Chicken Coops for Sale in Aurora, Illinois
Chicken Coops for Sale in Aurora, Illinois
DIY Pallet Chicken Coop
I like chickens.
A lot.
Maybe because when I was small, I remember walking out to my mother’s chicken house, and gathering eggs…I’m not sure why I like them so much, but every spring I look at the signs that say: “Chicks here!” and want them so badly. We recently got a Murdoch’s Farm & Ranch store in our town. I love Farm & Ranch stores, by the way. Anyways, so when they started advertising ‘Chick Days’, I stopped in a few times to let the kids look at the chicks. At least that was my excuse! It was actually a good excuse for ME to get my chick fix. I have tried 3 times to keep chickens here, and they always get eaten – either by fox, coon, or skunk. I had told myself firmly that it was a waste of time, money and energy to try again. But on the third trip to Murdoch’s, I caved. I got 3 Red Star, 3 Buff’s, and 3 Wyandottes. I like variety. I also was trying to get cold-hardy birds, since they will be living in a drafty coop most of the year. If they survive.
I knew the set-up I had been using was not going to work, so I set out to build me a coop. Now, as you know, I am not a carpenter. I do, however, believe anyone can do anything if they want to bad enough. I think more ‘skill’, and ‘talent’ is in our hard work, than in natural ability. I think anyone can be a musician, great cook, cowboy, writer, or, yes, even a carpenter, with enough learning, perseverance, and hard work. I know certain people can naturally do certain things alot easier than others. But usually its more experience or desire than actual talent.
Case in point: My Cowboy never wanted to be a carpenter. Never enjoyed it. But he is an excellent carpenter. He can build anything, without a plan. And it lasts, believe me. Why is he so good? Because he started when young, and worked with his dad, who taught him all he needed to know, little by little, hard day of work after hard day of work.
Me? Why, I had a dad who despised carpentry, never built anything he didn’t have to, and therefore most of my family is slightly lacking in carpenter skills. (except for a few brothers who actually enjoy it, and learned later. ) So I had no examples, and certainly no help building things. But I have built my first freestanding, semi-solid, totally un-square, sorta-kinda-cute, and totally functional structure! It held my chickies for the first time last night, and despite the multitude of cracks, they (the chicks) are still all there this morning! I hope the critters don’t find a way in – cause I have certainly tried to make it critter-proof, if not weather proof. It does keep out the rain, thankfully, as it rained last night. Here is how to build a coop on the cheap frugal, with minimal zero expertise…
I dug about 24 of these 1×4’s out of the ranch dump. They are from a fallen windbreak, I think. They are 8 ft. each. I had to jerk out about 4-6 old nails out of each one.
Then I got 3 old pallets that were sturdy, and nailed the boards over the cracks. Instant studs! Yay!
I cut out a section of the one pallet for a nest-box entrance, and made a nest box out of scraps I found in the barn.
I missed taking pics of whole sections of the process, but anyways, here it is – the nest box isn’t finished yet, and it need some paint. The roof is longer in the back to help protect the nest box from rain/snow. (that sounds good, anyways…the real reason was because i didn’t want to cut metal, and this piece was basically the right size.)
The front. I did have to frame this, since I just couldn’t wrap my brain around how to cut/fasten a door in a pallet. It was pretty easy, tho. Took me two tries to get the angle right on the door cross-support. Just being honest here.
The inside. here you can see the pallets. I used some corner braces to fasten it to the floor. I couldn’t think of any other way. Didn’t have long enough screws to screw through the oak stringers. Check out my skylight! I wasn’t sure how to build a window, so I found this piece of clear roofing, and it works great as a skylight. Some days I will have to leave them in the coop all day, and I wanted them to get light.
Frank painted it last night. Well, some of it. See the nest box out the back? It missed getting painted, but I will finish it soon. I am quite pleased with my little coop. Not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but functional, and not totally sloppy-looking. And I didn’t have any help from the master carpenter, aka: My Cowboy. The cord is for the heat lamp, in case you wondered. Its still pretty cold here at night. (30º – 40º)
I was so worried last night, I kept waking and wondering if the fox/coons had found a way in to the coop…I went out this morning and there they all were – hale and hearty. I got that Tom Hanks/Castaway moment of “I can build! I have made a chicken coop!” Ha ha!
