Chicken Coops for Sale in De Soto, Illinois
Chicken Coops for Sale in De Soto, Illinois
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 Yellow Chick For Sale in De Soto, Illinois
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in De Soto 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 De Soto Illinois chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in De Soto, Illinois With the huge increase in chicken maintaining there has been a just as huge rise in the array of poultry stuff on sale. Poultry real estate is an instance in factor. It's likewise a classic instance of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as numerous potential poultry real estate professionals peddle a selection of lodging asserting to be the ideal remedy to your chicken real estate requirements. Frequently the rate looks attractive, the house looks eye-catching, heck also the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Undoubtedly they recognize a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are lots of affordable as well as awful coops swamping the market. I recognize this as I've examined a number of them in the area, and seen a ewe run straight via one when the feed bucket appeared. The outcome was nothing but a costly pile of firewood as well as a little flock of bemused and currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop For Sale in De Soto, Illinois
Usually these standardized versions are built of quick grown up timber - come the initial drop of rain they swell, leaving you either fortifying a doorway that won't shut, or ripping the doorway furnishings off in a vain effort to release the squawking occupants. The very first warm and comfortable day indicates the lumber dries and also fractures, the really felt roofing system bubbles as well as boils, and also come nightfall the chickens choose not to go in. This is not due to their frustration at the decline of their when attractive building but since the hovel is currently a haven for, and also most likely abounding, the chicken keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add on that it said on the blurb that it would certainly fit four huge hens when that equipping thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and just what are you left with? A number of hinges as well as some kindling. A decent coop for thee to 4 birds need to cost you around ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you elect for a free standing house or one with a run affixed. Thinking you are ranging your birds in a big area and also the pop opening door allows enough for the breed you maintain, then the primary demands of real estate come down to 3 points which will specify the variety of birds the house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes as well as ventilation. A lot of types of chicken will certainly perch when they go to roost at night, this perch should preferably be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off edges so the foot rests comfortably on it. The perch must be more than the nest box entry as chickens will additionally normally look for the acme to perch. A perch lower than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they generate one of the most poo) bring about stained eggs the following day. They should not nevertheless be so high off the flooring of your home that leg injuries can occur when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens require concerning 20cm of perch each (in small types this is certainly much less), plus if more than one perch is set up in your home they ought to be more than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their next-door neighbors yet are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Ideally your house needs to have a the very least one nest box for every single 3 birds and also these should be off the ground and in the darkest area of the house. The house ought to have adequate air flow: without it then condensation will certainly accumulate every evening, also in the chilliest of climate. Be aware, ventilation works on the concept of warm and comfortable air leaving via a high space drawing cooler air in from a lower void - it's not a set of openings on other wall surfaces of your home and also at the very same level, this is just what's called a draft. If you have a house with a run affixed then the factors above are still true, yet you should likewise think about the run dimension. The EU maximum lawful equipping thickness for a totally free variety bird is (as well as allow's face it, one of the motivations for maintaining some hens in the house is potentially improved or much better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m made even. Take a close look at a few of the bargain houses - it could well be your house has the right perches, correct ventilation and sufficient nest boxes for a reasonable number of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? And so as the stating goes, "you get what you pay for". You could believe you've got hold of a deal, yet you as well as your flock can rue the day you did. Purchase the best house as well as it will last for a couple of decades, if not longer offered the proper treatment. In the long run your chicken as well as your chicken keeping encounter will certainly be a lot the better for it.chickens chicken
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