Chicken Coops for Sale in Greenup, Illinois
Chicken Coops for Sale in Greenup, Illinois
How To Set Up Your Chicken Coop
Often when people buy chickens from us they’ve never owned poultry before therefore I usually find myself explaining the basics of operating a healthy and effective coop. As I grew up on a farm much of it is second nature but many city folk are unsure of just whats involved. The easiest and quickest way to get the message across is to take them on a tour of our back section to see how everything in our coop has be arranged.
The important aspects I talk about are:
Feed …
Because chickens grow so fast I use larger feeders as soon as possible. If you are raising them from day one there are feeders available that have been designed to cover the first couple of weeks. After that one on an adjustable rope works well as its just a matter of raising the height from time to time as the chickens grow. To get the best results it needs to be kept high enough to be accessible but not too low as to allow litter and droppings to be scratched into it. As can be seen in the photo above an off cut of PVC down pipe with holes drilled through it works well as a cheap grit feeder. Commercial feeds normally have grit added however I wonder if its sufficient as our hens regularly go through a 2 kilo bag of crushed oyster shell.
Feeding guide …
Day old to 6 -8 weeks … chick starter crumbles. 8 – 14 weeks … pullet grower or similar. 14 weeks onward … regular chook feed. 18 – 20 weeks or just prior to the commencement of laying … oyster shell grit.
Don’t over do the kitchen scraps as the nutritional value from these is fairly low. If they are fed as a substitute for a properly balance diet egg production will suffer.
Water …
Its important to have a plentiful supply of good clean water at all times. Hens don’t drink much at anyone time but they do drink often and even more so during spring and summer when air temperatures increase. I always leave the coop door open when our hens free range as they can get cool water whenever they need it. Hens drinking dirty contaminated water from containers and puddles is a recipe for disease.
If its not clean enough for you to drink you shouldn’t give it to your hens.
As shown above I prefer to used a fixed water container as the hanging versions leak and spill water when knocked. Its easily removed for cleaning and is installed in such a way to prevent debris getting into it.
Perches …
Chickens have a natural instinct to perch therefore it important to provide good sturdy perches. The ones in our coup are about 5cm square and have the sharp edges taken off to make them more chicken friendly. Tree branches of a similar diameter also work well if they are reasonably straight. The perches shown above are approximately 50cm and 80cm above the floor however I set them at lower levels when I first introduce 3 to 4 week old chicks. They should be fixed securely to the coop walls whilst being easily removable for cleaning.
Even when I have day old chicks under lights I provide perches as its a habit that I want them to learn as soon as possible because it makes my job so much easier. There’s no space on my daily to do list for cleaning dirty nesting boxes and eggs. Perch space per bird should be about 20cm.
Without suitable perches hens will perch on what ever is handy namely nesting boxes, feeders and the like or they will crowd into a corner of a coop. The end result will be a hard mound of droppings which will ultimately end up in feathers on claws then into nesting boxes and subsequently onto eggs. Correctly positioned perches eliminates crowding, flighty hens, dirty eggs and ensures your hens will be more relaxed and manageable.
Like all females of the species they need to be pampered. My other half constantly reminds me that I pay more attention to our Flora’s that I do to her. Its not true of course !!
Nesting boxes …
For me keeping hens is all about egg production therefore when we I invested extra time and effort into creating workable nesting boxes.
- One nesting box for every 4 hens, wonder why sometimes as they all seem to lay in the same box.
- Easily accessible for me from the outside.
- Easily accessible for the hens from the inside.
- Removable for easy cleaning.
- Spacious … 40cm height x 40cm width x 40cm depth or thereabouts.
- Weather proof.
- 10cm lip at the front to keep shavings and eggs in.
When introducing young chickens I keep the boxes closed off until near the time when they will start laying. This is to ensure that they use the perches rather than sleeping in and fouling the boxes. As mentioned previously this means only one thing, dirty eggs.
Deep litter …
We use a deep litter system as it makes for easy maintenance and reduces the need to be continually cleaning chicken manure out of the coop. Simply put the floor is covered with a 10cm layer of untreated wood shavings which is raked over every few days. A more detailed explanation of this concept can be .
Access – easy and straight forward …
- Human sized entry, applicable if you need a large coop.
- Removing old litter is almost effortless, especially when I have to work the camera !
- Predator proof entry- exit.
A user friendly coop ensures that keeping hens doesn’t become just another unwanted chore so build or buy wisely.
Chicken Coop Plans Free in Greenup, Illinois
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Greenup 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 Greenup Illinois chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Greenup, Illinois With the massive rise in chicken maintaining there has been a similarly large rise in the range of fowl materiel for sale. Fowl housing is a proceedings in point. It's also a traditional instance of the great old bandwagon being got on as various prospective fowl housing experts market a selection of accommodation claiming to be the suitable remedy to your chicken real estate demands. Frequently the rate looks attractive, the house looks eye-catching, hell even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Undoubtedly they recognize a professional chicken house when they see one? There are many cheap as well as unpleasant coops flooding the market. I know this as I've tested a number of them in the area, and also seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed container appeared. The result was only an expensive pile of firewood as well as a small group of bemused and also currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coops For Sale in Greenup, Illinois
Most of the time these mass produced models are built of quick grown wood - come the initial decline of rainfall they swell, leaving you either defending a door that won't shut, or tearing the door furniture off in a vain effort to launch the squawking citizens. The very first warm day implies the hardwood dries out and also fractures, the felt roof covering bubbles as well as boils, as well as come nightfall the hens choose not to enter. This is not due to their dissatisfaction at the decrease of their when attractive building however due to the fact that the hovel is now a place for, and probably abounding, the poultry keeper's bane, red mite. Add that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly fit four huge hens when that stocking density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and just what are you entrusted? A couple of joints and some kindling. A good coop for thee to 4 birds must cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this could depend on whether you elect for a free standing house or one with a run connected. Presuming you are ranging your birds in a large room and the pop hole doorway allows enough for the breed you maintain, then the major demands of housing come down to three points which will certainly specify the variety of birds the house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes as well as ventilation. Most types of chicken will perch when they visit roost in the evening, this perch should ideally be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off edges so the foot sits conveniently on it. The perch should be higher than the nest box access as chickens will certainly additionally normally search for the acme 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 produce one of the most poo) bring about stained eggs the following day. They should not nonetheless be so high off the floor of your home that leg injuries might take place when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens require concerning 20cm of perch each (in little types this is undoubtedly much less), plus if more than one perch is set up in the house they should 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 least one nest box for every 3 birds and these need to be off the ground and also in the darkest location of the house. Your house must have sufficient air flow: without it then condensation will certainly build up every evening, also in the chilliest of weather. Know, air flow works with the concept of cozy air leaving via a high void drawing cooler air in from a reduced void - it's not a collection of holes on opposite wall surfaces of your house as well as at the very same degree, this is just what's referred to as a draught. If you have a house with a run attached after that the factors above are still true, however you ought to likewise take into consideration the run dimension. The EU maximum legal stocking thickness for a cost-free array bird is (as well as allow's face it, one of the motivations for keeping some hens in the house is perhaps improved or better welfare) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m made even. Take a close check out some of the bargain homes - it could well be your house has the appropriate perches, proper air flow as well as enough nest boxes for a practical number of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized piece of ground to invest the day on? And so as the claiming goes, "you obtain exactly what you spend for". You might believe you've got hold of a bargain, however you as well as your group could rue the day you did. Acquisition the appropriate house and also it will certainly last for a couple of years, otherwise longer provided the appropriate treatment. In the long run your chicken and also your poultry keeping encounter will be considerably the far better for it.coop for sale
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