Chicken Coops for Sale in Ollie, Iowa
Chicken Coops for Sale in Ollie, Iowa
How To Set Up Your Chicken Coop
Often when people buy chickens from us they’ve never owned poultry before therefore I usually find myself explaining the basics of operating a healthy and effective coop. As I grew up on a farm much of it is second nature but many city folk are unsure of just whats involved. The easiest and quickest way to get the message across is to take them on a tour of our back section to see how everything in our coop has be arranged.
The important aspects I talk about are:
Feed …
Because chickens grow so fast I use larger feeders as soon as possible. If you are raising them from day one there are feeders available that have been designed to cover the first couple of weeks. After that one on an adjustable rope works well as its just a matter of raising the height from time to time as the chickens grow. To get the best results it needs to be kept high enough to be accessible but not too low as to allow litter and droppings to be scratched into it. As can be seen in the photo above an off cut of PVC down pipe with holes drilled through it works well as a cheap grit feeder. Commercial feeds normally have grit added however I wonder if its sufficient as our hens regularly go through a 2 kilo bag of crushed oyster shell.
Feeding guide …
Day old to 6 -8 weeks … chick starter crumbles. 8 – 14 weeks … pullet grower or similar. 14 weeks onward … regular chook feed. 18 – 20 weeks or just prior to the commencement of laying … oyster shell grit.
Don’t over do the kitchen scraps as the nutritional value from these is fairly low. If they are fed as a substitute for a properly balance diet egg production will suffer.
Water …
Its important to have a plentiful supply of good clean water at all times. Hens don’t drink much at anyone time but they do drink often and even more so during spring and summer when air temperatures increase. I always leave the coop door open when our hens free range as they can get cool water whenever they need it. Hens drinking dirty contaminated water from containers and puddles is a recipe for disease.
If its not clean enough for you to drink you shouldn’t give it to your hens.
As shown above I prefer to used a fixed water container as the hanging versions leak and spill water when knocked. Its easily removed for cleaning and is installed in such a way to prevent debris getting into it.
Perches …
Chickens have a natural instinct to perch therefore it important to provide good sturdy perches. The ones in our coup are about 5cm square and have the sharp edges taken off to make them more chicken friendly. Tree branches of a similar diameter also work well if they are reasonably straight. The perches shown above are approximately 50cm and 80cm above the floor however I set them at lower levels when I first introduce 3 to 4 week old chicks. They should be fixed securely to the coop walls whilst being easily removable for cleaning.
Even when I have day old chicks under lights I provide perches as its a habit that I want them to learn as soon as possible because it makes my job so much easier. There’s no space on my daily to do list for cleaning dirty nesting boxes and eggs. Perch space per bird should be about 20cm.
Without suitable perches hens will perch on what ever is handy namely nesting boxes, feeders and the like or they will crowd into a corner of a coop. The end result will be a hard mound of droppings which will ultimately end up in feathers on claws then into nesting boxes and subsequently onto eggs. Correctly positioned perches eliminates crowding, flighty hens, dirty eggs and ensures your hens will be more relaxed and manageable.
Like all females of the species they need to be pampered. My other half constantly reminds me that I pay more attention to our Flora’s that I do to her. Its not true of course !!
Nesting boxes …
For me keeping hens is all about egg production therefore when we I invested extra time and effort into creating workable nesting boxes.
- One nesting box for every 4 hens, wonder why sometimes as they all seem to lay in the same box.
- Easily accessible for me from the outside.
- Easily accessible for the hens from the inside.
- Removable for easy cleaning.
- Spacious … 40cm height x 40cm width x 40cm depth or thereabouts.
- Weather proof.
- 10cm lip at the front to keep shavings and eggs in.
When introducing young chickens I keep the boxes closed off until near the time when they will start laying. This is to ensure that they use the perches rather than sleeping in and fouling the boxes. As mentioned previously this means only one thing, dirty eggs.
