Chicken Coops for Sale in Kewanee, Illinois
Chicken Coops for Sale in Kewanee, Illinois
Tropical Chicken Coop Construction – Ch.1
Tropical Chicken Coop Construction – Ch.1
I have been helping our friends build a chicken coop so that they can start raising there own hens and producing their own eggs. The week before I helped them build a compost pile so that they could start composting their yard waist on a larger scale, now we move into coop development. After researching different designs and methods for building a coop I decided to go with one that would fit well in the tropics. Much like San Diego, you don’t have to worry about a freeze or the chickens getting to cold, however you do need to be concerned with other natural elements like predators, tropical rain storms, gusty winds and too much heat. Taking this into consideration I designed a coop that would protect the hens from the elements, yet be opened up enough to allow a breeze and shade for the hens to grow in.
Chicken Coop Design
Chicken Coop Plans
The structure of the coop is 4x8x8. It is 4 ft wide by 8ft long and 8ft high at its highest point. The floor of the hen house is three feet off of the ground. There is a thatched roof covering the length of the coop to keep out the rain and sun. The roofs highest point is at 8ft (in the center) dropping down to 6ft on the front side, and 7ft on the back side. This allows for a consistent air flow throughout the coop
Chicken Coop Plans (Side Views)
I designed the coop on paper, worked out the measurements and then we started putting it together after we picked up the supplies. As expected we made a few adjustments as we began to put the coop together to fit the surroundings a little better. One thing that I didn’t keep in mind was the slope that we would be working on, this eventually elevated the ‘run’ side a little more giving the hens an extra 6 inches to play around in.
Chicken Coop Supplies (So Far)
- 3 4×8′ 1/2″ pieces of plywood
- 20 2x4x8′ studs
- 12 2x2x8′ studs
- 1 6x2x8′ stud
- 2 4×8′ roofing sheets
- 1 4×50′ roll of chicken wire
- 1 box 3.5″ screws
- 1 box 2″ screws
- 6 hinges
- 3 latches
- 4 cinder blocks
Chicken Coop Structure
Putting up the Frame
After we picked a location by the mango tree, the first thing that we did was put together the frame. This would be our skeleton if you will, everything else would be built off of the frame. As mentioned before the frame of the structure is 4ft wide by 8ft long. We put 6ft posts on the front side, 7ft posts on the back side, and two 8ft posts on the ends (for the roof). Notice the cinder blocks used to give us a level playing field, not the prettiest look, this is something that we will fix up as we finish the project.
Chicken Coop Construction
Putting Up the Walls
After we got the frame up we started to work on the hen house itself, this is where then hens will go to lay their many eggs in the future. We closed off the floor and the back wall first because these are permanent, no doors or latches needed. In this picture you can see that we also added a few more frame pieces for the roof, this was because of the type of roofing that we decided to go with. You will be able to see why when we finish.
Hen House Layout
Building the Hen House
Once we put in the permanent walls and floor we began building the doors that would allow us access into the hen house for cleaning and feeding. This front door section will open up giving us plenty of room to work around the hen house.
Nesting Boxes
The Nesting Boxes
The Nesting Boxes came next on our plans. We decided to do two rows of boxes 4 boxes deep. This gives us a total of 8 nesting boxes. Each box is 12″x12″12″. We started the bottom row 6 inches off of the floor and the next row 12 inches above that. We left a 3″ over hang to give the hens something to climb up to before entering their boxes. We also put a 4.5 inch lip on the front of the boxes making the entrance to the boxes 7.5″x12″. We did this to give the hens more protection and less room to move around. This should prevent them or the other hens from eating their eggs once they began producing.
Entrance for Eggs
Behind the nesting boxes, on the outside of the hen house we installed two barn style doors to give us easy access to all of the boxes, thus giving us easy access to the eggs down the road. This will also make it easier for cleaning an maintenance when the time comes.
