Chicken Coops for Sale in Spottsville, Kentucky
Chicken Coops for Sale in Spottsville, Kentucky
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 Ideas Diy in Spottsville, Kentucky
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Spottsville 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 Spottsville Kentucky chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Spottsville, Kentucky With the significant increase in poultry keeping there has actually been a just as huge surge in the array of poultry paraphernalia on sale. Chicken real estate is an instance in factor. It's also a timeless instance of the excellent old bandwagon being jumped on as different would-be fowl real estate experts market a variety of holiday accommodation asserting to be the perfect remedy to your chicken real estate requirements. Commonly the cost looks attractive, your house looks eye-catching, heck also the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Surely they understand a quality chicken house when they see one? There are lots of low-cost as well as unpleasant cages swamping the market. I know this as I've examined a variety of them in the area, and seen a ewe run directly through one when the feed container showed up. The outcome was just a costly heap of firewood and a little flock of bemused and also currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Plans Free in Spottsville, Kentucky
Typically these mass produced versions are built of quick grown wood - come the initial decrease of rain they swell, leaving you either barricading a doorway that won't close, or ripping the doorway furnishings off in a vain effort to launch the squawking citizens. The first warm day means the wood dries out and also fractures, the really felt roof bubbles as well as boils, as well as come nightfall the hens refuse to enter. This is not as a result of their dissatisfaction at the decrease of their as soon as eye-catching property however since the hovel is currently a haven for, and also possibly abounding, the chicken caretaker's bane, red mite. Add on that it stated on the blurb that it would fit 4 big hens when that equipping thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and just what are you entrusted? A number of hinges and some kindling. A decent coop for thee to 4 birds need to cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this could depend on whether you choose for a cost-free standing house or one with a run connected. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a large area and also the pop hole doorway is big enough for the type you maintain, after that the major needs of real estate boil down to 3 points which will define the number of birds the house will hold; perches, nest boxes as well as ventilation. Many types of chicken will perch when they go to roost at night, this perch must ideally be 5-8cm broad with smoothed off sides so the foot rests pleasantly on it. The perch must be higher than the nest box entry as chickens will also normally try to find the acme to perch. A perch below 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 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 morning. Chickens need concerning 20cm of perch each (in little breeds this is undoubtedly much less), plus if greater than one perch is installed in your home they must be greater 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 in front. Ideally your house should have a least one nest box for each 3 birds as well as these must be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of your home. Your home must have sufficient air flow: without it then condensation will develop every night, even in the coldest of weather condition. Realize, ventilation works with the principle of warm air leaving via a high space drawing cooler air in from a reduced void - it's not a set of openings on opposite walls of the house as well as at the same degree, this is what's referred to as a draft. If you have a house with a run attached then the points above are still real, but you ought to additionally take into consideration the run size. The EU optimum lawful stocking thickness for a free range bird is (as well as allow's face it, among the inspirations for keeping some hens at home is perhaps boosted or much better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m settled. Take a close consider some of the bargain houses - it could well be the house has the ideal perches, proper air flow as well as enough nest boxes for a practical variety of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to spend the day on? And so as the stating goes, "you obtain just what you spend for". You may think you've got hold of a bargain, however you and your flock might rue the day you did. Acquisition the appropriate house as well as it will last for a few years, if not longer given the right therapy. In the end your fowl and your poultry maintaining encounter will certainly be considerably the far better for it.chickens plan
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