Chicken Coops for Sale in Compton, Arkansas
Chicken Coops for Sale in Compton, Arkansas
How To Set Up Your Chicken Coop
Often when people buy chickens from us they’ve never owned poultry before therefore I usually find myself explaining the basics of operating a healthy and effective coop. As I grew up on a farm much of it is second nature but many city folk are unsure of just whats involved. The easiest and quickest way to get the message across is to take them on a tour of our back section to see how everything in our coop has be arranged.
The important aspects I talk about are:
Feed …
Because chickens grow so fast I use larger feeders as soon as possible. If you are raising them from day one there are feeders available that have been designed to cover the first couple of weeks. After that one on an adjustable rope works well as its just a matter of raising the height from time to time as the chickens grow. To get the best results it needs to be kept high enough to be accessible but not too low as to allow litter and droppings to be scratched into it. As can be seen in the photo above an off cut of PVC down pipe with holes drilled through it works well as a cheap grit feeder. Commercial feeds normally have grit added however I wonder if its sufficient as our hens regularly go through a 2 kilo bag of crushed oyster shell.
Feeding guide …
Day old to 6 -8 weeks … chick starter crumbles. 8 – 14 weeks … pullet grower or similar. 14 weeks onward … regular chook feed. 18 – 20 weeks or just prior to the commencement of laying … oyster shell grit.
Don’t over do the kitchen scraps as the nutritional value from these is fairly low. If they are fed as a substitute for a properly balance diet egg production will suffer.
Water …
Its important to have a plentiful supply of good clean water at all times. Hens don’t drink much at anyone time but they do drink often and even more so during spring and summer when air temperatures increase. I always leave the coop door open when our hens free range as they can get cool water whenever they need it. Hens drinking dirty contaminated water from containers and puddles is a recipe for disease.
If its not clean enough for you to drink you shouldn’t give it to your hens.
As shown above I prefer to used a fixed water container as the hanging versions leak and spill water when knocked. Its easily removed for cleaning and is installed in such a way to prevent debris getting into it.
Perches …
Chickens have a natural instinct to perch therefore it important to provide good sturdy perches. The ones in our coup are about 5cm square and have the sharp edges taken off to make them more chicken friendly. Tree branches of a similar diameter also work well if they are reasonably straight. The perches shown above are approximately 50cm and 80cm above the floor however I set them at lower levels when I first introduce 3 to 4 week old chicks. They should be fixed securely to the coop walls whilst being easily removable for cleaning.
Even when I have day old chicks under lights I provide perches as its a habit that I want them to learn as soon as possible because it makes my job so much easier. There’s no space on my daily to do list for cleaning dirty nesting boxes and eggs. Perch space per bird should be about 20cm.
Without suitable perches hens will perch on what ever is handy namely nesting boxes, feeders and the like or they will crowd into a corner of a coop. The end result will be a hard mound of droppings which will ultimately end up in feathers on claws then into nesting boxes and subsequently onto eggs. Correctly positioned perches eliminates crowding, flighty hens, dirty eggs and ensures your hens will be more relaxed and manageable.
Like all females of the species they need to be pampered. My other half constantly reminds me that I pay more attention to our Flora’s that I do to her. Its not true of course !!
Nesting boxes …
For me keeping hens is all about egg production therefore when we I invested extra time and effort into creating workable nesting boxes.
- One nesting box for every 4 hens, wonder why sometimes as they all seem to lay in the same box.
- Easily accessible for me from the outside.
- Easily accessible for the hens from the inside.
- Removable for easy cleaning.
- Spacious … 40cm height x 40cm width x 40cm depth or thereabouts.
- Weather proof.
- 10cm lip at the front to keep shavings and eggs in.
When introducing young chickens I keep the boxes closed off until near the time when they will start laying. This is to ensure that they use the perches rather than sleeping in and fouling the boxes. As mentioned previously this means only one thing, dirty eggs.
