Chicken Coops for Sale in Havana, Illinois
Chicken Coops for Sale in Havana, Illinois
Make a Thrifty DIY Swingset Chicken Coop
Do you have one of those old A-shaped swingsets rusting in your backyard? If you do, then you have the basis for an awesome swingset chicken coop! (And if you don’t, watch Craigslist – there are frequently people offering them for free to whoever comes to pick them up.) Creativity is key .
When we moved recently we had to leave our wonderful chicken coop behind, since it was attached to the barn. While I drooled over some of , I’m on a pretty tight budget so it was important to use items that I could acquire either cheap or free. Luckily, the house we moved to had some pretty interesting stuff in a shed and an old rusty swingset in the woods.
I don’t have a lot of construction skills but the guy who put up my fence does, and luckily, he was on board with my wacky, freebie-scrounging ideas.
For the price of some labor, some hardware, some chicken wire, and a fancy-dancy hanging chicken waterer, I got a snazzy new coop that keeps my chickens safe and sound.
Here’s what we used:
- A swingset with the swings removed
- 2 pieces of corrugated metal on the top 3/4 plus a strip of it over the top to help weather proof
- Some sheets of plywood for the bottom back of the coop
- A piece of chain link fencing for the bottom in order to keep out predators
- Some old pieces of fence posts for the bottom of the coop to attach the chicken wire and chain link to
- Some lumber for the door
- Chicken wire (It was cheaper than from my local store)
If you’re making a scrounged chicken coop, be creative and see what you components you can find for cheap or free. Because most of the items used were found, this isn’t as much a how-to as it is something to inspire you. Here are some photos so you can see how my coop was assembled.
The Scoop on my Swingset Chicken Coop
The door is very heavy, which adds a layer of security against critters that might try to get in during the night. During the day, I use a bungee to hold the door open in the event of wind so no chickens get squashed. (They’re at the door because they know they’re either getting food or getting out.)
There is also a heavy duty double hinged latch that I fasten with a carabiner at night for an added layer of security. (.)
The bottom is covered with a piece of chain link fencing that is attached to the boards that form the bottom edge of the coop.
My biggest splurge is this hanging 5 gallon water dispenser. It stays much cleaner raised a few inches off the ground, only needs to be refilled every few days, and I used the exisiting hook for a swing to hang it from. (You can – it is a lower price than it was at my local feed store.)
Here’s the interior of theswingset chicken coop. The chickens like to roost on the cross bars on each end, and there is an extra bar from an old closet that was also installed. I used some cubbies from my previous garage for nesting boxes. (I probably should have taken the interior pic before I put the chickens in here to poop on everything. Of course, anyone who has chickens knows that a coop only looks clean for about 10 minutes.)
The coop in all of its glory. I’ll be painting the plywood soon to make it a little prettier.
Thor, our LGD, is happy to follow the chickens around and protect them because he realized they’re like little feathered Pez dispensers, dropping nice little egg treats around the yard for him to enjoy. I lock them in the coop a couple of days per week and that gives us more than enough eggs for our needs. The rest of the eggs get scattered around the yard for a doggie version of an Easter egg hunt. Thor’s a little skinny so the added fat will do him good. You can see him licking his dog lips in the photo below.
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Baby Chick Feeder in Havana, Illinois
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Havana 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 Havana Illinois chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Havana, Illinois With the substantial increase in poultry maintaining there has been an equally big surge in the range of chicken paraphernalia on sale. Poultry real estate is a situation in factor. It's additionally a traditional example of the good old bandwagon being got on as various prospective poultry housing experts peddle a range of accommodation declaring to be the optimal solution to your chicken real estate demands. Usually the price looks attractive, your house looks attractive, heck 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 numerous low-cost and also unpleasant cages swamping the market. I recognize this as I've examined a number of them in the field, and seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed pail appeared. The outcome was just a costly heap of fire wood and a little group of bemused as well as now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coops For Sale in Havana, Illinois
Most of the time these standardized models are built of rapid grown wood - come the initial drop of rain they swell, leaving you either blockading a doorway that will not shut, or ripping the doorway furniture off in a vain effort to launch the squawking occupants. The initial warm day means the wood dries and splits, the really felt roofing system bubbles and boils, as well as come nightfall the hens choose not to go in. This is not because of their dissatisfaction at the decline of their when appealing building yet considering that the hovel is currently a haven for, and probably crawling with, the fowl keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add on the fact that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly match four large chickens when that equipping density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as exactly what are you left with? A few joints and some kindling. A decent coop for thee to 4 birds need to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you choose for a free standing house or one with a run connected. Thinking you are ranging your birds in a big area and also the pop hole doorway allows enough for the type you keep, after that the main needs of housing boil down to 3 factors which will define the variety of birds the house will hold; perches, nest boxes and also ventilation. The majority of types of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost in the evening, this perch should preferably be 5-8cm broad with smoothed off sides so the foot sits easily on it. The perch should be more than the nest box entrance as chickens will certainly also normally seek the acme to perch. A perch lower than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is incidentally when they generate the most poo) resulting in soiled eggs the following day. They shouldn't nonetheless be so high off the floor of your house that leg injuries could happen when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens require regarding 20cm of perch each (in tiny types this is undoubtedly less), plus if greater than one perch is installed in the house they must be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their next-door neighbors but 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 each 3 birds and these should be off the ground and in the darkest location of your home. Your house ought to have appropriate air flow: without it after that condensation will certainly build up every night, even in the coldest of climate. Realize, ventilation works on the concept of warm air leaving with a high space drawing cooler air in from a reduced void - it's not a set of holes on opposite walls of your house as well as at the very same level, this is exactly what's called a draught. If you have a house with a run affixed then the factors above are still real, yet you should also consider the run dimension. The EU maximum lawful stocking density for a totally free variety bird is (and let's encounter it, among the motivations for maintaining some hens in the house is potentially boosted or much better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m squared. Take a close consider a few of the bargain residences - it could well be your home has the best perches, appropriate ventilation as well as ample nest boxes for an affordable variety of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? And so as the saying goes, "you get what you pay for". You may think you've got hold of a bargain, but you and also your flock could rue the day you did. Acquisition the best house and also it will last for a few years, otherwise longer offered the proper treatment. In the long run your fowl and your chicken maintaining encounter will certainly be much the much better for it.chickens for sale
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