Chicken Coops for Sale in Ekron, Kentucky
Chicken Coops for Sale in Ekron, Kentucky
Coop Building Basics – Getting Started With Chickens
Keeping chickens is one of the fastest growing hobbies in the US. For those of us who already have them – we certainly know why! These intelligent, intriguing, and amazing avians are worth the expense and the effort. Don’t be fooled – keeping your own flock of birds will entail an expense and a good deal of effort – but it sure is worth it. You want to be one of the winners! Those chickens are relying on you.
Be Prepared
Don’t be part of the impulse crowd…you know the ones who want to join the “homestead” movement for eggs. Do not get chickens because you ONLY want backyard eggs. Chickens are livestock that require 365 days of care, health care, and general attention. Their yard requires upkeep and some carpentry business. Be prepared to provide that care to your birds, and structures, for 6-10 years (the lifespan of most breeds).
Building an attractive and useful barn, ONCE, saves money and unpleasant experiences. Build it right, build it BIG and enjoy the coop for decades! And your neighbors will even be thrilled, especially when they see those free eggs.
Taking the poultry plunge
The secret to being successful with chickens rests (or nests), just as in other adventures, with doing your homework. Chicken raising actually is pretty simple. It really isn’t any different than getting a cat or dog. In fact, if you are getting birds BECAUSE you aren’t ready financially, or time-wise, to acquire a cat or dog… do NOT get chickens. Keeping any animal involves dedication, time, coordinating caretakers (if you leave – even for a day), and maintenance expenses.
Ensure that your zoning laws, and your neighbors, allow poultry keeping. Check local building codes and rules before you begin siting your barn. If you do not live in a rural area be sure the barn’s design is appealing and set away from roads and public view (this may be mandatory as well).
The most expensive eggs you will ever buy…
Yes, indeed, these costly eggs will begin draining your account with the coop itself. How do you build, or buy, a coop that will house your birds, last for decades and provide room for those extra chickens, or other fowl, that are going to appear? Remember coops are all about everyone’s comfort – the birds’ and yours.
Size
The coop must be a minimum of 8×8, or so. Anything less and it will be very claustrophobic and impractical. It will not vent properly, dissipate heat or hold heat – issues that can be deadly to the birds. You need to be able to get in there to clean, feed, fill water buckets, collect eggs and hang out with the birds. The old-fashioned coop in the feature photo shows what coops are supposed to look like. Chickens are active animals that need floor space to roam. Grandma and grandpa knew a thing about housing poultry.
Floor Space
Overcrowded and cramped quarters lead to disaster. Avoid disease, filth, broken eggs, chronic chicken stress, fighting, feather-picking, failure to thrive and low-egg production by providing plenty of space per bird. Chronic stress/unhappy birds = disease outbreaks, fighting, low production. Allowances per bird: The following is for single level roost and floor space needs. You can consider these estimations in relation to how much time your birds will be in the barn. For those living in warm areas, with minimal freeze and lots of range time, you can reduce the space needs as the chickens will only use the barn in inclement weather, for sleeping and egg-laying. Cold weather barns will need to increase the floor space, as birds will be spending several months indoors.
Floor Space:
- Standard and Bantam: 3-4 square feet (Leghorn, Hamburgs, Silkie, Bantam Cochin)
- 2-3 square feet for true bantams (Sebright, Japanese, Games), 8-10 inches per bird See Roosting Note
- Heavy Breeds: 4-5 square feet (Brahma, Cochin, White Giants, Jersey Giants, Malay) 10 inches to a foot
- Cold Winter Regions: 5 square feet per standard and bantam breeds 6 square feet for heavy breeds. Roost space remains the same.
Roosting Note: Roosts can be venues for wrestling and squabbling shows. Be flexible about roost space. Troubleshoot by providing multiple roosting areas, rather than setting the poles all in one spot. Many chickens are more comfortable with a “private” roost area. Do not use ladder styled roost systems – you waste space, and there won’t be enough prime property for the chickens (and they poop on the rungs). Chickens instinctively want to roost as high up as they can. If they can’t “feel safe” you are creating a chronic stress issue.
Think above the floor… Provide levels in your barn. This is very important, as you are housing birds and birds like to go up. The birds will use these shelves and benches and you will notice some of them will spend most of their time there. Make sure you have shelves in front of the windows for the chickens to relax, preen and look out.
