Chicken Coops for Sale in Parnell, Iowa
Chicken Coops for Sale in Parnell, 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 Reviews in Parnell, Iowa
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Parnell 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 Parnell Iowa chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Parnell, Iowa With the huge boost in poultry maintaining there has actually been a similarly big rise in the range of poultry materiel on sale. Chicken housing is a proceedings in point. It's also a timeless example of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as numerous potential chicken housing professionals peddle an array of cottage asserting to be the ideal solution to your chicken housing needs. Usually the cost looks appealing, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks desirable, heck even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Certainly they understand a professional chicken house when they see one? There are several cheap and also awful coops flooding the marketplace. I understand this as I've checked a number of them in the area, as well as seen a ewe run directly with one when the feed pail showed up. The outcome was only a costly stack of fire wood and a tiny group of bemused as well as currently homeless bantams.
Baby Chicks in Parnell, Iowa
Most of the time these standardized versions are constructed of rapid grown up wood - come the first drop of rainfall they swell, leaving you either barricading a doorway that won't close, or tearing the door furnishings off in a vain effort to release the squawking residents. The initial cozy day indicates the hardwood dries and fractures, the felt roofing bubbles and also boils, as well as come nightfall the chickens refuse to enter. This is not because of their dissatisfaction at the decline of their as soon as desirable residential property however since the hovel is now a sanctuary for, and also most likely abounding, the fowl keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add on the fact that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly suit 4 big hens when that stocking thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also what are you entrusted? A couple of hinges and also some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to four birds ought to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you elect for a cost-free standing house or one with a run affixed. Assuming you are varying your birds in a huge area and the pop hole doorway is big enough for the breed you maintain, after that the primary demands of real estate boil down to three points which will define the variety of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes and also air flow. Many types of chicken will certainly perch when they go to roost at night, this perch should ideally be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off edges so the foot rests easily on it. The perch needs to be higher than the nest box access as chickens will likewise normally look for the acme to perch. A perch lower than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they produce one of the most poo) resulting in soiled eggs the following day. They should not nevertheless be so high off the floor of your home that leg injuries can occur when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens require about 20cm of perch each (in little breeds this is certainly much less), plus if more than one perch is mounted in your home they must be greater than 30cm apart. They will 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 house ought to have a least one nest box for each 3 birds and these ought to be off the ground and in the darkest area of your house. Your house must have adequate ventilation: without it after that condensation will develop every evening, also in the chilliest of weather. Understand, ventilation works on the concept of warm air leaving via a high space drawing cooler air in from a lower void - it's not a set of holes on contrary wall surfaces of the house and at the exact same degree, this is what's called a draft. If you have a house with a run affixed after that the factors above are still real, yet you should additionally think about the run dimension. The EU maximum legal stocking density for a cost-free range bird is (as well as let's encounter it, one of the inspirations for keeping some chickens in your home is perhaps boosted or far better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m made even. Take a close consider some of the bargain houses - it could well be your home has the best perches, right ventilation and also sufficient 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? And so as the saying goes, "you get exactly what you spend for". You could assume you've got hold of a deal, yet you and also your group might rue the day you did. Purchase the appropriate house and also it will last for a couple of years, if not longer given the right treatment. In the long run your chicken and also your poultry keeping experience will be a lot the much better for it.chicken coops
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