Deep litter …
We use a deep litter system as it makes for easy maintenance and reduces the need to be continually cleaning chicken manure out of the coop. Simply put the floor is covered with a 10cm layer of untreated wood shavings which is raked over every few days. A more detailed explanation of this concept can be .
Access – easy and straight forward …
- Human sized entry, applicable if you need a large coop.
- Removing old litter is almost effortless, especially when I have to work the camera !
- Predator proof entry- exit.
A user friendly coop ensures that keeping hens doesn’t become just another unwanted chore so build or buy wisely.
Baby Chick Varieties in Ollie, Iowa
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Ollie 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 Ollie Iowa chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Ollie, Iowa With the substantial increase in poultry keeping there has been a similarly large rise in the variety of fowl materiel for sale. Poultry housing is a proceedings in factor. It's also a classic instance of the excellent old bandwagon being jumped on as numerous would-be fowl real estate experts market a selection of cottage claiming to be the suitable remedy to your chicken housing demands. Often the cost looks desirable, the house looks eye-catching, hell also the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Undoubtedly they recognize a quality chicken house when they see one? There are many affordable and nasty cages flooding the marketplace. I know this as I've checked a number of them in the field, and seen a ewe run straight via one when the feed container appeared. The outcome was nothing but an expensive heap of firewood and also a little flock of bemused and currently homeless bantams.
Baby Chick Incubator in Ollie, Iowa
Usually these standardized designs are built of quick grown up timber - come the very first decrease of rainfall they swell, leaving you either barricading a door that won't close, or tearing the door furniture off in a vain attempt to release the squawking residents. The initial warm and comfortable day means the hardwood dries as well as splits, the really felt roofing system bubbles and boils, and also come nightfall the chickens choose not to go in. This is not because of their frustration at the decline of their as soon as eye-catching commercial property yet because the hovel is currently a haven for, and probably abounding, the chicken caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add that it claimed on the blurb that it would fit four big chickens when that equipping density was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as exactly what are you entrusted? A couple of joints as well as some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to 4 birds must cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this could rely on whether you elect for a totally free standing house or one with a run affixed. Thinking you are varying your birds in a large space and also the pop hole door allows sufficient for the breed you maintain, then the main requirements of real estate boil down to three factors which will define the variety of birds your home will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes as well as ventilation. Many types of chicken will perch when they visit roost in the evening, this perch should preferably be 5-8cm broad with smoothed off sides so the foot rests easily on it. The perch needs to be above the nest box access as chickens will likewise naturally search for the highest point to perch. A perch lower than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they create one of the most poo) leading to soiled eggs the list below day. They shouldn't nevertheless be so high off the flooring of your house that leg injuries can occur when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens need regarding 20cm of perch each (in little types this is clearly less), plus if more than one perch is set up in your home they ought to be more than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their neighbors however are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Ideally your home must have a least one nest box for every three birds and also these ought to be off the ground and in the darkest area of your house. Your house should have sufficient air flow: without it after that condensation will accumulate every night, also in the coldest of weather condition. Understand, ventilation works with the principle of cozy air leaving via a high void drawing cooler air in from a reduced void - it's not a collection of holes on contrary wall surfaces of your home and also at the exact same degree, this is exactly what's called a draught. If you have a house with a run affixed then the points above are still real, but you ought to likewise think about the run dimension. The EU maximum lawful equipping density for a free range bird is (as well as let's face it, one of the motivations for maintaining some hens at home is potentially boosted or far better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m squared. Take a close consider a few of the bargain houses - it could well be your house has the right perches, right air flow and also ample nest boxes for a sensible variety of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized piece of ground to spend the day on? Therefore as the claiming goes, "you obtain exactly what you spend for". You may believe you've got a deal, however you as well as your flock could possibly rue the day you did. Purchase the ideal house as well as it will certainly last for a few years, if not longer offered the appropriate treatment. Ultimately your poultry and also your poultry maintaining encounter will be considerably the far better for it.for sale chick
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