I had several things I wanted in my coop. 1. Easy access to the nest box from the outside. Check. 2. Natural light source, so I wouldn’t have to run a light. Check. I have to have a heat lamp, but don’t want to have to run a light when they are grown. 3. Door big enough for an adult to get in, if necessary. Check. 4. Somewhat rustic/cute. Check. 5. Critter-proof. Check. I am satisfied.
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Chicken Coop Run in Aurora, Illinois
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Aurora Illinois" 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 Aurora Illinois chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Aurora, Illinois With the substantial increase in chicken maintaining there has been an equally huge increase in the variety of chicken materiel on sale. Fowl real estate is a situation in point. It's additionally a classic example of the great old bandwagon being got on as numerous would-be poultry real estate experts peddle a selection of holiday accommodation claiming to be the ideal option to your chicken real estate needs. Commonly the cost looks appealing, the house looks eye-catching, heck even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Surely they recognize a professional chicken house when they see one? There are many cheap and nasty coops flooding the marketplace. I understand this as I've checked a number of them in the field, and seen a ewe run straight with one when the feed pail showed up. The result was just a costly heap of firewood and a small group of bemused and now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Door in Aurora, Illinois
More often than not these mass produced designs are created of quick grown wood - come the initial drop of rain they swell, leaving you either defending a doorway that will not shut, or ripping the doorway furniture off in a vain attempt to release the squawking citizens. The very first cozy day suggests the lumber dries and splits, the really felt roof bubbles as well as boils, and also come nightfall the hens choose not to go in. This is not as a result of their frustration at the decrease of their once desirable residential property yet due to the fact that the hovel is now a place for, and also most likely crawling with, the fowl keeper's bane, red mite. Add on that it said on the blurb that it would suit four huge hens when that equipping density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and what are you entrusted? A few hinges and some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to 4 birds ought to cost you around ₤ 300 though this could rely on whether you choose for a free standing house or one with a run attached. Assuming you are varying your birds in a huge space as well as the pop opening doorway is big enough for the type you keep, after that the main demands of real estate come down to 3 factors which will certainly define the variety of birds the house will hold; perches, nest boxes and also ventilation. Most types of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch must ideally be 5-8cm broad with smoothed off sides so the foot rests easily on it. The perch should be more than the nest box access as chickens will certainly likewise naturally look for the highest point to perch. A perch below that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they produce the most poo) bring about soiled eggs the following day. They shouldn't nonetheless be so high off the floor of your home that leg injuries can occur when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens need regarding 20cm of perch each (in tiny types this is certainly much less), plus if greater than one perch is installed in your house they ought to be greater than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their neighbors yet are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Ideally your house ought to have a the very least one nest box for each 3 birds as well as these must be off the ground and in the darkest location of the house. The house needs to have adequate ventilation: without it after that condensation will certainly build up every night, also in the coldest of weather. Be aware, ventilation works on the concept of warm and comfortable air leaving with a high void drawing cooler air in from a reduced gap - it's not a set of holes on opposite wall surfaces of your home as well as at the same level, this is just what's known as a draft. If you have a house with a run attached after that the points above are still real, but you should also think about the run dimension. The EU maximum legal equipping density for a totally free range bird is (and let's encounter it, among the motivations for keeping some chickens at home is possibly enhanced or much better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m made even. Take a close take a look at some of the bargain houses - it could well be your home has the ideal perches, right air flow and also sufficient nest boxes for an affordable variety of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized piece of ground to spend the day on? Therefore as the saying goes, "you obtain just what you pay for". You could assume you've got hold of a bargain, yet you and also your group might rue the day you did. Acquisition the best house and also it will last for a few years, otherwise longer offered the proper treatment. Ultimately your poultry and your fowl maintaining encounter will be much the better for it.plan coop
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