Chicken Coops for Sale in Saint Charles, Iowa
Chicken Coops for Sale in Saint Charles, Iowa
Tour of the Chicken Coop
After nearly three months of work, the coop is DONE! That makes me happy because 1.) we’re getting chickens TOMORROW, and 2.) Karl will maaaaybe start working on some indoor house projects. The coop has been a labor of love for Karl. I’ve never seen such perfectionist tendencies in him before! Maybe he just wanted to avoid housework and unpacking? Who knows. But the coop is pretty swanky.
We’re modeling much of what we do on the farm on ’s theories. In case you’ve never heard of him, Salatin is the farmer profiled in the film and the book . He’s a prolific, engaging writer and we’re making our way through most of his . He believes in diversity and symbiosis on a farm, not monoculture. Fruits and vegetables do best if there is some animal component with them – “manure is magic.” His farming practices make the land better and the products better nutritionally.
He uses “Eggmobiles” for his laying hens – movable coops. By moving the coop regularly to a fresh piece of pasture, you first of all save your grass from being torn up (a common complaint amongst backyard chicken owners). Second of all, the chickens get fresh grass and bugs with each new patch of grass. Third of all, the chickens fertilize your entire property by moving them around.
In Salatin’s system, the chickens follow the cows. They scratch through the cow patties, breaking them up and fertilizing the grass, and they eat all the bugs in the cow patties, making super-nutritious eggs. But, we’re not quite ready for cows yet. That’s on the “one day” list!
Karl found an old hitch in the woods on our property. All he had to do was buy new tires. It hooks to the back of our riding lawnmower. He built a basic four-sided, square structure with a flat roof. The laying boxes have access from the outside, so we can easily collect our eggs everyday. The bungees close the coop tight, keeping out the raccoons and foxes.
There are 2×4’s on the second level for the chickens to roost at night. I love the “ladder” Karl made with sticks from the yard.
There are windows lined in chicken wire to get air in the summer, and they close tight in the winter. The water container is high and covered, using gravity to distribute water and keeping the chickens from getting food and poop in their water. The food container travels with the coop, and it closes tight, keeping it safe from raccoons and foxes. A hoe also travels with the coop, making it easy to scrape out the bottom and clean the coop every week.
But the piece de la resistance? The real reason Karl has been tinkering in the garage for three months? An automatic door on a timer!
You see, we’re lazy farmers. We have no desire to traipse outside at the crack of dawn to let the chickens out in the morning, especially while we’re both still working full-time! Karl and his engineer sister spent weeks talking about circuits and volts. Karl also did a lot of farm blog reading. Questions on his design? Contact me and I’ll connect you with him. It’s all over my head, but I’m grateful we’ll be able to sleep in Saturday mornings. At least until the baby comes!
Next update? Life with chickens! I’m very excited to meet them tomorrow!
Chicken Coop House Plans in Saint Charles, Iowa
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Saint Charles 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 Saint Charles Iowa chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Saint Charles, Iowa With the significant boost in chicken keeping there has been a similarly large surge in the array of chicken paraphernalia on sale. Fowl housing is an instance in factor. It's likewise a traditional example of the excellent old bandwagon being got on as various potential chicken housing experts pitch an array of holiday accommodation claiming to be the ideal option to your chicken real estate needs. Commonly the price looks attractive, the house looks appealing, hell even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look eye-catching. Undoubtedly they know a quality chicken house when they see one? There are numerous cheap and horrible cages swamping the marketplace. I know this as I've checked a variety of them in the area, and also seen a ewe run straight via one when the feed container appeared. The result was only an expensive pile of fire wood and also a little flock of bemused and also now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop And Run in Saint Charles, Iowa
Generally these mass produced versions are built of fast grown up lumber - come the first drop of rain they swell, leaving you either barricading a doorway that will not shut, or tearing the doorway furnishings off in a vain effort to release the squawking inhabitants. The initial warm day indicates the hardwood dries and also splits, the really felt roof covering bubbles and also boils, and come nightfall the hens choose not to go in. This is not due to their disappointment at the decrease of their when desirable home yet since the hovel is currently a sanctuary for, and possibly crawling with, the poultry caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add on that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly match 4 large hens when that equipping density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also what are you left with? A number of joints and also some kindling. A good coop for thee to 4 birds must cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this can depend on whether you choose for a totally free standing house or one with a run affixed. Presuming you are ranging your birds in a large room and also the pop opening door allows enough for the breed you maintain, after that the main needs of real estate boil down to three factors which will specify the variety of birds your house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and also ventilation. Many breeds of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost at night, this perch should ideally be 5-8cm large with smoothed off sides so the foot rests pleasantly on it. The perch needs to be above the nest box entry as chickens will certainly additionally normally search for the acme to perch. A perch less than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they produce the most poo) resulting in dirtied eggs the list below day. They shouldn't however be so high off the flooring of your home that leg injuries can occur when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens require about 20cm of perch each (in small breeds this is clearly much less), plus if more than one perch is mounted in your house they ought 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 house should have a the very least one nest box for every single 3 birds and these must be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of your house. The house needs to have appropriate air flow: without it then condensation will accumulate every evening, even in the coldest of climate. Be aware, air flow deals with the concept of cozy air leaving through a high void drawing cooler air in from a lower space - it's not a collection of openings on other walls of your house as well as at the exact same level, this is just what's called a draught. If you have a house with a run affixed then the factors above are still real, yet you must additionally consider the run dimension. The EU maximum legal equipping thickness for a cost-free range bird is (and allow's encounter it, one of the inspirations for maintaining some hens at home is possibly boosted or far better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m made even. Take a close check out a few of the bargain houses - it could well be the house has the appropriate perches, appropriate ventilation and also enough nest boxes for a practical variety of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to spend the day on? Therefore as the stating goes, "you get what you pay for". You may assume you've got a deal, but you as well as your flock could possibly rue the day you did. Acquisition the best house and also it will last for a few decades, otherwise longer offered the correct treatment. In the long run your fowl as well as your fowl maintaining experience will be a lot the better for it.plans coop
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