Chicken Coops for Sale in Westbrook, Connecticut
Chicken Coops for Sale in Westbrook, Connecticut
Adventures in Country Living at Shalom Engedi Farm
We've been raising meat chickens for a few years now and each year we've learned a few things to add to our list of disasters and a few to add to our triumphs.
Let me explain how we started. A few years ago when we lived in the city we built the worlds most expensive chicken coop. You can read about it . In many ways it was fabulous - for 6 chickens. When you get a few more - like 50 meat birds - it won't do at all.
Every summer that we've had chickens at the farm they've been in different pens. We would solve one problem by making a change the next year only to create more problems we didn't anticipate. The first year we used the only pen we had available in the barn but it was a little small for the 60 chickens that lived in it. We figured they would be outside most of the time anyway and it WOULD BE FINE. Leaving the feed in their pen at all times was also a mistake as it caused them to grow too fast. We didn't get the chicks until September which meant they needed 8 weeks to grow to full size which also meant we were getting into wintery weather by the time they left. Oh dear - can you say chicken poop? They were the laziest chickens you ever saw. They hated going outside even though we chased them outside every day. They just sat and got fat and pooped. End of story. By the time they were ready for the butcher we were REALLY happy to get rid of them because the coop was impossible to keep clean. Without enough exercise and with too much food they got so big they had leg problems too so we lost a few birds in the process.
Fast forward to the next spring when we had the great idea to build them a huge pen. You can read about that . It was such a good idea except now we couldn't get them to gain weight because they got TOO MUCH exercise. They didn't have any leg problems though!. After a few extra weeks of feed before we brought them to the butcher we ended up with really yummy but rather scrawny birds. Sigh* I don't think we got close to breaking even when we sold them that year.
So - lets try that again!!! We recently purchased an old dog kennel through Kijiji - it's 5x15 feet and made of chain link with a good sturdy door. We know from our past coops that Overkilled Fort Knox is the way to go. There can be NO WAY for animals to get in or reach in.
We started by wiring the chain link fencing on far more securely than it was originally - we wanted to keep a dog (and others) OUT! We used two 4 foot pieces of hardware cloth on the ground and zip ties to connect them together - slightly overlapping the pieces. This provides a strong bottom so predator animals can't dig under the coop.
Then we wrapped the top edge of the kennel with 3 foot wide hardware cloth - attaching it with zip ties as well. The bottom section is a full sheet of lattice. It covers the hardware cloth on the top and is connected with zip ties again to the frame and the hardware cloth that makes up the floor. The roof is plywood sheets cut to fit so there is a 6 inch overhang ( 4 sheets cut to 6 feet each - the roof is 6 feet wide and 16 feet long) We cut an old tarp to size and stapled it on top. We were going to have the tarp overhang and peg it to the ground but it made the interior too dark. It took some creative cutting to fill in all the little spaces around the door to create a tight fit but with enough space that we could still open the door.
After adding shavings and a waterer we had to solve the problem of feeding 50 starving chickens at once without them killing each other in the process. They get pretty excited when they're hungry. We have multiple feeders but they never seemed enough. I solved the problem by purchasing a new 10 foot eaves trough with ends and screwed some 1 foot pieces of an old 2x4 across the bottom to act as feet - I used four pieces. When it's situated in the middle of the coop the chickens can access it from both sides and finally there is room for everyone to eat. The coop is bright and airy and doesn't smell bad at all...of course I am not really an expert on that subject! There is great air flow, plenty of space but not too much space and it's a safe place for them to spend the night. We also built the coop within sight of the kitchen window so I can keep an eye on them. In past years we let them free range as far as they wanted to - but sometimes they didn't come back. Our losses were just too great so this year they are kept in a large fenced area. They still have access to plants and bugs and sunshine but they don't disappear as someones lunch! So far this year we haven't lost any birds to predators. We also situated the coop in the shade of several large trees. Meatie birds are not that smart and sometimes when it's really hot they will lay in the sun and die of dehydration before they get up and get a drink. | The rake in the picture is my Chicken Encourager - I use it to gently encourage the chickens to leave the coop! |
The fencing we used is something we've also used to fence our vegetable garden. The material is a plastic mesh that comes in 50 foot rolls for less than $15.00. The posts are a little pricey but since they can be easily moved and re-used we thought it was worth it. You may be wondering why the fence is so short - it's only two feet tall. The fencing comes in three foot height as well but the due to a problem in the pricing for the fence posts it was more economical to buy the two foot fencing instead. We've found that our meat birds grow so fast that they don't fly very well. Occasionally one gets out but they never go far and the fence is more to contain them than to keep them safe from predators.
