Chicken Coops for Sale in Orange, California
Chicken Coops for Sale in Orange, 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 You Can Walk In in Orange, California
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Orange 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 Orange California chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Orange, California With the massive rise in chicken keeping there has been a just as huge surge in the variety of poultry stuff on sale. Poultry real estate is a proceedings in point. It's likewise a classic example of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as various prospective fowl housing experts peddle a selection of accommodation declaring to be the excellent remedy to your chicken real estate demands. Typically the rate looks eye-catching, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks eye-catching, heck also the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Definitely they understand a professional chicken house when they see one? There are many low-cost as well as unpleasant cages flooding the market. I recognize this as I've tested a number of them in the area, as well as seen a ewe run straight with one when the feed container appeared. The outcome was nothing but an expensive heap of firewood and a little group of bemused and also currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Kits For 6-8 Chickens in Orange, California
More often than not these standardized models are constructed of fast grown hardwood - come the first decline of rain they swell, leaving you either blockading a doorway that will not close, or ripping the doorway furnishings off in a vain attempt to release the squawking occupants. The very first warm day suggests the lumber dries as well as fractures, the really felt roof covering bubbles and boils, and come nightfall the hens refuse to enter. This is not as a result of their disappointment at the decline of their as soon as eye-catching home yet considering that the hovel is now a place for, as well as most likely abounding, the chicken keeper's bane, red mite. Add the fact that it said on the blurb that it would fit 4 large chickens when that equipping density was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also just what are you entrusted? A few joints as well as some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to 4 birds need to cost you around ₤ 300 though this could depend on whether you choose for a complimentary standing house or one with a run affixed. Thinking you are varying your birds in a big space and also the pop hole door is big sufficient for the type you maintain, after that the main needs of housing come down to three points which will certainly define the variety of birds your house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes as well as ventilation. Many types of chicken will perch when they go to roost during the night, this perch ought to preferably be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off edges so the foot rests pleasantly on it. The perch needs to be higher 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 create the most poo) causing stained eggs the list below day. They shouldn't nevertheless be so high off the floor of your home that leg injuries could happen when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens need about 20cm of perch each (in tiny types this is undoubtedly less), plus if greater than one perch is installed in your house they should be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their neighbors but are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Preferably your home must have a the very least one nest box for every single 3 birds and these must be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of the house. The house ought to have adequate ventilation: without it after that condensation will accumulate every evening, also in the chilliest of weather. Understand, ventilation works with the concept of warm air leaving via a high gap attracting cooler air in from a reduced gap - it's not a collection of openings on opposite wall surfaces of the house and at the very same degree, this is just what's referred to as a draft. If you have a house with a run affixed after that the points above are still true, yet you need to likewise take into consideration the run dimension. The EU maximum legal stocking thickness for a complimentary array bird is (and allow's face it, one of the inspirations for maintaining some chickens at home is potentially improved or far better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m squared. Take a close take a look at a few of the bargain houses - it could well be the house has the ideal perches, appropriate ventilation and enough nest boxes for a sensible variety of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? And so as the stating goes, "you obtain exactly what you pay for". You could believe you've got a deal, however you and your group might rue the day you did. Purchase the appropriate house and also it will certainly last for a couple of decades, if not longer offered the proper treatment. Ultimately your chicken and also your poultry keeping experience will be much the far better for it.chicken coop
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