Chicken Coops for Sale in Hackberry, Louisiana
Chicken Coops for Sale in Hackberry, Louisiana
How To Set Up Your Chicken Coop
Often when people buy chickens from us they’ve never owned poultry before therefore I usually find myself explaining the basics of operating a healthy and effective coop. As I grew up on a farm much of it is second nature but many city folk are unsure of just whats involved. The easiest and quickest way to get the message across is to take them on a tour of our back section to see how everything in our coop has be arranged.
The important aspects I talk about are:
Feed …
Because chickens grow so fast I use larger feeders as soon as possible. If you are raising them from day one there are feeders available that have been designed to cover the first couple of weeks. After that one on an adjustable rope works well as its just a matter of raising the height from time to time as the chickens grow. To get the best results it needs to be kept high enough to be accessible but not too low as to allow litter and droppings to be scratched into it. As can be seen in the photo above an off cut of PVC down pipe with holes drilled through it works well as a cheap grit feeder. Commercial feeds normally have grit added however I wonder if its sufficient as our hens regularly go through a 2 kilo bag of crushed oyster shell.
Feeding guide …
Day old to 6 -8 weeks … chick starter crumbles. 8 – 14 weeks … pullet grower or similar. 14 weeks onward … regular chook feed. 18 – 20 weeks or just prior to the commencement of laying … oyster shell grit.
Don’t over do the kitchen scraps as the nutritional value from these is fairly low. If they are fed as a substitute for a properly balance diet egg production will suffer.
Water …
Its important to have a plentiful supply of good clean water at all times. Hens don’t drink much at anyone time but they do drink often and even more so during spring and summer when air temperatures increase. I always leave the coop door open when our hens free range as they can get cool water whenever they need it. Hens drinking dirty contaminated water from containers and puddles is a recipe for disease.
If its not clean enough for you to drink you shouldn’t give it to your hens.
As shown above I prefer to used a fixed water container as the hanging versions leak and spill water when knocked. Its easily removed for cleaning and is installed in such a way to prevent debris getting into it.
Perches …
Chickens have a natural instinct to perch therefore it important to provide good sturdy perches. The ones in our coup are about 5cm square and have the sharp edges taken off to make them more chicken friendly. Tree branches of a similar diameter also work well if they are reasonably straight. The perches shown above are approximately 50cm and 80cm above the floor however I set them at lower levels when I first introduce 3 to 4 week old chicks. They should be fixed securely to the coop walls whilst being easily removable for cleaning.
Even when I have day old chicks under lights I provide perches as its a habit that I want them to learn as soon as possible because it makes my job so much easier. There’s no space on my daily to do list for cleaning dirty nesting boxes and eggs. Perch space per bird should be about 20cm.
Without suitable perches hens will perch on what ever is handy namely nesting boxes, feeders and the like or they will crowd into a corner of a coop. The end result will be a hard mound of droppings which will ultimately end up in feathers on claws then into nesting boxes and subsequently onto eggs. Correctly positioned perches eliminates crowding, flighty hens, dirty eggs and ensures your hens will be more relaxed and manageable.
Like all females of the species they need to be pampered. My other half constantly reminds me that I pay more attention to our Flora’s that I do to her. Its not true of course !!
Nesting boxes …
For me keeping hens is all about egg production therefore when we I invested extra time and effort into creating workable nesting boxes.
- One nesting box for every 4 hens, wonder why sometimes as they all seem to lay in the same box.
- Easily accessible for me from the outside.
- Easily accessible for the hens from the inside.
- Removable for easy cleaning.
- Spacious … 40cm height x 40cm width x 40cm depth or thereabouts.
- Weather proof.
- 10cm lip at the front to keep shavings and eggs in.
When introducing young chickens I keep the boxes closed off until near the time when they will start laying. This is to ensure that they use the perches rather than sleeping in and fouling the boxes. As mentioned previously this means only one thing, dirty eggs.