Predator protection.
The coop must have an actual foundation with a floor. If your coop is raised on blocks – it already has one! Do not build a structure directly on the ground. Not only will the foundation rot, but predators simply dig under. Put down a floor.
Windows and doors will need heavy-gauge wire framed over any screen. Window and door mesh screens are critical to prevent mosquitoes from entering (“skeeters” are fowl pox vectors), but they offer no protection from predators. Chicken wire is also unsafe, and be sure the mesh openings are small enough to deter mink. Mink will kill every bird in your barn and they can enter an opening small enough for a rat.
Reinforce any area in which mice or rats may, or have, gained access. There presence is unwanted and the damage they do creates access holes for predators. Rats will kill chicks or small birds.
Check for rotting wood, loose features and flashing, evidence of digging – and note any chewing along doors, windows and eaves. Do this once a week, or if you suspect varmints. Never ignore these signs as the predator will be back each night, and it only takes one night to lose your flock. Many keepers set up a game camera to see what is lurking around.
Start Planning for Spring
If you haven’t built your dream coop, it’s never to early to start planning! If you already have a coop up and running, do a predator “check.” As always, leave us your tips and tricks. We love to hear from our readers…keep on cooping!
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Chicken Coop Plans Pdf in Ekron, Kentucky
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Ekron Kentucky" 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 Ekron Kentucky chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Ekron, Kentucky With the substantial rise in poultry maintaining there has actually been an equally large rise in the array of poultry paraphernalia for sale. Fowl housing is a case in point. It's also a traditional example of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as various prospective poultry housing professionals pitch an array of lodging claiming to be the optimal solution to your chicken housing requirements. Often the cost looks appealing, the house looks attractive, heck also the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Certainly they know a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are numerous affordable as well as horrible coops swamping the market. I recognize this as I've examined a number of them in the area, and also seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed container showed up. The result was only a costly heap of fire wood and also a tiny group of bemused and also now homeless bantams.
Baby Chick House in Ekron, Kentucky
Generally these standardized designs are built of rapid grown up hardwood - come the very first drop of rainfall they swell, leaving you either barricading a door that will not shut, or ripping the doorway furnishings off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking citizens. The initial warm and comfortable day means the timber dries as well as fractures, the felt roofing system bubbles as well as boils, as well as come nightfall the chickens refuse to enter. This is not due to their disappointment at the decline of their as soon as eye-catching building however since the hovel is now a haven for, and also most likely crawling with, the poultry keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add that it claimed on the blurb that it would certainly suit four big chickens when that stocking density was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and what are you entrusted? A few joints and also some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to four birds must cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this could rely on whether you elect for a complimentary standing house or one with a run attached. Presuming you are varying your birds in a big space and the pop opening door allows sufficient for the type you maintain, then the primary demands of real estate boil down to three points which will define the variety of birds your home will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and also ventilation. A lot of types of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost at night, this perch ought to ideally be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off edges so the foot sits pleasantly on it. The perch must be above the nest box entrance as chickens will additionally normally seek 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 generate the most poo) resulting in dirtied eggs the list below day. They should not however be so high off the flooring of the house that leg injuries might occur when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens require regarding 20cm of perch each (in tiny types this is undoubtedly much less), plus if more than one perch is installed in your house they must be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their neighbors yet are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Ideally your home must have a least one nest box for every 3 birds as well as these ought to be off the ground and also in the darkest location of your home. Your house must have adequate air flow: without it then condensation will accumulate every night, also in the coldest of weather condition. Realize, ventilation works on the concept of warm and comfortable air leaving with a high void drawing cooler air in from a lower gap - it's not a collection of openings on other wall surfaces of your home and at the exact same level, this is what's known as a draft. If you have a house with a run attached after that the points above are still true, however you must also consider the run dimension. The EU maximum legal stocking thickness for a free variety bird is (as well as allow's face it, among the inspirations for keeping some chickens in the house is potentially improved or much better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m settled. Take a close check out a few of the bargain houses - it could well be your house has the right perches, right air flow and also enough nest boxes for an affordable variety of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? And so as the saying goes, "you get exactly what you pay for". You could think you've got a bargain, but you and also your flock might rue the day you did. Purchase the best house and it will last for a couple of years, if not longer offered the right treatment. Ultimately your poultry and your chicken keeping encounter will certainly be much the far better for it.for sale coops
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