Chicken Coops for Sale in Encinitas, California
Chicken Coops for Sale in Encinitas, California
Make a Thrifty DIY Swingset Chicken Coop
Do you have one of those old A-shaped swingsets rusting in your backyard? If you do, then you have the basis for an awesome swingset chicken coop! (And if you don’t, watch Craigslist – there are frequently people offering them for free to whoever comes to pick them up.) Creativity is key .
When we moved recently we had to leave our wonderful chicken coop behind, since it was attached to the barn. While I drooled over some of , I’m on a pretty tight budget so it was important to use items that I could acquire either cheap or free. Luckily, the house we moved to had some pretty interesting stuff in a shed and an old rusty swingset in the woods.
I don’t have a lot of construction skills but the guy who put up my fence does, and luckily, he was on board with my wacky, freebie-scrounging ideas.
For the price of some labor, some hardware, some chicken wire, and a fancy-dancy hanging chicken waterer, I got a snazzy new coop that keeps my chickens safe and sound.
Here’s what we used:
- A swingset with the swings removed
- 2 pieces of corrugated metal on the top 3/4 plus a strip of it over the top to help weather proof
- Some sheets of plywood for the bottom back of the coop
- A piece of chain link fencing for the bottom in order to keep out predators
- Some old pieces of fence posts for the bottom of the coop to attach the chicken wire and chain link to
- Some lumber for the door
- Chicken wire (It was cheaper than from my local store)
If you’re making a scrounged chicken coop, be creative and see what you components you can find for cheap or free. Because most of the items used were found, this isn’t as much a how-to as it is something to inspire you. Here are some photos so you can see how my coop was assembled.
The Scoop on my Swingset Chicken Coop
The door is very heavy, which adds a layer of security against critters that might try to get in during the night. During the day, I use a bungee to hold the door open in the event of wind so no chickens get squashed. (They’re at the door because they know they’re either getting food or getting out.)
There is also a heavy duty double hinged latch that I fasten with a carabiner at night for an added layer of security. (.)
The bottom is covered with a piece of chain link fencing that is attached to the boards that form the bottom edge of the coop.
My biggest splurge is this hanging 5 gallon water dispenser. It stays much cleaner raised a few inches off the ground, only needs to be refilled every few days, and I used the exisiting hook for a swing to hang it from. (You can – it is a lower price than it was at my local feed store.)
Here’s the interior of theswingset chicken coop. The chickens like to roost on the cross bars on each end, and there is an extra bar from an old closet that was also installed. I used some cubbies from my previous garage for nesting boxes. (I probably should have taken the interior pic before I put the chickens in here to poop on everything. Of course, anyone who has chickens knows that a coop only looks clean for about 10 minutes.)
The coop in all of its glory. I’ll be painting the plywood soon to make it a little prettier.
Thor, our LGD, is happy to follow the chickens around and protect them because he realized they’re like little feathered Pez dispensers, dropping nice little egg treats around the yard for him to enjoy. I lock them in the coop a couple of days per week and that gives us more than enough eggs for our needs. The rest of the eggs get scattered around the yard for a doggie version of an Easter egg hunt. Thor’s a little skinny so the added fat will do him good. You can see him licking his dog lips in the photo below.
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Chicken Coop You Can Walk In in Encinitas, California
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Encinitas California" 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 Encinitas California chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Encinitas, California With the huge rise in chicken maintaining there has been a just as large surge in the range of fowl stuff on sale. Poultry real estate is a situation in point. It's additionally a traditional example of the excellent old bandwagon being got on as different would-be poultry housing specialists peddle a selection of holiday accommodation claiming to be the perfect solution to your chicken housing needs. Often the rate looks attractive, your house looks desirable, heck even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Surely they understand a high quality chicken house when they see one? There are numerous affordable and horrible coops swamping the market. I understand this as I've tested a variety of them in the area, and seen a ewe run directly via one when the feed pail showed up. The outcome was just a costly pile of fire wood and also a small group of bemused and currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Small in Encinitas, California
Usually these mass produced models are built of rapid grown lumber - come the first drop of rain they swell, leaving you either blockading a door that will not close, or tearing the doorway furnishings off in a vain effort to launch the squawking citizens. The very first warm day indicates the timber dries as well as splits, the really felt roofing bubbles and boils, and come nightfall the hens choose not to enter. This is not due to their frustration at the decrease of their as soon as attractive apartment but considering that the hovel is now a haven for, and also probably crawling with, the poultry keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add that it said on the blurb that it would certainly match 4 huge chickens when that stocking thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and exactly what are you entrusted? A couple of joints as well as some kindling. A decent coop for thee to 4 birds need to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this could depend upon whether you choose for a complimentary standing house or one with a run affixed. Assuming you are varying your birds in a big room and the pop hole door is big sufficient for the breed you maintain, then the major requirements of housing boil down to 3 factors which will certainly define the variety of birds your home will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and also ventilation. A lot of types of chicken will perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch needs to preferably be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off edges so the foot rests conveniently on it. The perch must be above the nest box access as chickens will certainly also normally search for the highest point to perch. A perch lower than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is incidentally when they create one of the most poo) causing stained eggs the following day. They should not nevertheless be so high off the floor of the house that leg injuries might happen when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens need about 20cm of perch each (in little types this is certainly less), plus if more than one perch is mounted in your home they ought to be more than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their neighbors yet are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Ideally your house ought to have a least one nest box for every single 3 birds and also these need to be off the ground and also in the darkest area of your house. Your house ought to have appropriate air flow: without it then condensation will build up every night, even in the chilliest of weather. Realize, ventilation works on the concept of warm and comfortable air leaving via a high space drawing cooler air in from a lower space - it's not a set of holes on opposite wall surfaces of your home and also at the exact same level, this is what's known as a draught. If you have a house with a run connected after that the points above are still real, however you should additionally take into consideration the run dimension. The EU optimum legal equipping thickness for a cost-free variety bird is (as well as allow's face it, among the motivations for maintaining some hens in your home is possibly enhanced or better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m squared. Take a close check out several of the deal residences - it could well be your home has the ideal perches, proper ventilation as well as ample nest boxes for a practical number of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? And so as the claiming goes, "you get exactly what you pay for". You may think you've got a deal, however you as well as your group could rue the day you did. Acquisition the appropriate house as well as it will last for a couple of decades, otherwise longer offered the correct treatment. Ultimately your fowl and also your poultry keeping encounter will be considerably the better for it.chicken chicken
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