Chicken Coops for Sale in Shingletown, California
Chicken Coops for Sale in Shingletown, California
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 Door in Shingletown, California
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Shingletown 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 Shingletown California chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Shingletown, California With the big rise in chicken maintaining there has actually been a just as big increase in the range of poultry stuff on sale. Poultry real estate is a proceedings in point. It's additionally a traditional example of the good old bandwagon being jumped on as numerous potential poultry housing professionals pitch a selection of holiday accommodation asserting to be the perfect remedy to your chicken real estate needs. Often the cost looks eye-catching, your house looks appealing, heck even the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look eye-catching. Undoubtedly they recognize a professional chicken house when they see one? There are many low-cost and also horrible cages flooding the market. I recognize this as I've examined a number of them in the area, and also seen a ewe run directly through one when the feed pail appeared. The outcome was nothing but a costly heap of fire wood and also a little group of bemused and also currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Yard Ideas in Shingletown, California
Generally these mass produced versions are constructed of quick grown up wood - come the initial decline of rainfall they swell, leaving you either blockading a doorway that won't close, or tearing the doorway furniture off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking citizens. The first warm and comfortable day indicates the timber dries and fractures, the felt roofing system bubbles as well as boils, and also come nightfall the chickens choose not to go in. This is not as a result of their disappointment at the decrease of their once desirable building however considering that the hovel is currently a haven for, as well as probably crawling with, the fowl caretaker's bane, red mite. Add that it said on the blurb that it would certainly suit four huge chickens when that stocking density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also what are you left with? A couple of joints and also some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to four birds ought to cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this can depend on whether you choose for a free standing house or one with a run affixed. Presuming you are ranging your birds in a big room and the pop opening doorway is big enough for the breed you keep, after that the primary requirements of housing come down to three points which will certainly specify the variety of birds the house will hold; perches, nest boxes and air flow. Many types of chicken will perch when they go to roost at night, this perch must ideally be 5-8cm large with smoothed off edges so the foot rests easily on it. The perch needs to be higher than the nest box entrance as chickens will certainly also normally search for 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 one of the most poo) bring about soiled eggs the list below day. They shouldn't nonetheless be so high off the floor of your house that leg injuries could take place when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens need concerning 20cm of perch each (in tiny breeds this is obviously less), plus if more than one perch is set up in the house they need to be greater than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their next-door neighbors yet are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably your house ought to have a least one nest box for each 3 birds and these need to be off the ground and in the darkest area of your house. The house must have adequate ventilation: without it after that condensation will certainly accumulate every evening, even in the chilliest of weather. Be aware, ventilation deals with the concept of cozy air leaving via a high space drawing cooler air in from a lower space - it's not a set of holes on other walls of the house as well as at the same level, this is what's known as a draught. If you have a house with a run attached then the points above are still true, but you ought to additionally consider the run size. The EU optimum lawful stocking density for a complimentary range bird is (and let's encounter it, one of the motivations for maintaining some chickens at home is perhaps boosted or better welfare) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m settled. Take a close look at a few of the bargain homes - it could well be your house has the best perches, right ventilation and also adequate nest boxes for an affordable variety of birds, however 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 get just what you pay for". You could assume you've grabbed a deal, but you and also your group can rue the day you did. Purchase the best house and it will last for a couple of decades, if not longer provided the right treatment. In the end your fowl as well as your fowl maintaining encounter will be a lot the much better for it.for sale for sale
More Posts
Chicken Coops for Sale in Robbins, California
Chicken Coops for Sale in Le Grand, California
Chicken Coops for Sale in Sacramento, California
Chicken Coops for Sale in Richmond, California
Chicken Coops for Sale in Fulton, California