Chicken Coops for Sale in Grand Mound, Iowa
Chicken Coops for Sale in Grand Mound, Iowa
Our Finished Chicken Coop
These past few days had us outside enjoying the beautiful weather. One of the jobs I crossed off the list was to clean out our new chicken coop.
Because of our over the past year or so, our family was going through several dozen eggs a week. (I can’t help it – I’m hooked on !)
So last summer we quit “planning” to get our own chickens, and actually did it. The whole family pitched in to build a little abode for our egg-laying beauties. And because we were first-time chicken owners and newbies in all chicken-related topics, we joined and gleaned months worth of ideas, do’s and don’ts, and building plans. (I can’t recommend this site highly enough! If you have the slightest inclination of doing chicken anything, go here and read to your heart’s content.)
It was so helpful to see photos and designs when we were in the planning stages, I thought I’d share pictures of our coop and the hows and whys of what we did.
The chicken coop
Instead of starting from scratch, we bought a small granary from my brother-in-law; about 9’x7′ inside measurements. This gave us about 3 sq. ft. per bird. The coop is nothing fancy really. It isn’t visible from the road and we don’t live in town with neighbors to care about the view from their back window, so we used as much scrap material as possible. Plus we didn’t think the chickens would mind.
So far they haven’t rebelled.
We re-tinned the roof (that’s my honey!) and I got to use the saw sawl to make holes for the windows and vents. You can call me Mrs. Handyman. . .
Inside the chicken coop
Framing the windows and vents was the most time consuming part since the building wasn’t square. We used insulation and vapor barrier for the walls for added moisture protection and warmth because the windchill can get -40 below or more in the winter.
We made the roosting boards parallel and the same height because apparently hens will act like old biddies and fight for the top most board. (Some people’s kids. . .)
We rounded the edges of the roosting boards so it’s easier on the hens’ feet. The boards can be removed for ease of cleaning the poop boards underneath.
Poop boards seemed quite popular among chicken peoples and we’ve quickly learned why. First, chickens poop more when roosting, so the roosting boards are placed above the poop board. This makes clean up as simple as buying a wide sheetrock mudding tool and scraping the droppings into a bucket each day. We then add the droppings to our compost pile.
We originally built a rollaway community nesting box directly underneath the poop board, but the chickens ended up laying eggs everywhere but there. Eventually we added a ‘normal’ set of 12″x12″x12″ nesting boxes and they’re happy campers again.
We decided to use the deep litter method. We spread a bag of wood chips on the floor and because the hens leave most of their droppings on the poop boards, there’s minimal waste on the floor. The chickens like to scratch and fluff the wood chips so it gets stirred up and aerated. This means the coop is less smelly, and there’s only a few minutes of daily cleaning of the boards. If needed, you can add more wood chips throughout the year.
We clean the coop out fully in the spring and fall. So far it’s worked wonderfully.
We nailed a board across the doorway to prevent the rising litter from falling out every time we opened the door.
The feeders are gravity fed. They’re made of PVC pipe with a 90 degree corner and a cap at the end. We like that we can leave for several days at a time and don’t have to worry about having someone come out to do chicken chores for us.
This water stand was Travis’s idea. The hens have a platform to stand on so no matter how high the litter gets, they can reach the water comfortably.
The chicken nipples underneath are another idea shared by BYC that I LOVE. The water doesn’t drip, there is no poop or mud to worry about, and our full grown hens figured it out within 24 hrs. The pails are covered with lids to prevent the water from getting dirty and it lasts for at least a week (we add apple cider vinegar).
When we’re home, we clean them out and give them fresh water every few days.
There’s electricity on the wall above the waterers with a timed light switch. We use bird bath heaters to keep the water from freezing during the winter. We had to add the slanted plywood because the hens were roosting on the pails. (I told you they fought for highest roosting privileges.)
The pop door is a simple design, and it works great. It slides up and down, held in by L shaped boards.
When in the closed position, the hook and eye on the right prevent racoons (or children!) from trying to lift the door from the outside.
