Chicken Coops for Sale in Watseka, Illinois
Chicken Coops for Sale in Watseka, 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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Chicken Coop Kits Cheap in Watseka, Illinois
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Watseka 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 Watseka Illinois chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Watseka, Illinois With the huge boost in chicken maintaining there has been a just as huge surge in the array of chicken materiel for sale. Poultry housing is a situation in point. It's also a timeless instance of the good old bandwagon being jumped on as numerous would-be poultry housing experts peddle a range of holiday accommodation asserting to be the optimal solution to your chicken real estate needs. Often the rate looks eye-catching, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks eye-catching, heck also the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look eye-catching. Surely they know a high quality chicken house when they see one? There are lots of inexpensive and unpleasant cages swamping the marketplace. I know this as I've examined a number of them in the area, and also seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed container showed up. The result was just a costly stack of firewood as well as a tiny group of bemused and also now homeless bantams.
Baby Yellow Chick For Sale in Watseka, Illinois
Most of the time these standardized versions are built of rapid grown lumber - come the first drop of rainfall they swell, leaving you either barricading a door that won't shut, or tearing the door furniture off in a vain attempt to release the squawking occupants. The initial warm day suggests the wood dries out as well as cracks, the really felt roofing system bubbles and boils, and also come nightfall the chickens refuse to enter. This is not because of their dissatisfaction at the decline of their once desirable home but since the hovel is now a sanctuary for, as well as most likely crawling with, the fowl caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add on that it claimed on the blurb that it would fit four big hens when that equipping density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as exactly what are you entrusted? A few hinges and some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to four birds must cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this can depend on whether you elect for a totally free standing house or one with a run affixed. Thinking you are varying your birds in a big area and also the pop hole door is big enough for the type you maintain, after that the main demands of housing come down to 3 factors which will certainly define the number of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes and air flow. Most types of chicken will perch when they visit roost at night, this perch ought to ideally be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off sides so the foot rests comfortably on it. The perch should be more than the nest box entry as chickens will certainly additionally normally search for the acme to perch. A perch lower than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they create one of the most poo) resulting in soiled eggs the list below day. They shouldn't nonetheless be so high off the flooring of your home that leg injuries could occur when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens need concerning 20cm of perch each (in small types this is certainly much less), plus if more than one perch is mounted in your home they need to be greater than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their neighbors yet are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Ideally your home needs to have a the very least one nest box for every single 3 birds and these should be off the ground and in the darkest area of your home. Your house needs to have adequate air flow: without it after that condensation will certainly accumulate every night, also in the coldest of weather. Be aware, ventilation works with the principle of warm air leaving via a high gap attracting cooler air in from a lower void - it's not a collection of openings on contrary walls of your home and at the same degree, this is what's called a draft. If you have a house with a run connected then the factors above are still true, but you need to also consider the run dimension. The EU optimum legal equipping thickness for a complimentary array bird is (and let's encounter it, one of the inspirations for maintaining some hens in the house is possibly enhanced or far better welfare) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m settled. Take a close take a look at a few of the bargain houses - it could well be the house has the right perches, right air flow and also ample nest boxes for a reasonable number of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to invest the day on? And so as the claiming goes, "you get what you pay for". You might think you've grabbed a deal, yet you and your flock could rue the day you did. Purchase the appropriate house and also it will last for a few years, otherwise longer offered the appropriate treatment. Eventually your poultry as well as your poultry maintaining experience will be much the better for it.plans coops
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