Chicken Coops for Sale in Universal City, California
Chicken Coops for Sale in Universal City, California
Tropical Chicken Coop Construction – Ch.1
Tropical Chicken Coop Construction – Ch.1
I have been helping our friends build a chicken coop so that they can start raising there own hens and producing their own eggs. The week before I helped them build a compost pile so that they could start composting their yard waist on a larger scale, now we move into coop development. After researching different designs and methods for building a coop I decided to go with one that would fit well in the tropics. Much like San Diego, you don’t have to worry about a freeze or the chickens getting to cold, however you do need to be concerned with other natural elements like predators, tropical rain storms, gusty winds and too much heat. Taking this into consideration I designed a coop that would protect the hens from the elements, yet be opened up enough to allow a breeze and shade for the hens to grow in.
Chicken Coop Design
Chicken Coop Plans
The structure of the coop is 4x8x8. It is 4 ft wide by 8ft long and 8ft high at its highest point. The floor of the hen house is three feet off of the ground. There is a thatched roof covering the length of the coop to keep out the rain and sun. The roofs highest point is at 8ft (in the center) dropping down to 6ft on the front side, and 7ft on the back side. This allows for a consistent air flow throughout the coop
Chicken Coop Plans (Side Views)
I designed the coop on paper, worked out the measurements and then we started putting it together after we picked up the supplies. As expected we made a few adjustments as we began to put the coop together to fit the surroundings a little better. One thing that I didn’t keep in mind was the slope that we would be working on, this eventually elevated the ‘run’ side a little more giving the hens an extra 6 inches to play around in.
Chicken Coop Supplies (So Far)
- 3 4×8′ 1/2″ pieces of plywood
- 20 2x4x8′ studs
- 12 2x2x8′ studs
- 1 6x2x8′ stud
- 2 4×8′ roofing sheets
- 1 4×50′ roll of chicken wire
- 1 box 3.5″ screws
- 1 box 2″ screws
- 6 hinges
- 3 latches
- 4 cinder blocks
Chicken Coop Structure
Putting up the Frame
After we picked a location by the mango tree, the first thing that we did was put together the frame. This would be our skeleton if you will, everything else would be built off of the frame. As mentioned before the frame of the structure is 4ft wide by 8ft long. We put 6ft posts on the front side, 7ft posts on the back side, and two 8ft posts on the ends (for the roof). Notice the cinder blocks used to give us a level playing field, not the prettiest look, this is something that we will fix up as we finish the project.
Chicken Coop Construction
Putting Up the Walls
After we got the frame up we started to work on the hen house itself, this is where then hens will go to lay their many eggs in the future. We closed off the floor and the back wall first because these are permanent, no doors or latches needed. In this picture you can see that we also added a few more frame pieces for the roof, this was because of the type of roofing that we decided to go with. You will be able to see why when we finish.
Hen House Layout
Building the Hen House
Once we put in the permanent walls and floor we began building the doors that would allow us access into the hen house for cleaning and feeding. This front door section will open up giving us plenty of room to work around the hen house.
Nesting Boxes
The Nesting Boxes
The Nesting Boxes came next on our plans. We decided to do two rows of boxes 4 boxes deep. This gives us a total of 8 nesting boxes. Each box is 12″x12″12″. We started the bottom row 6 inches off of the floor and the next row 12 inches above that. We left a 3″ over hang to give the hens something to climb up to before entering their boxes. We also put a 4.5 inch lip on the front of the boxes making the entrance to the boxes 7.5″x12″. We did this to give the hens more protection and less room to move around. This should prevent them or the other hens from eating their eggs once they began producing.
Entrance for Eggs
Behind the nesting boxes, on the outside of the hen house we installed two barn style doors to give us easy access to all of the boxes, thus giving us easy access to the eggs down the road. This will also make it easier for cleaning an maintenance when the time comes.
Hen House Entrance
Hen House Entrance
This last image is of the entrance into the hen house, this was the last thing that we finished up to this point. We still have the roof, chicken wire enclosure and last minute adjustments. As you can see the Tropical Chicken Coop is coming along just fine. We are almost there but not quite yet. Once we get some more time to work on it we should be able to wrap up this project and move the hens in. Eggs are on their way!
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Chicken Coop And Run Plans in Universal City, California
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Universal City 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 Universal City California chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Universal City, California With the substantial increase in chicken maintaining there has been an equally large increase in the range of poultry stuff on sale. Chicken housing is a case in point. It's additionally a timeless instance of the excellent old bandwagon being jumped on as various potential chicken housing professionals peddle an array of cottage claiming to be the suitable remedy to your chicken real estate requirements. Usually the cost looks eye-catching, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks desirable, hell even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Certainly they know a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are many inexpensive and horrible cages swamping the market. I recognize this as I've examined a variety of them in the area, and seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed pail showed up. The outcome was nothing but a pricey pile of firewood and also a small flock of bemused as well as currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Building Plans in Universal City, California
More often than not these mass produced models are built of quick grown up lumber - come the first decline of rain they swell, leaving you either blockading a door that will not close, or tearing the doorway furnishings off in a vain attempt to release the squawking residents. The initial warm day indicates the timber dries and also fractures, the really felt roof bubbles and boils, and also come nightfall the chickens choose not to enter. This is not due to their disappointment at the decrease of their once attractive building however considering that the hovel is currently a sanctuary for, and also probably crawling with, the chicken caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add on the fact that it claimed on the blurb that it would certainly fit 4 huge hens when that stocking thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as what are you entrusted? A number of hinges as well as some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to 4 birds need to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you elect for a cost-free standing house or one with a run attached. Presuming you are varying your birds in a big area as well as the pop opening door is big enough for the type you keep, then the major requirements of real estate come down to 3 factors which will specify the number of birds your house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes as well as air flow. Many breeds of chicken will perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch ought to ideally be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off edges so the foot sits conveniently on it. The perch must be more than the nest box access as chickens will certainly also naturally try to find the highest point to perch. A perch lower than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they generate the most poo) causing stained eggs the list below day. They shouldn't nevertheless be so high off the flooring of the house that leg injuries could possibly happen when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens require concerning 20cm of perch each (in small breeds this is obviously much less), plus if greater than one perch is mounted in your house they need to be greater than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their neighbors but are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably the house needs to have a the very least one nest box for every 3 birds and also these must be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of the house. The house needs to have ample ventilation: without it then condensation will develop every night, also in the coldest of weather. Be aware, ventilation works on the principle of cozy air leaving with a high gap attracting cooler air in from a lower space - it's not a set of openings on opposite walls of your home and also at the same degree, this is what's known as a draught. If you have a house with a run attached then the factors above are still real, however you need to likewise consider the run size. The EU maximum lawful equipping thickness for a totally free variety bird is (as well as allow's face it, one of the inspirations for maintaining some chickens at home is possibly boosted or much better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m settled. Take a close look at several of the bargain homes - it could well be your house has the best perches, appropriate ventilation and also enough nest boxes for a reasonable number of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? And so as the saying goes, "you obtain exactly what you spend for". You may think you've got a deal, however you and also your group might rue the day you did. Acquisition the ideal house and also it will certainly last for a couple of years, otherwise longer provided the correct therapy. In the long run your fowl and also your poultry maintaining experience will certainly be much the much better for it.chicken chickens
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