We used 1/2″ x 1/2″ hardware cloth to cover the insides of the windows and vents. . .
. . .and plexiglass for the actual windows.
We made sure to have plenty of vents (thanks to sage advice from Pat’s Ventilation Page) and used eyes and rope to open and close them at different heights.
Finally, we added a small lean-to to the side so the hens could come out in the winter. This helps block snow drifts right in front of the pop door, and they can still come out for fresh air and sunshine when they get cabin fever.
It might not win a beauty contest – but there’s something to be said for function-ability Hope this gave you some ideas!
What have you done to your chicken coop? We’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions!
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Chicken Coop Yard Design in Grand Mound, Iowa
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Grand Mound 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 Grand Mound Iowa chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Grand Mound, Iowa With the huge increase in chicken keeping there has been a similarly large rise in the range of fowl paraphernalia for sale. Chicken housing is an instance in factor. It's likewise a timeless example of the good old bandwagon being got on as different would-be chicken housing professionals pitch a selection of lodging asserting to be the ideal solution to your chicken housing requirements. Frequently the rate looks eye-catching, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks appealing, heck also the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look eye-catching. Surely they recognize a professional chicken house when they see one? There are lots of inexpensive and awful coops swamping the market. I understand this as I've tested a variety of them in the area, and seen a ewe run directly through one when the feed container showed up. The outcome was just an expensive pile of fire wood as well as a small flock of bemused and also currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Blueprints in Grand Mound, Iowa
More often than not these mass produced models are built of quick grown wood - come the initial drop of rainfall they swell, leaving you either barricading a door that will not shut, or tearing the doorway furnishings off in a vain effort to launch the squawking citizens. The very first warm and comfortable day indicates the lumber dries out and also fractures, the felt roofing system bubbles and also boils, and come nightfall the hens choose not to go in. This is not because of their frustration at the decline of their as soon as attractive property however because the hovel is now a place for, and probably crawling with, the poultry caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add on the fact that it claimed on the blurb that it would match four huge hens when that stocking density was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and what are you entrusted? A few joints and some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to 4 birds need to cost you around ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you elect for a complimentary standing house or one with a run affixed. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a big area as well as the pop opening doorway is big sufficient for the type you keep, then the major demands of housing come down to three factors which will certainly specify the variety of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes and also air flow. The majority of types of chicken will perch when they go to roost in the evening, this perch should ideally be 5-8cm large with smoothed off sides so the foot rests pleasantly on it. The perch must be above the nest box access as chickens will certainly likewise naturally try to find the highest point to perch. A perch less than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is incidentally when they produce one of the most poo) bring about stained eggs the list below day. They should not however be so high off the floor of your house that leg injuries can happen when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens require concerning 20cm of perch each (in tiny breeds this is undoubtedly much less), plus if more than one perch is set up in the house they must be more than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their next-door neighbors but are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Preferably your home needs to have a least one nest box for every single three birds as well as these should be off the ground and in the darkest area of the house. Your home needs to have appropriate air flow: without it after that condensation will develop every evening, even in the coldest of climate. Be aware, ventilation works on the concept of cozy air leaving via a high gap drawing cooler air in from a lower gap - it's not a set of holes on other wall surfaces of your house and at the very same degree, this is just what's referred to as a draught. If you have a house with a run connected then the factors above are still true, however you need to additionally consider the run dimension. The EU optimum lawful stocking thickness for a totally free array bird is (and also let's encounter it, among the motivations for keeping some hens in the house is possibly improved or much better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m settled. Take a close look at some of the deal houses - it could well be your house has the ideal perches, right ventilation and also ample nest boxes for a reasonable number of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized piece of ground to invest the day on? Therefore as the stating goes, "you obtain what you pay for". You may assume you've got hold of a bargain, however you and also your flock could possibly rue the day you did. Acquisition the ideal house and it will certainly last for a couple of decades, if not longer provided the appropriate therapy. In the end your chicken and also your poultry maintaining encounter will be much the far better for it.chick diy
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