Chicken Coops for Sale in Story City, Iowa
Chicken Coops for Sale in Story City, Iowa
A Recycled Chicken Coop – Part 3
Today is the last day of the recycled chicken coop saga. And I promise, after today, no more chicken talk for the rest of the week! So far, we’ve and then to get things in order. After putting up all the siding, we moved to the inside of the building for Phase 3: Details.
Because the old floor boards were really bumpy and rough, we put a new layer of OSB board down over top. Then we fixed the old window so that it actually closed (an important feature in a window, don’t you think?) and could swing up to allow maximum air into the coop during hot weather. The outside of the window area is covered with chicken wire to prevent predators from getting in while it is open. Oh, and we also put some in some insulation to help out during these cold Wisconsin winters.
Apparently, chickens produce a lot of moisture and if their house is too closed up, it can lead to lots of respiratory problems. So after making it as snug as we could, we cut three holes in the wall and added some vents. This way they will have fresh air circulating but no drafts that can lead to little chickie colds. We also built the little chicken door that will let them go from the coop to the run.
A view of the vents and chicken door from outside
An inside view
We also “borrowed” a door from another old building and a handle from another. Then we were ready to put something on the walls inside. Our original plan was to use more of the siding off the old farmhouse but it takes so long to carefully pull it down, measure cut and then nail each little piece. And we were out of time. The chicks were here and would need the coop in a few weeks. So we bought some more OSB board and used that to cover the walls.
Working away
What - Lying down on the job?!?!
My comedic humor amuses him
Now, just so you don’t think my only job was photo-taker, let me tell you the two important things I had to do. First was to hold my foot like this while Josh hammered the board into the bottom stud:
This was a dangerous job for only the most skilled. I’m privileged to be the official board-pusher-against-the-waller (or so he told me). My other title was nail-hander-overer. I had to put a bunch of nails in my pocket and hand them to Josh exactly TWO at a time. ONLY TWO. Once I made a mistake and handed him THREE. He stopped what he was doing, looked down at his hand and then looked at me like I had just given him dog poop or something. “You always give me two at a time,” he said incredulously. (I attribute this to the fact that I rarely make mistakes, you know, being almost perfect and all.) As you can see, he’s a very demanding employer.
But we finally got all the walls done!
We were able to complete one last thing this weekend: a little box on the floor around the door. It is supposed to help keep the bedding in the coop when you open the door so you don’t waste as much falling out onto the ground. Or that’s the theory anyway.
We still have a few other things like building a roosting area, hanging the water and feed containers and putting bedding down but those shouldn’t take long. (We’ll fix up the old nesting boxes and install them later since they don’t need them for another three months.)
Our plan is to take the little chicks on day trips to their new house next week. They are almost fully feathered but it still gets pretty cold at night and I don’t want anything to happen to them. The big Craigslist windows face the south and let in a lot of light. On a sunny day it gets pretty warm in there even when the temperatures outside are cold. We’ll also temporarily hang a heat lamp to give them any additional warmth they need.
I am a little concerned about transitioning them from the coop back to the house due to changes in temperature but in theory the coop (with the heat lamp and southern windows) should be the same temperature as our house so it shouldn’t be a problem. But who knows – it’s all theory at this point, right?
This was our first big project and I think we did really well. Not everything is perfect but then again, . We learned a lot and we feel good about recycling and reusing much of the material that we had around the farm. Saving money, saving the world and getting fresh eggs – sounds good to me!
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Chicken Coop Construction in Story City, Iowa
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Story 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 Story City Iowa chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Story City, Iowa With the substantial increase in poultry maintaining there has been an equally large increase in the range of poultry materiel on sale. Chicken real estate is a proceedings in point. It's additionally a timeless example of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as various potential poultry housing experts market a variety of holiday accommodation asserting to be the ideal solution to your chicken housing requirements. Frequently the price looks eye-catching, the house looks attractive, heck also the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look eye-catching. Definitely they understand a quality chicken house when they see one? There are lots of affordable and unpleasant cages swamping the market. I know this as I've tested a number of them in the area, and also seen a ewe run directly with one when the feed container showed up. The result was just an expensive heap of fire wood and also a small flock of bemused as well as currently homeless bantams.
Baby Chicks Hatching in Story City, Iowa
Usually these mass produced models are built of fast grown up hardwood - come the first decline of rainfall they swell, leaving you either defending a door that will not close, or ripping the door furniture off in a vain attempt to release the squawking citizens. The very first warm day means the lumber dries out as well as cracks, the really felt roofing system bubbles and boils, as well as come nightfall the chickens choose not to enter. This is not as a result of their disappointment at the decline of their as soon as appealing apartment yet since the hovel is now a place for, as well as most likely crawling with, the poultry keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly fit four big chickens when that equipping thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also just what are you entrusted? A couple of joints and some kindling. A good coop for thee to four birds need to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can depend upon whether you elect for a free standing house or one with a run connected. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a huge room as well as the pop opening doorway allows enough for the type you keep, after that the primary demands of real estate boil down to three factors which will certainly specify the variety of birds your house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes as well as ventilation. Many types of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost at night, this perch must preferably be 5-8cm large with smoothed off edges so the foot rests easily on it. The perch ought to be more than the nest box entrance as chickens will certainly also naturally look for the highest point to perch. A perch less than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they create one of the most poo) causing dirtied eggs the following day. They shouldn't nonetheless be so high off the floor of your home that leg injuries can take place when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens need concerning 20cm of perch each (in tiny types this is clearly less), plus if greater than one perch is set up in your house they need to be greater than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their next-door neighbors however are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably the house needs to have a least one nest box for every three birds as well as these need to be off the ground and in the darkest area of your home. Your house ought to have sufficient air flow: without it after that condensation will build up every night, even in the chilliest of weather condition. Understand, ventilation works on the concept of warm and comfortable air leaving through a high gap attracting cooler air in from a lower gap - it's not a collection of openings on contrary walls of your house and also at the exact same level, this is exactly what's referred to as a draft. If you have a house with a run connected after that the factors above are still true, however you ought to also consider the run size. The EU optimum lawful equipping density for a free variety bird is (and allow's encounter it, among the motivations for keeping some chickens in your home is potentially improved or far better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m squared. Take a close take a look at several of the deal houses - it could well be the house has the appropriate perches, appropriate air flow as well as sufficient nest boxes for an affordable variety 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 claiming goes, "you obtain exactly what you spend for". You might assume you've got hold of a bargain, however you and also your group can rue the day you did. Purchase the appropriate house and it will last for a few years, otherwise longer given the proper treatment. In the end your poultry and also your poultry maintaining encounter will certainly be a lot the better for it.diy coops
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