Deep litter …
We use a deep litter system as it makes for easy maintenance and reduces the need to be continually cleaning chicken manure out of the coop. Simply put the floor is covered with a 10cm layer of untreated wood shavings which is raked over every few days. A more detailed explanation of this concept can be .
Access – easy and straight forward …
- Human sized entry, applicable if you need a large coop.
- Removing old litter is almost effortless, especially when I have to work the camera !
- Predator proof entry- exit.
A user friendly coop ensures that keeping hens doesn’t become just another unwanted chore so build or buy wisely.
Chicken Coop Sale in Compton, Arkansas
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Compton Arkansas" 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 Compton Arkansas chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Compton, Arkansas With the significant boost in poultry keeping there has been a just as huge surge in the range of fowl paraphernalia on sale. Poultry real estate is a case in factor. It's likewise a traditional instance of the good old bandwagon being got on as different potential chicken real estate professionals peddle an array of holiday accommodation claiming to be the ideal solution to your chicken housing requirements. Frequently the price looks attractive, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks appealing, hell even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Definitely they understand a professional chicken house when they see one? There are lots of economical and awful cages swamping the market. I recognize this as I've tested a variety of them in the field, as well as seen a ewe run directly via one when the feed bucket showed up. The outcome was nothing but a costly stack of fire wood and also a little flock of bemused and also currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Cheap in Compton, Arkansas
Typically these mass produced designs are constructed of rapid grown up hardwood - come the very first decline of rain they swell, leaving you either fortifying a doorway that won't close, or tearing the door furniture off in a vain effort to release the squawking residents. The initial warm and comfortable day means the hardwood dries out as well as splits, the really felt roof covering bubbles as well as boils, and come nightfall the hens choose not to go in. This is not because of their disappointment at the decrease of their once eye-catching property yet considering that the hovel is now a sanctuary for, and also possibly abounding, the chicken caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add on that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly suit four big chickens when that equipping density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and just what are you left with? A few joints and also some kindling. A good coop for thee to four birds must cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this can depend on whether you choose for a cost-free standing house or one with a run attached. Thinking you are ranging your birds in a huge area and also the pop hole doorway is big sufficient for the breed you maintain, after that the primary requirements of housing boil down to three factors which will specify the variety of birds your home will hold; perches, nest boxes and air flow. A lot of breeds of chicken will certainly perch when they go to roost during the night, this perch ought to ideally be 5-8cm large with smoothed off edges so the foot sits conveniently on it. The perch ought to be higher than the nest box entrance as chickens will also normally try to find the highest point to perch. A perch less than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they produce the most poo) causing stained eggs the following day. They should not however be so high off the floor of the house that leg injuries could occur when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens need about 20cm of perch each (in tiny breeds this is undoubtedly less), plus if greater than one perch is mounted in the house they need to be more than 30cm apart. They will 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 your house must have a the very least one nest box for each 3 birds as well as these need to be off the ground and in the darkest location of your house. The house needs to have adequate air flow: without it then condensation will build up every night, even in the chilliest of weather condition. Know, ventilation deals with the principle of warm and comfortable air leaving with a high void drawing cooler air in from a lower void - it's not a collection of holes on opposite wall surfaces of your house as well as at the exact same degree, this is exactly what's known as a draught. If you have a house with a run attached then the factors above are still true, however you should likewise take into consideration the run dimension. The EU maximum legal equipping density for a complimentary variety bird is (and also let's encounter it, one of the inspirations for keeping some hens at home is potentially boosted or far better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m squared. Take a close consider several of the deal residences - it could well be your house has the appropriate perches, appropriate air flow as well as enough nest boxes for a sensible number of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized item of ground to spend the day on? And so as the claiming goes, "you obtain just what you pay for". You could assume you've got a deal, yet you and also your group could possibly rue the day you did. Purchase the best house and it will last for a couple of decades, if not longer given the correct treatment. In the end your fowl as well as your chicken maintaining experience will certainly be a lot the far better for it.build chicken
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