Chicken Coops for Sale in Lincolnwood, Illinois
Chicken Coops for Sale in Lincolnwood, Illinois
A Recycled Chicken Coop – Part 3
Today is the last day of the recycled chicken coop saga. And I promise, after today, no more chicken talk for the rest of the week! So far, we’ve and then to get things in order. After putting up all the siding, we moved to the inside of the building for Phase 3: Details.
Because the old floor boards were really bumpy and rough, we put a new layer of OSB board down over top. Then we fixed the old window so that it actually closed (an important feature in a window, don’t you think?) and could swing up to allow maximum air into the coop during hot weather. The outside of the window area is covered with chicken wire to prevent predators from getting in while it is open. Oh, and we also put some in some insulation to help out during these cold Wisconsin winters.
Apparently, chickens produce a lot of moisture and if their house is too closed up, it can lead to lots of respiratory problems. So after making it as snug as we could, we cut three holes in the wall and added some vents. This way they will have fresh air circulating but no drafts that can lead to little chickie colds. We also built the little chicken door that will let them go from the coop to the run.
A view of the vents and chicken door from outside
An inside view
We also “borrowed” a door from another old building and a handle from another. Then we were ready to put something on the walls inside. Our original plan was to use more of the siding off the old farmhouse but it takes so long to carefully pull it down, measure cut and then nail each little piece. And we were out of time. The chicks were here and would need the coop in a few weeks. So we bought some more OSB board and used that to cover the walls.
Working away
What - Lying down on the job?!?!
My comedic humor amuses him
Now, just so you don’t think my only job was photo-taker, let me tell you the two important things I had to do. First was to hold my foot like this while Josh hammered the board into the bottom stud:
This was a dangerous job for only the most skilled. I’m privileged to be the official board-pusher-against-the-waller (or so he told me). My other title was nail-hander-overer. I had to put a bunch of nails in my pocket and hand them to Josh exactly TWO at a time. ONLY TWO. Once I made a mistake and handed him THREE. He stopped what he was doing, looked down at his hand and then looked at me like I had just given him dog poop or something. “You always give me two at a time,” he said incredulously. (I attribute this to the fact that I rarely make mistakes, you know, being almost perfect and all.) As you can see, he’s a very demanding employer.
But we finally got all the walls done!
We were able to complete one last thing this weekend: a little box on the floor around the door. It is supposed to help keep the bedding in the coop when you open the door so you don’t waste as much falling out onto the ground. Or that’s the theory anyway.
We still have a few other things like building a roosting area, hanging the water and feed containers and putting bedding down but those shouldn’t take long. (We’ll fix up the old nesting boxes and install them later since they don’t need them for another three months.)
Our plan is to take the little chicks on day trips to their new house next week. They are almost fully feathered but it still gets pretty cold at night and I don’t want anything to happen to them. The big Craigslist windows face the south and let in a lot of light. On a sunny day it gets pretty warm in there even when the temperatures outside are cold. We’ll also temporarily hang a heat lamp to give them any additional warmth they need.
I am a little concerned about transitioning them from the coop back to the house due to changes in temperature but in theory the coop (with the heat lamp and southern windows) should be the same temperature as our house so it shouldn’t be a problem. But who knows – it’s all theory at this point, right?
This was our first big project and I think we did really well. Not everything is perfect but then again, . We learned a lot and we feel good about recycling and reusing much of the material that we had around the farm. Saving money, saving the world and getting fresh eggs – sounds good to me!
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Chicken Coop Reviews in Lincolnwood, Illinois
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Lincolnwood 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 Lincolnwood Illinois chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Lincolnwood, Illinois With the significant boost in poultry keeping there has been a similarly huge surge in the array of chicken paraphernalia for sale. Chicken real estate is a case in point. It's also a traditional example of the good old bandwagon being jumped on as various potential fowl housing experts pitch a range of holiday accommodation declaring to be the perfect option to your chicken real estate needs. Frequently the price looks appealing, your house looks desirable, hell even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Certainly they understand a quality chicken house when they see one? There are many inexpensive and awful cages flooding the marketplace. I know this as I've checked a variety of them in the field, as well as seen a ewe run straight via one when the feed bucket appeared. The outcome was only an expensive heap of firewood and also a tiny group of bemused and also now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Sale in Lincolnwood, Illinois
Generally these mass produced versions are created of rapid grown timber - come the first drop of rain they swell, leaving you either blockading a door that will not close, or ripping the doorway furnishings off in a vain effort to launch the squawking occupants. The first warm and comfortable day means the hardwood dries out and cracks, the really felt roofing bubbles as well as boils, and come nightfall the hens choose not to go in. This is not due to their dissatisfaction at the decrease of their as soon as appealing property but due to the fact that the hovel is now a place for, and possibly abounding, the poultry caretaker's bane, red mite. Add that it claimed on the blurb that it would match four big chickens when that stocking thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as what are you entrusted? A few joints and some kindling. A decent coop for thee to 4 birds ought to cost you around ₤ 300 though this could depend on whether you choose for a cost-free standing house or one with a run affixed. Thinking you are ranging your birds in a large area and the pop hole doorway allows enough for the breed you keep, then the major requirements of real estate boil down to three points which will certainly specify the variety of birds your 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 during the night, this perch must ideally be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off edges so the foot sits pleasantly on it. The perch must be higher than the nest box entrance as chickens will certainly likewise normally seek the highest point to perch. A perch lower than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they generate one of the most poo) leading to stained eggs the following day. They should not however be so high off the floor of your house that leg injuries could possibly take place when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens require about 20cm of perch each (in small breeds this is certainly less), plus if greater than one perch is mounted in the house they ought to be greater than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their next-door neighbors yet 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 as well as these ought to be off the ground and in the darkest location of your home. Your house must have adequate air flow: without it then condensation will develop every evening, also in the chilliest of climate. Understand, ventilation works with the concept of warm air leaving via a high gap attracting cooler air in from a reduced space - it's not a set of openings on contrary wall surfaces of the house as well as at the exact same level, this is just what's known as a draft. If you have a house with a run connected then the points above are still true, yet you must additionally consider the run dimension. The EU maximum lawful equipping thickness for a totally free array bird is (and also allow's face it, one of the motivations for keeping some hens in your home is potentially boosted or better welfare) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m made even. Take a close look at several of the deal houses - it could well be your house has the ideal perches, right ventilation and adequate nest boxes for a sensible variety of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to spend the day on? And so as the stating goes, "you get what you spend for". You could think you've grabbed a bargain, but you and your flock can rue the day you did. Purchase the best house as well as it will last for a few years, otherwise longer offered the proper treatment. In the end your chicken and also your chicken maintaining experience will certainly be much the far better for it.build for sale
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