Chicken Coops for Sale in Idaho Springs, Colorado
Chicken Coops for Sale in Idaho Springs, Colorado
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!
shared with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Related Posts
Latest posts by Paula ()
- - March 22, 2016
- - January 28, 2016
- - January 22, 2016
Chicken House in Idaho Springs, Colorado
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Idaho Springs Colorado" 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 Idaho Springs Colorado chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Idaho Springs, Colorado With the huge increase in poultry keeping there has been a just as huge surge in the array of poultry materiel on sale. Fowl housing is a situation in point. It's additionally a classic instance of the great old bandwagon being got on as various potential chicken real estate experts peddle a range of holiday accommodation declaring to be the optimal solution to your chicken housing demands. Frequently the cost looks appealing, the house looks attractive, hell also the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Definitely they recognize a professional chicken house when they see one? There are lots of affordable as well as unpleasant coops swamping the market. I know this as I've checked a variety of them in the area, and seen a ewe run directly through one when the feed bucket showed up. The result was only an expensive stack of fire wood and a tiny flock of bemused as well as now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Adelaide in Idaho Springs, Colorado
More often than not these standardized designs are created of quick grown timber - come the initial decrease of rain they swell, leaving you either defending a doorway that will not shut, or ripping the door furniture off in a vain effort to launch the squawking citizens. The initial warm and comfortable day implies the timber dries out as well as cracks, the really felt roofing bubbles as well as boils, as well as come nightfall the chickens choose not to enter. This is not due to their dissatisfaction at the decline of their as soon as desirable building but considering that the hovel is currently a place for, as well as possibly crawling with, the fowl caretaker's bane, red mite. Add that it said on the blurb that it would fit 4 big chickens when that equipping density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and exactly what are you left with? A number of joints and also some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to four birds need to cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this could depend upon whether you choose for a complimentary standing house or one with a run connected. Thinking you are varying your birds in a huge area and also the pop hole doorway is big enough for the type you keep, after that the major requirements of housing come down to 3 factors which will certainly define the number of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes and also air flow. Many types of chicken will perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch should ideally be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off edges so the foot sits conveniently on it. The perch should be more than the nest box entry as chickens will also naturally search for the highest point to perch. A perch lower than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they produce the most poo) leading to stained eggs the list below day. They shouldn't nevertheless be so high off the floor of your house that leg injuries could possibly take place when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens need about 20cm of perch each (in tiny breeds this is certainly less), plus if greater than one perch is installed in the house they ought to be greater than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their neighbors however are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Ideally your home should have a the very least one nest box for every single three birds and these should be off the ground as well as in the darkest location of your home. The house must have adequate air flow: without it then condensation will certainly build up every night, also in the chilliest of climate. Know, air flow works with the principle of cozy air leaving through a high void attracting cooler air in from a lower gap - it's not a collection of holes on contrary walls of the house and also at the exact same level, this is what's referred to as a draft. If you have a house with a run affixed then the factors above are still real, yet you ought to also take into consideration the run size. The EU optimum lawful stocking density for a free array bird is (and also let's face it, one of the motivations for keeping some hens in your home is perhaps enhanced or much better welfare) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m made even. Take a close take a look at several of the deal houses - it could well be your home has the right perches, right air flow as well as adequate nest boxes for a practical variety of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? Therefore as the claiming goes, "you get exactly what you spend for". You may believe you've got hold of a deal, but you and your flock could rue the day you did. Purchase the right house and it will certainly last for a few decades, if not longer provided the right therapy. In the long run your fowl and also your poultry maintaining encounter will be a lot the much better for it.chickens chickens
More Posts
Chicken Coops for Sale in Alma, Colorado
Chicken Coops for Sale in Hartsel, Colorado
Chicken Coops for Sale in Frisco, Colorado
Chicken Coops for Sale in Conejos, Colorado
Chicken Coops for Sale in Como, Colorado