This coop is not going to be used in the winter - it's a little too airy for subzero temperatures but it could be modified in a pinch. Necessity is the Mother of Invention they say! If you can get a good deal on a kennel and shop around or use what you have already have you can make a similar coop and have the fencing like this for under $450.00. If all goes well it should pay for itself this summer and last for many years. The chickens seem to like their new digs and are growing well! Three tries and I think we got it right!! 
Baby Chicken in Westbrook, Connecticut
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Westbrook Connecticut" 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 Westbrook Connecticut chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Westbrook, Connecticut With the big increase in poultry maintaining there has actually been an equally large increase in the variety of chicken materiel on sale. Poultry real estate is a situation in point. It's also a classic example of the good old bandwagon being got on as numerous prospective poultry housing professionals pitch a range of lodging claiming to be the perfect option to your chicken real estate demands. Often the price looks appealing, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks appealing, hell also the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look eye-catching. Certainly they know a high quality chicken house when they see one? There are numerous low-cost and unpleasant coops swamping the market. I know this as I've examined a number of them in the field, as well as seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed pail showed up. The outcome was only a costly heap of firewood and also a tiny flock of bemused and currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop House in Westbrook, Connecticut
Usually these mass produced models are built of fast grown up lumber - come the first drop of rainfall they swell, leaving you either blockading a door that won't close, or ripping the door furniture off in a vain effort to release the squawking inhabitants. The first warm day means the hardwood dries and also cracks, the felt roofing bubbles and boils, and also come nightfall the chickens refuse to enter. This is not due to their frustration at the decrease of their as soon as attractive residential property however considering that the hovel is now a sanctuary for, and most likely crawling with, the fowl keeper's bane, red mite. Add that it claimed on the blurb that it would suit 4 big chickens when that stocking thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as what are you left with? A couple of joints and also some kindling. A good coop for thee to four birds need to cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this could rely on whether you choose for a complimentary standing house or one with a run affixed. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a huge space and the pop opening door is big sufficient for the type you keep, after that the main needs of real estate come down to 3 factors which will certainly define the variety of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes and also air flow. Most types of chicken will certainly perch when they go to roost at night, this perch should preferably be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off sides so the foot sits conveniently on it. The perch must be more than the nest box access as chickens will also normally seek the highest point to perch. A perch lower than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is incidentally when they generate one of the most poo) leading to dirtied eggs the following day. They shouldn't nonetheless be so high off the flooring of the house that leg injuries can happen when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens need about 20cm of perch each (in little breeds this is obviously less), plus if greater than one perch is mounted in the house they ought to be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their neighbors yet are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Preferably your home ought to have a least one nest box for each three birds and these ought to be off the ground and in the darkest location of your house. Your house must have ample ventilation: without it after that condensation will certainly develop every evening, also in the chilliest of weather. Understand, ventilation works with the concept of cozy air leaving through a high space attracting cooler air in from a reduced void - it's not a set of holes on opposite wall surfaces of the house as well as at the very same level, this is just what's known as a draft. If you have a house with a run attached after that the factors above are still real, however you need to likewise take into consideration the run size. The EU optimum lawful stocking density for a free range bird is (and also allow's encounter it, one of the motivations for maintaining some hens at home is possibly enhanced or much better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m squared. Take a close look at a few of the bargain houses - it could well be the house has the right perches, proper ventilation and also sufficient nest boxes for a reasonable variety of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized item of ground to spend the day on? And so as the claiming goes, "you get just what you pay for". You could think you've grabbed a bargain, yet you and also your flock can rue the day you did. Purchase the appropriate house as well as it will last for a couple of decades, if not longer given the right treatment. In the end your poultry and also your poultry keeping experience will certainly be much the better for it.diy build
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