Chicken Coops for Sale in Pikeville, Kentucky
Chicken Coops for Sale in Pikeville, 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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Baby Chick Enclosure in Pikeville, Kentucky
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Pikeville 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 Pikeville Kentucky chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Pikeville, Kentucky With the significant increase in poultry maintaining there has actually been a just as big rise in the array of chicken paraphernalia for sale. Fowl real estate is a case in point. It's additionally a timeless instance of the excellent old bandwagon being got on as various would-be chicken housing specialists pitch a selection of holiday accommodation claiming to be the suitable solution to your chicken housing needs. Frequently the rate looks appealing, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks attractive, hell even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Surely they know a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are lots of cheap and unpleasant coops flooding the marketplace. I know this as I've tested a number of them in the field, as well as seen a ewe run straight with one when the feed bucket showed up. The result was nothing but an expensive stack of firewood as well as a little flock of bemused and also currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Near Me in Pikeville, Kentucky
Typically these mass produced models are constructed of fast grown up lumber - come the initial decline of rain they swell, leaving you either barricading a door that will not close, or ripping the door furniture off in a vain effort to release the squawking inhabitants. The very first warm and comfortable day means the hardwood dries as well as cracks, the felt roof bubbles as well as boils, and come nightfall the hens choose not to go in. This is not due to their frustration at the decrease of their once appealing building but due to the fact that the hovel is currently a sanctuary for, and also possibly crawling with, the poultry keeper's bane, red mite. Add that it said on the blurb that it would certainly suit four large hens when that stocking density was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also exactly what are you left with? A number of joints as well as some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to 4 birds should cost you around ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you elect for a totally free standing house or one with a run connected. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a huge space and also the pop opening doorway is big enough for the type you maintain, then the primary needs of housing boil down to 3 points which will define the number of birds your home will hold; perches, nest boxes and also air flow. A lot of breeds of chicken will perch when they visit roost in the evening, this perch must preferably be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off sides so the foot rests conveniently on it. The perch needs to be higher than the nest box entrance as chickens will certainly likewise naturally try to find the highest point to perch. A perch below that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they create the most poo) causing dirtied eggs the following day. They should not nonetheless be so high off the flooring of the house that leg injuries can happen when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens need concerning 20cm of perch each (in small breeds this is clearly much less), plus if more than one perch is set up in the house they must be more than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their neighbors yet are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Preferably the house needs to have a least one nest box for every single 3 birds as well as these must be off the ground and in the darkest location of your home. Your home ought to have sufficient air flow: without it then condensation will certainly accumulate every night, also in the chilliest of weather. Realize, air flow deals with the principle of warm and comfortable air leaving via a high space drawing cooler air in from a reduced space - it's not a collection of openings on opposite wall surfaces of your home 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 attached then the points above are still true, but you should also think about the run size. The EU maximum legal stocking thickness for a cost-free range bird is (as well as let's face it, one of the inspirations for maintaining some chickens at home is perhaps improved or better welfare) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m made even. Take a close consider a few of the deal residences - it could well be the house has the best perches, correct air flow and ample nest boxes for an affordable variety of birds, yet 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 get just what you pay for". You might believe you've got a deal, yet you as well as your flock can rue the day you did. Acquisition the best house and it will certainly last for a few decades, if not longer provided the proper therapy. Eventually your fowl as well as your fowl keeping experience will be much the far better for it.build chicken
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