If you have a house with a run connected after that the factors above are still real, yet you must additionally think about the run size. The EU maximum legal stocking density for a complimentary range bird is (as well as let's face it, one of the motivations for keeping some chickens at home is potentially boosted or far better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m settled. Take a close take a look at several of the deal residences - it could well be your house has the appropriate perches, right air flow and sufficient nest boxes for a practical variety of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized piece of ground to spend the day on? Therefore as the claiming goes, "you obtain exactly what you spend for". You may assume you've got hold of a bargain, however you and also your group could rue the day you did. Purchase the right house and also it will certainly last for a couple of years, if not longer offered the appropriate therapy. In the long run your fowl and also your chicken keeping experience will certainly be a lot the far better for it.build coop
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