Chicken Coops for Sale in Fish Camp, California
Chicken Coops for Sale in Fish Camp, California
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 Near Me in Fish Camp, California
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Fish Camp 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 Fish Camp California chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Fish Camp, California With the big boost in poultry keeping there has actually been an equally large increase in the variety of poultry materiel for sale. Poultry housing is an instance in point. It's likewise a classic instance of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as different potential fowl real estate experts market a selection of accommodation asserting to be the suitable remedy to your chicken real estate needs. Commonly the price looks attractive, your house looks attractive, heck even the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Definitely they know a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are many cheap and unpleasant cages flooding the market. I recognize this as I've checked a variety of them in the field, as well as seen a ewe run directly with one when the feed container appeared. The outcome was nothing but a pricey heap of fire wood and a small flock of bemused and also now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop in Fish Camp, California
Typically these mass produced versions are constructed of rapid grown hardwood - come the initial drop of rain they swell, leaving you either defending a door that will not close, or tearing the doorway furniture off in a vain effort to release the squawking inhabitants. The initial warm day suggests the wood dries out as well as fractures, the really felt roofing bubbles and boils, and also come nightfall the hens choose not to enter. This is not because of their frustration at the decrease of their as soon as desirable home but because the hovel is now a place for, and most likely abounding, the chicken keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add the fact that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly fit four big chickens when that stocking thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and just what are you left with? A couple of hinges and also some kindling. A decent coop for thee to 4 birds ought to cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this could rely on whether you choose for a totally free standing house or one with a run affixed. Presuming you are varying your birds in a big area and the pop hole door allows enough for the breed you keep, then the main demands of real estate boil down to three factors which will certainly specify the variety of birds the house will hold; perches, nest boxes and air flow. Many breeds of chicken will certainly perch when they go to roost at night, this perch should preferably be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off sides so the foot rests conveniently on it. The perch ought to be more than the nest box entrance as chickens will certainly additionally normally seek the highest point to perch. A perch less than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they generate one of the most poo) leading to soiled eggs the list below day. They should not however be so high off the flooring of your house that leg injuries could occur when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens need about 20cm of perch each (in small types this is clearly much less), plus if greater than one perch is set up in your home they should be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their next-door neighbors yet are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Ideally the house should have a least one nest box for every single three birds and also these need to be off the ground and also in the darkest area of the house. Your home ought to have appropriate ventilation: without it then condensation will certainly build up every evening, also in the coldest of climate. Be aware, air flow deals with the concept of warm and comfortable air leaving through a high space attracting cooler air in from a lower space - it's not a collection of openings on contrary walls of the house as well as at the very same degree, this is what's called a draught. If you have a house with a run affixed then the factors above are still true, but you must additionally think about the run size. The EU maximum lawful equipping thickness for a totally free range bird is (as well as let's face it, among the motivations for keeping some hens in your home is perhaps improved or much better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m made even. Take a close look at several of the bargain houses - it could well be your home has the best perches, correct air flow and adequate nest boxes for an affordable number of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to invest the day on? And so as the stating goes, "you obtain what you spend for". You might believe you've got hold of a bargain, but you and your flock can rue the day you did. Acquisition the right house and it will last for a few years, otherwise longer given the correct therapy. Ultimately your chicken and your chicken keeping encounter will be much the far better for it.coop chickens
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