Deep litter …
We use a deep litter system as it makes for easy maintenance and reduces the need to be continually cleaning chicken manure out of the coop. Simply put the floor is covered with a 10cm layer of untreated wood shavings which is raked over every few days. A more detailed explanation of this concept can be .
Access – easy and straight forward …
- Human sized entry, applicable if you need a large coop.
- Removing old litter is almost effortless, especially when I have to work the camera !
- Predator proof entry- exit.
A user friendly coop ensures that keeping hens doesn’t become just another unwanted chore so build or buy wisely.
Chicken Coop Quality in Hackberry, Louisiana
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Hackberry Louisiana" 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 Hackberry Louisiana chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Hackberry, Louisiana With the huge boost in chicken keeping there has actually been a similarly big increase in the range of poultry paraphernalia on sale. Fowl real estate is an instance in point. It's likewise a timeless example of the good old bandwagon being jumped on as various potential poultry housing professionals market an array of cottage asserting to be the suitable option to your chicken real estate requirements. Commonly the cost looks appealing, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks eye-catching, hell also the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Certainly they know a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are many economical as well as horrible cages flooding the market. I understand this as I've checked a number of them in the area, and seen a ewe run straight via one when the feed bucket showed up. The outcome was only a costly pile of firewood as well as a small group of bemused and also now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop And Run Plans in Hackberry, Louisiana
Generally these standardized models are created of fast grown wood - come the first decrease of rainfall they swell, leaving you either barricading a doorway that will not close, or tearing the doorway furniture off in a vain effort to launch the squawking occupants. The first warm and comfortable day indicates the timber dries out as well as fractures, the felt roof covering bubbles and boils, and come nightfall the chickens choose not to enter. This is not because of their disappointment at the decline of their when appealing apartment however because the hovel is currently a sanctuary for, as well as possibly crawling with, the poultry caretaker's bane, red mite. Add on that it claimed on the blurb that it would match four large hens when that equipping density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and what are you left with? A few joints and also some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to four birds should cost you around ₤ 300 though this can depend on whether you elect for a cost-free standing house or one with a run connected. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a large space and the pop hole door allows enough for the type you keep, then the primary demands of real estate boil down to 3 points which will certainly specify the variety of birds your home will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and also ventilation. A lot of breeds of chicken will certainly perch when they go to roost at night, this perch must preferably be 5-8cm broad with smoothed off sides so the foot sits pleasantly on it. The perch should be higher than the nest box entrance as chickens will additionally naturally search for the acme 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 one of the most poo) bring about stained eggs the following day. They should not however be so high off the floor of your house that leg injuries can happen when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens need regarding 20cm of perch each (in little breeds this is clearly less), plus if greater than one perch is set up in your house they should be greater 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 ahead. Preferably your home should have a least one nest box for every 3 birds as well as these must be off the ground as well as in the darkest location of your home. The house must have ample ventilation: without it after that condensation will certainly build up every night, also in the chilliest of weather condition. Be aware, air flow deals with the principle of warm and comfortable air leaving through a high void attracting cooler air in from a reduced gap - it's not a collection of holes on opposite walls of your house and at the exact same level, this is what's referred to as a draught. If you have a house with a run connected after that the factors above are still true, yet you need to likewise consider the run dimension. The EU optimum legal stocking thickness for a complimentary range bird is (and allow's face it, among the motivations for keeping some chickens in the house is potentially enhanced or far better welfare) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m made even. Take a close take a look at a few of the bargain residences - it could well be your house has the appropriate perches, appropriate air flow and enough nest boxes for a sensible variety of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to spend the day on? Therefore as the claiming goes, "you get what you spend for". You may think you've got hold of a bargain, yet you as well as your group could rue the day you did. Acquisition the ideal house and also it will certainly last for a couple of years, otherwise longer provided the proper treatment. Eventually your poultry and your poultry keeping encounter will certainly be much the far better for it.for sale for sale
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