Chicken Coops for Sale in Greenwood, California
Chicken Coops for Sale in Greenwood, California
Transform Your Little Tikes Playhouse into a Chicken Coop
When I started pestering my husband about chickens (again), I knew I was fighting an uphill battle. He did not want to spend a bunch of money and time on the construction of a suitable coop. We’d already been down the road of improper chicken housing before, and it wasn’t a road that either of us wanted to travel again. But I really, REALLY wanted to give chicken keeping another try. And I thought that with a little bit of forethought, we could eliminate the challenges we ran into before. For starters, the birds would need enough space. And the coop would need to be easy to clean. And most importantly, the coop would need to be secure. Nothing like coming home to find your chickens walking along the 6′ high wall that surrounds your yard! But to construct this type of set up from scratch would cost quite a bit of money in materials, not to mention all the time and sweat it would take for the hubs to actually BUILD the thing.
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So then I started scouring the internet trying to find the best deal on a “coop in a box”. I had my eye on but the price tag was a bit hefty. (It’s actually on sale for 58% off right now if you happen to be in the market for a pre-fabricated coop!) Not only was the hubs not excited about building a chicken coop, he also wasn’t excited about the idea of another “thing” in the yard. Our yard was already overrun with toys, bikes, gardening tools, a composter, and our very well-loved Little Tikes Playhouse. So as I sat in the yard one spring evening watching the kids play with everything BUT the playhouse, I got to thinking… Why couldn’t we just turn the playhouse into a chicken coop?!?! I didn’t tell hubs about the idea right away. Instead, I began looking at the structure of the playhouse to see if my idea would even work. Guys, I swear, this thing was MADE to become a chicken coop! It had everything we needed! The house is large enough for me to walk inside to rake it out, it has plenty of space for a nesting box, waterer, food, and a roosting bar. And it even came with a little cut out section near the floor (picture a doggy door) so the chickens could access the run we built behind it! I sketched out an idea of the modifications that we would need to make, and I presented my idea to the hubs. Guess what? He went for it! It was PERFECT. The structure was already built. We wouldn’t have to add another “thing” to our already tiny yard, and the best part? It’s totally incognito. No one would EVER suspect chickens were living in the playhouse! That night, I ordered our chicks! So how did we transform the playhouse? Well, let’s take a tour, shall we?
The first thing we did was cover all the openings with garden wire. Hubs had a roll of this laying around from some other project. He used drywall screws to attach the wire to the windows. The coop actually stayed like this for a while. While the chicks were still small, it was best for them to be confined to a smaller space, so not having a run wasn’t an issue.
Next the hubs built the run. You can see the “doggy door” in the bottom left corner…this is how the chickens get in and out of the house. The run is a pretty simple A-frame structure made out of 1″x 1″ pine pieces. The frame was made in sections and the wire was screwed on to each section as it was assembled. The top of the run lifts up so I can climb in and rake out the poo. I just prop it open with an upside down rake and jump on in.
The corners are all secured with these nifty . And the whole top piece is attached to the frame with some thin chains that act as a hinge. Here is a picture of the chains.
The brown plastic covering you see on this window is actually the cover to our sand and water table. The hubs cut it to fit over the largest window to break some of the wind in the winter. He used more drywall screws to attach it to the house.
Inside the coop, we attached a roosting bar (made out of an old broom handle) to the side of the house using a simple scrap of wood to attach it.
Here is a look at one side of the roosting bar. The other side just sits on the “mantle” inside the house.
My favorite part about the coop is the nesting box. Hubs attached a recycling bin to the wall using a couple brackets. It’s the PERFECT size for a comfy chicken laying box. And it’s up high so there’s a little privacy. We did cut it down a bit…chickens are not very bright creatures…they were afraid to go inside when the lip of the box was up higher.
