Chicken Coops for Sale in Garden City, Iowa
Chicken Coops for Sale in Garden City, Iowa
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 Materials List in Garden City, Iowa
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Garden City Iowa" 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 Garden City Iowa chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Garden City, Iowa With the big rise in chicken maintaining there has been a similarly huge surge in the range of fowl paraphernalia on sale. Poultry housing is an instance in point. It's additionally a traditional example of the excellent old bandwagon being got on as numerous would-be chicken housing experts pitch an array of lodging declaring to be the ideal solution to your chicken housing requirements. Commonly the price looks desirable, your house looks desirable, hell even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look eye-catching. Certainly they recognize a quality chicken house when they see one? There are lots of cheap and awful cages flooding the market. I recognize this as I've tested a number of them in the area, as well as seen a ewe run straight with one when the feed bucket appeared. The outcome was nothing but a pricey heap of firewood and a little group of bemused and also currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop From Pallets in Garden City, Iowa
Typically these mass produced designs are built of rapid grown up hardwood - come the initial decline of rain they swell, leaving you either barricading a door that will not close, or tearing the doorway furnishings off in a vain attempt to release the squawking citizens. The first cozy day indicates the timber dries out and also splits, the really felt roofing system bubbles and boils, as well as come nightfall the chickens choose not to go in. This is not due to their dissatisfaction at the decrease of their once appealing home however considering that the hovel is currently a place for, and also most likely abounding, the poultry caretaker's bane, red mite. Add on that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly suit 4 big hens when that stocking density was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also exactly what are you entrusted? A number of joints and also some kindling. A good coop for thee to four birds need to cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this could rely on whether you elect for a complimentary standing house or one with a run attached. Presuming you are ranging your birds in a big area and also the pop hole door is big enough for the type you keep, then the main needs of real estate boil down to three points which will certainly specify the number of birds your home will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and also air flow. Many types of chicken will perch when they go to roost at night, this perch must preferably be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off edges so the foot rests comfortably on it. The perch needs to be more than the nest box entry as chickens will certainly additionally naturally look for the highest point to perch. A perch less than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they generate one of the most poo) causing stained eggs the following day. They should not nonetheless be so high off the flooring of your house that leg injuries could happen when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens need regarding 20cm of perch each (in small types this is obviously much less), plus if greater than one perch is installed in your house they need to be greater than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their neighbors but are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Ideally your home must have a least one nest box for every single 3 birds and also these ought to be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of your home. Your home must have sufficient ventilation: without it after that condensation will certainly develop every night, also in the coldest of weather condition. Be aware, ventilation deals with the concept of warm air leaving via a high gap attracting cooler air in from a lower void - it's not a collection of holes on contrary walls of your home and at the same level, this is just what's called a draft. If you have a house with a run connected then the points above are still real, but you need to also take into consideration the run dimension. The EU maximum legal equipping thickness for a totally free range bird is (and also let's encounter it, one of the motivations for maintaining some hens in the house is perhaps enhanced or much better welfare) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m made even. Take a close take a look at several of the deal residences - it could well be the house has the right perches, correct ventilation as well as enough nest boxes for an affordable 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 saying goes, "you get what you pay for". You could believe you've got a bargain, but you as well as your flock can rue the day you did. Purchase the right house and also it will certainly last for a couple of years, otherwise longer provided the appropriate therapy. Eventually your fowl as well as your chicken maintaining experience will be a lot the much better for it.coops chickens
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