Chicken Coops for Sale in Smithfield, Illinois
Chicken Coops for Sale in Smithfield, Illinois
Chicken Coop Rehab Addict
Do you watch Rehab Addict on the DIY channel? It’s a show about a young woman who rehabilitates old homes to their former glory. Except for the fact that she is young, tiny, cute, and rehabs houses, we are like twins! I am old, not tiny nor cute, and I am addicted to rehabbing chicken coops. Other than that, twins.
I have been rebuilding, redesigning, reconfiguring, repurposing, redecorating, and rehabilitating chicken coops since before I got chickens. It seems like I never quite get it right. There is always something that doesn’t work at all or could be improved upon. So I tinker.
The coops we bought when we moved to this property, although well built, were a complete miss-step. We ended up closing in the fronts, insulating them, and adding ventilation out the backs. I thought they were working well until the chickens decided that the nest boxes were much more comfortable for sleeping than the roosts. I won’t even go into the problems that caused. I had to close off the nest boxes in a couple of coops, forcing the hens to lay eggs on the floor, which created a whole new set of problems.
So, it was back to the drawing board. I knew that once I got them back up on the roosts at night, they would most likely stay there. With the exception of silkies, all my chicken breeds have preferred roosting, the higher the better. The nest box squatters are mostly juveniles and some old lazy girls. The problem with yanking them out of the nest boxes and putting them on the roosts at night, is that my roosts ran side to side. There were 2 to 3 roosts in each coop. My roosts are not attached to the coop walls, rather they are supported by these 2×4 hangers. The boards can be lifted out for coop cleaning and egg collection.
Because my coops had open fronts, we were not able to install the roosts front to back so we had to put them side to side.
That means we could not walk inside the coops without taking the roosts down. Michael could squeeze under, but my old body doesn’t bend that way.
Then we decided to insulate the coops and close in the fronts for temperature control and noise abatement. Now I had a solid wood surface to attach my hangers and roosts! I could deal with the problem of non-roosting birds!
I can walk in, yank them out of the nest boxes and put them on a roost!
Here is Judge Judy inspecting my work on Coop#3, our largest coop. She is one nosy girl for sure!
The first night was a bit chaotic. Some of the birds were too afraid go inside, choosing to roost on the plumbing, outside in the cold. They were swiftly scooped up and put inside, on a roost.
Some chose to sleep on the floor. I put them on roosts as well.
Some got yanked out of nest boxes and put on roosts.
Today we finished retrofitting the final two coops. Of the 53 chickens who inhabit five coops, 10 were not on roosts tonight. I got everybody in the right place quite easily. I love finally having the roosts running the direction that makes it more convenient for us! We also gained several additional feet of roosting space. Note to self: This doesn’t mean getting more chickens.
With the roosts moved, I now had to figure out where to put the feeders to keep them from getting pooped on. With the fronts closed the feeders now fit perfectly on a hook on the inside of the doors! When the doors are closed they are the right height for the chickens to reach. They are also easier to fill now. I don’t have to climb in the coops with buckets of feed.
So, the moral of the story is, keep working on your chicken coop until you get it right. Oh, I just noticed how sloppy the inside of that door looks. Maybe we should paint the insides of the coops and hang curtains?
It’s what Nicole would do if she had chickens.
You also might enjoy...
-
…
-
…
-
…
Chicken Coop Easy in Smithfield, Illinois
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Smithfield 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 Smithfield Illinois chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Smithfield, Illinois With the huge rise in poultry maintaining there has been an equally large surge in the array of poultry stuff on sale. Poultry housing is a situation in point. It's also a traditional example of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as numerous potential fowl real estate experts pitch a range of accommodation declaring to be the ideal option to your chicken real estate requirements. Frequently the rate looks eye-catching, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks attractive, hell also the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Surely they understand a high quality chicken house when they see one? There are many inexpensive and also unpleasant coops swamping the marketplace. I recognize this as I've examined a variety of them in the field, as well as seen a ewe run directly through one when the feed bucket appeared. The outcome was only a pricey heap of fire wood as well as a tiny group of bemused as well as currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Run in Smithfield, Illinois
Most of the time these mass produced models are constructed of rapid grown up timber - come the very first drop of rain they swell, leaving you either defending a doorway that won't shut, or ripping the door furniture off in a vain attempt to release the squawking citizens. The very first warm and comfortable day suggests the timber dries out and splits, the really felt roofing bubbles as well as boils, and come nightfall the chickens choose not to enter. This is not because of their disappointment at the decline of their once appealing apartment yet considering that the hovel is currently a place for, and probably abounding, the chicken caretaker's bane, red mite. Add on that it said on the blurb that it would certainly fit four large hens when that equipping density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and just what are you entrusted? A number of hinges and also some kindling. A good coop for thee to 4 birds ought to cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you elect for a totally free standing house or one with a run affixed. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a big space and also the pop opening doorway is big sufficient for the breed you maintain, then the major demands of housing come down to three points which will specify the variety of birds your home will hold; perches, nest boxes and air flow. The majority of types of chicken will certainly perch when they go to roost in the evening, this perch must preferably be 5-8cm broad with smoothed off sides so the foot rests easily on it. The perch should be higher than the nest box entry as chickens will certainly also naturally search 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 the most poo) leading to stained eggs the following day. They shouldn't nevertheless be so high off the flooring of your home that leg injuries can occur when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens need concerning 20cm of perch each (in tiny types this is certainly less), plus if greater than one perch is installed in your home they ought to be greater 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 in front. Preferably the house should have a the very least one nest box for every single 3 birds and also these ought to be off the ground as well as in the darkest location of your house. Your house should have appropriate ventilation: without it after that condensation will develop every evening, even in the coldest of weather. Be aware, air flow works on the principle of warm and comfortable air leaving through a high gap attracting cooler air in from a lower void - it's not a collection of holes on other wall surfaces of your house and at the very same degree, this is just what's known as a draft. If you have a house with a run connected after that the points above are still real, yet you must likewise take into consideration the run dimension. The EU maximum legal equipping density for a complimentary array bird is (and also allow's face it, among the inspirations for keeping some hens in the house is potentially boosted or far better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m squared. Take a close check out several of the bargain homes - it could well be your house has the right perches, right air flow and also adequate nest boxes for an affordable number of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to invest the day on? Therefore as the saying goes, "you obtain just what you pay for". You might believe you've grabbed a bargain, however you as well as your flock can rue the day you did. Purchase the appropriate house and it will last for a few decades, if not longer provided the right treatment. Eventually your poultry and also your fowl keeping experience will certainly be considerably the far better for it.for sale plan
More Posts
Chicken Coops for Sale in Shabbona, Illinois
Chicken Coops for Sale in Arenzville, Illinois
Chicken Coops for Sale in Hampshire, Illinois
Chicken Coops for Sale in Addieville, Illinois
Chicken Coops for Sale in Oakwood, Illinois