Chicken Coops for Sale in Sultana, California
Chicken Coops for Sale in Sultana, 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 Plans Free in Sultana, California
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Sultana 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 Sultana California chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Sultana, California With the substantial boost in chicken keeping there has actually been a just as large rise in the array of chicken stuff for sale. Chicken real estate is an instance in point. It's additionally a classic example of the good old bandwagon being got on as different potential fowl housing specialists pitch an array of accommodation claiming to be the excellent option to your chicken housing needs. Typically the price looks eye-catching, the house looks eye-catching, hell even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look eye-catching. Surely they recognize a quality chicken house when they see one? There are several cheap and also unpleasant coops swamping the market. I know this as I've tested a number of them in the field, as well as seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed bucket appeared. The outcome was nothing but a pricey heap of fire wood as well as a tiny flock of bemused as well as now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop On Trailer in Sultana, California
Usually these mass produced versions are built of fast grown up wood - come the initial drop of rainfall they swell, leaving you either barricading a doorway that won't shut, or ripping the doorway furniture off in a vain attempt to release the squawking occupants. The initial cozy day implies the lumber dries as well as fractures, the really felt roofing system 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 once eye-catching residential property however considering that the hovel is currently a place for, and also possibly abounding, the fowl caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add on the fact that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly fit 4 big hens when that stocking density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also just what are you left with? A couple of joints and some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to 4 birds should cost you around ₤ 300 though this could rely on whether you choose for a complimentary standing house or one with a run connected. Assuming you are varying your birds in a large area and the pop opening doorway is big enough for the type you keep, then the major needs of real estate boil down to 3 factors which will certainly define the variety of birds the house will hold; perches, nest boxes as well as ventilation. Many breeds of chicken will perch when they go to roost at night, this perch must ideally be 5-8cm large with smoothed off sides so the foot rests comfortably on it. The perch should be above the nest box entry as chickens will certainly also naturally try to find the highest point to perch. A perch less than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is incidentally when they create one of the most poo) leading to dirtied eggs the list below day. They shouldn't however be so high off the floor of the house that leg injuries could occur when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens require regarding 20cm of perch each (in little types this is clearly much less), plus if more than one perch is mounted in the house they must be greater 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 ahead. Ideally your home needs to have a least one nest box for each three birds and these ought to be off the ground and also in the darkest area of your home. Your home ought to have ample air flow: without it after that condensation will build up every night, even in the coldest of weather condition. Understand, ventilation deals with the concept of cozy air leaving through a high space drawing cooler air in from a reduced space - it's not a collection of holes on opposite wall surfaces of your house as well as at the same degree, this is just what's referred to as a draft. If you have a house with a run attached then the points above are still true, however you ought to likewise think about the run dimension. The EU maximum lawful stocking thickness for a cost-free variety bird is (and also allow's encounter it, one of the inspirations for maintaining some chickens at home is possibly enhanced or better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m made even. Take a close look at some of the bargain residences - it could well be the house has the right perches, right air flow and ample nest boxes for an affordable number of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to spend the day on? And so as the saying goes, "you get exactly what you spend for". You may assume you've got hold of a deal, however you and your group could possibly rue the day you did. Purchase the best house and also it will certainly last for a couple of years, if not longer given the proper treatment. Ultimately your chicken and your poultry maintaining encounter will certainly be much the much better for it.coop chick
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