Hen House Entrance
Hen House Entrance
This last image is of the entrance into the hen house, this was the last thing that we finished up to this point. We still have the roof, chicken wire enclosure and last minute adjustments. As you can see the Tropical Chicken Coop is coming along just fine. We are almost there but not quite yet. Once we get some more time to work on it we should be able to wrap up this project and move the hens in. Eggs are on their way!
Tagged , ,
Chicken Coop With Run in Kewanee, Illinois
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Kewanee 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 Kewanee Illinois chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Kewanee, Illinois With the significant increase in chicken keeping there has actually been a just as huge rise in the range of fowl materiel for sale. Chicken housing is an instance in factor. It's likewise a traditional instance of the good old bandwagon being jumped on as numerous potential fowl real estate specialists market a variety of cottage claiming to be the perfect remedy to your chicken real estate needs. Frequently the cost looks eye-catching, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks desirable, heck even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Surely they know a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are lots of cheap as well as horrible coops swamping the marketplace. I know this as I've tested a number of them in the field, and seen a ewe run directly via one when the feed bucket appeared. The outcome was just an expensive pile of fire wood and a tiny group of bemused as well as currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Pinterest in Kewanee, Illinois
Generally these standardized models are constructed of fast grown up hardwood - come the initial drop of rainfall they swell, leaving you either fortifying a doorway that won't close, or ripping the door furniture off in a vain effort to release the squawking citizens. The very first cozy day means the wood dries and splits, the really felt roofing bubbles and also boils, as well as come nightfall the hens choose not to go in. This is not because of their disappointment at the decrease of their when desirable residential property yet because the hovel is now a place for, and possibly crawling with, the poultry caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add on that it said on the blurb that it would certainly match 4 large chickens when that equipping thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as exactly what are you left with? A couple of joints and also some kindling. A good coop for thee to 4 birds should cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you choose for a complimentary standing house or one with a run affixed. Assuming you are varying your birds in a large room as well as the pop opening door allows sufficient for the breed you keep, then the primary requirements of real estate come down to 3 factors which will certainly specify the number of birds your home will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and also air flow. A lot of types of chicken will perch when they go to roost at night, this perch must preferably be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off sides so the foot sits conveniently on it. The perch must be higher than the nest box entrance as chickens will also naturally look for the acme to perch. A perch lower than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is incidentally when they create one of the most poo) causing stained eggs the following day. They should not nevertheless be so high off the flooring of your house that leg injuries could take place when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens require concerning 20cm of perch each (in little breeds this is obviously much less), plus if greater than one perch is set up in the house they should be greater than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their neighbors yet are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Ideally your house must have a the very least one nest box for every 3 birds as well as these need to be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of your home. Your home should have appropriate air flow: without it after that condensation will build up every night, even in the coldest of weather. Be aware, air flow works with the concept of cozy air leaving via a high space drawing cooler air in from a lower space - it's not a set of holes on contrary walls of your home and also at the same degree, this is what's called a draft. If you have a house with a run attached after that the points above are still true, but you need to likewise take into consideration the run size. The EU optimum legal stocking thickness for a cost-free range bird is (and also let's face it, among the inspirations for maintaining some chickens in your home is possibly improved or better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m squared. Take a close look at a few of the deal residences - it could well be your home has the right perches, appropriate ventilation and sufficient nest boxes for a sensible variety of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to spend the day on? Therefore as the stating goes, "you obtain what you spend for". You could think you've got hold of a bargain, yet you as well as your group can rue the day you did. Acquisition the ideal house and also it will certainly last for a couple of decades, otherwise longer provided the proper therapy. In the end your fowl and also your chicken keeping encounter will be much the better for it.coops chicken
More Posts
Chicken Coops for Sale in Fox Valley, Illinois
Chicken Coops for Sale in Hillside, Illinois
Chicken Coops for Sale in Bartelso, Illinois
Chicken Coops for Sale in Hoyleton, Illinois
Chicken Coops for Sale in Hettick, Illinois