The is hung from the ceiling by a thin chain (to keep the birds from standing on it), and the just sits on the floor. The set up is working BRILLIANTLY for us. The birds are happy and laying an egg per chicken per day (even though it’s winter), and it is all super easy to care for. The best part is that we were able to make this transformation for a whopping $46. I can’t say enough about how awesome chicken are…I’m pretty sure my kiddos would agree! Think you might transform your little tikes playhouse into a chicken coop?
Here is the complete list of materials and tools we used to make our playhouse into a chicken coop. Our chickens have been living in the coop for 8 months, and it’s still holding up great!
Hardware
- , to secure wire to playhouse
- to secure wire to wood frame
- to hang feeder from inside coop
Tools
- – for cutting the wire
- (for pounding staples)
- for cutting 1 1/2″ pieces of wood
Chicken Coop With Run in Greenwood, California
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Greenwood 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 Greenwood California chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Greenwood, California With the big boost in chicken maintaining there has actually been a similarly big increase in the range of poultry stuff for sale. Poultry real estate is a proceedings in factor. It's also a classic instance of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as numerous would-be chicken real estate experts pitch a range of cottage asserting to be the suitable option to your chicken housing requirements. Frequently the price looks desirable, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks appealing, heck even the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Surely they know a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are many inexpensive and unpleasant cages swamping the marketplace. I know this as I've tested a number of them in the field, and also seen a ewe run directly through one when the feed container showed up. The result was just a pricey stack of fire wood and also a small group of bemused and also now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Accessories in Greenwood, California
Typically these standardized versions are created of fast grown up wood - come the first drop of rainfall they swell, leaving you either fortifying a door that will not close, or tearing the door furniture off in a vain attempt to release the squawking citizens. The initial warm and comfortable day means the hardwood dries out and also splits, the really felt roof bubbles as well as boils, as well as come nightfall the chickens refuse to enter. This is not because of their frustration at the decrease of their when desirable building however because the hovel is currently a sanctuary for, and also most likely crawling with, the poultry caretaker's bane, red mite. Add that it said on the blurb that it would match 4 big chickens when that stocking density was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also what are you left with? A number of joints and some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to four birds must cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can depend on whether you choose for a complimentary standing house or one with a run affixed. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a large area and also the pop opening doorway allows enough for the breed you maintain, after that the primary needs of real estate boil down to three points which will certainly specify the variety of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes as well as air flow. A lot of types of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost in the evening, this perch must preferably be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off sides so the foot rests easily on it. The perch should be above the nest box entrance as chickens will also normally seek the acme to perch. A perch below that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they generate the most poo) resulting in soiled eggs the following day. They should not nevertheless be so high off the floor of the house that leg injuries could take place when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens require about 20cm of perch each (in tiny breeds this is obviously less), plus if greater than one perch is set up in your house they need to be more than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their next-door neighbors however are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Preferably your home ought to have a the very least one nest box for every 3 birds and also these ought to be off the ground and also in the darkest area of your house. Your home must have appropriate air flow: without it then condensation will certainly accumulate every night, also in the chilliest of weather condition. Know, ventilation works with the principle of warm air leaving through a high space attracting cooler air in from a lower gap - it's not a collection of holes on contrary walls of your house as well as at the exact same level, this is just what's known as a draught. If you have a house with a run connected then the points above are still true, however you should likewise consider the run dimension. The EU optimum legal equipping thickness for a totally free range bird is (and also let's encounter it, one of the motivations for maintaining some chickens in your home is possibly improved or much better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m made even. Take a close check out several of the deal houses - it could well be your home has the best perches, correct ventilation and sufficient nest boxes for an affordable variety of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to spend the day on? Therefore as the saying goes, "you get what you spend for". You might think you've got a bargain, however you and also your group can rue the day you did. Purchase the best house as well as it will certainly last for a couple of decades, if not longer provided the right therapy. Ultimately your poultry as well as your fowl keeping experience will certainly be a lot the better for it.chick chickens
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