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Chicken Coops for Sale in Abbot, Maine

Chicken Coops for Sale in Abbot, Maine

Building a Chicken Coop? Avoid These 7 Critical Errors

By Pasha SariLast year I decided to build a chicken coop with my wife. Her and I used to be obese and we decided to evaluate the foods we were eating. We decided that part of us getting even healthier was growing more of our own food and eating organic to avoid the chemicals that build up in our bodies. As part of this we wanted to raise chickens for the healthy eggs. After a little bit more trouble than we had asked for we finally did build a chicken coop. I wish that someone would have told me a long ago what mistakes to avoid.

ERROR #1: Not Planning Before You Build.

When you are ready to build a chicken coop you must plan every aspect of the coop before you even pick up a hammer.To build a chicken coop draw out a plan. Collect all of the materials. Select materials that will be easy to attain, easy to work with and easy to clean up. Plan the functionality of your coop. The doors need to open inwards, not outwards. If you build it the other way with the door opening outwards you chickens will begin roosting on your windows. Your chickens will spend a lot of time in the coop so they need fresh air, designing a coop with sliding windows is a great way to keep them cool in the summer and warm in the summer. When you build a chicken coop you must consider how will you keep the floors clean in your coop. First you will need to cover them with a good material for the chickens to dig and scratch as they naturally do. Hay is, unfortunately, not ideal for this. Second, you should build the coop with the floors slightly sloping towards the door. This way you can spray the hose in the coop and the dirt on the floor easily slides out to the ground below. You will have a clean coop and no puddles of water in the coop.

ERROR #2: Not Giving Your Chickens Proper Ventilation.

Building a chicken coop is to protect your flock. The purpose of your coop is to protect your chickens from the element and outside predators, but you also need to give them proper ventilation. Free movement of air inside the coop is very important, but you do not want to freeze your chickens with a draft. Chickens, are like humans, they can only perform at their optimum levels if all of their basic needs are met first, in this case protection and oxygen. A Chicken coop without free air movement and therefore more oxygen will have high carbon monoxide levels and humidity levels. This is not good because uncomfortable chickens do not produce as many eggs. It is also very dangerous because it makes mold growth within the walls very easy.

ERROR #3: Not Insulating the Walls.

To build a chicken coop properly insulating the walls is very important. The walls of the chicken coop need to have good insulation installed. This will help keep the chickens warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The insulation will also help to keep the coop at optimum humidity levels. When the chickens are kept at the optimum humidity levels they produce more eggs. Insulating the walls will also help to keep the chickens dry. In colder climates when your chickens are dry they can withstand the cold well. Insulating the walls will not only keep your chickens producing eggs but it will prevent your chickens from getting sick.

ERROR #4. Not Putting the Water and the Feeders in the correct place.

If you build a chicken coop, obviously the water and the chicken feeders need to be in a place where your chickens can easily access them. It is important to be very careful in selecting a place to put the water and the feeders. Chickens can make a big mess of things because of their natural instinct to scratch and dig. It is very frustrating to see water and the chicken feed you just put out all over the floor. To prevent this place the feeder and the water at the height of a chicken back. Ideally the chickens will have to stretch their necks up to the food a little bit to eat and drink but they will not be able to place their feet in their food or water. Be sure to replace the water and the chicken feed daily.

ERROR #5 – Not Having a Good Light Source.

Build your chicken coop facing the south so that the coop will receive sunlight throughout the day. For the winter months when the days are shorter and there is less sunlight, it is important to install a light in the coop. This is not difficult. They have lights that you can just stick to the walls at any local hardware store, you do not have to be an electrician, it is as easy as putting a sticker on a paper.Installing this light will be well worth the few dollars you spend to do it. It will keep your chickens warm and happy and keep your egg production up in the winter, when most chicken farmers experience a fall off of production because the chickens get less light and warmth.

Error #6: Not Protecting Your Chickens from the Elements.

Your coop is a haven for your chickens, much like your house is for you. A well constructed chicken coop will protect your chickens from hazardous elements such as bad weather.

Here are the basics for weather proofing your coop:

  1. Make sure the doors and the windows are sealed properly so that they do not let a draft in.
  2. Build the chicken coop on an elevated area where it can be drained easily and the least amount of dampness of the coop.
  3. Build your chicken coop facing the fun sun. This will keep the coop dry after it rains and warm when it is cold out.

ERROR #7: Not Protecting Your Chickens from Predators.

Build a chicken coop not only to protect your flock from the elements and to protect them from predators.

Here are the basics to protect your chickens from predators:

  1. Do not build the coop near brush where other animals may live.
  2. Bury your outside chicken runs with chicken wire. You can lay the wire on the ground and then cover it. This will keep predators such as raccoons, cats and even dogs from digging underneath the run.

 

is fun and easy, but you have to follow these simple steps to avoid big problems in the future. Raising chickens on a farm or in your suburban or urban backyard is a fun experience. Just do not commit these errors.

Article Source:

Chicken coops for sale in Abbot Maine can be found in agricultural newspapers and community newspapers. The coops are designed for housing for chickens in a safe and secure environment. They generally consist of a small building or large box that is then sectioned off to smaller boxes where the chickens go to roost (or sleep). Chicken coops are a must for raising chickens. Abbot Maine chicken coops are commonly constructed from wood products. They are not very stable buildings and provide only minimal protection from the elements. Now chicken houses used for large production facilities are a entirely different structure, they are huge and can hold up to 10000 chickens. The coops are typically used for backyard operations, or small family farms. They vary in size depending on the number of residents they house. chicken-coops-in-Abbot-MEFinding chicken coops for sale in Abbot Maine is probably not one of the easiest of items to find. There are manufacturers of chicken houses and coops that sell them out right and Abbot Maine farm supply stores that they can also be purchased through, but generally speaking it will take some effort to find a chicken coop for sale in Abbot Maine, especially if your location is not a typically rural location. In rural locations that are much more abundant and easily had. Chicken Coops for sale in Abbot ME

Chicken Coop Sale in Abbot, Maine

A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Abbot Maine" 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 Abbot Maine chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Abbot, Maine With the big boost in chicken keeping there has actually been an equally big surge in the variety of chicken materiel for sale. Chicken housing is a proceedings in factor. It's also a timeless example of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as various would-be poultry housing specialists pitch a range of holiday accommodation declaring to be the optimal remedy to your chicken real estate needs. Frequently the price looks appealing, your house looks eye-catching, hell even the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Surely they know a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are many affordable and nasty cages flooding the market. I recognize this as I've checked a number of them in the field, and seen a ewe run directly via one when the feed bucket appeared. The result was nothing but a costly heap of firewood as well as a tiny group of bemused and also now homeless bantams. Chickens for sale in Abbot ME

Chicken Coop Out Of Pallets in Abbot, Maine

More often than not these mass produced versions are constructed of fast grown timber - come the first decline of rain they swell, leaving you either fortifying a door that won't close, or ripping the doorway furnishings off in a vain attempt to release the squawking occupants. The very first warm and comfortable day suggests the hardwood dries out as well as splits, the felt roofing bubbles and also boils, and also come nightfall the hens choose not to go in. This is not due to their dissatisfaction at the decrease of their once appealing commercial property but because the hovel is now a place for, and possibly crawling with, the fowl keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add the fact that it said on the blurb that it would fit four large hens when that equipping density was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also what are you left with? A couple of hinges as well as some kindling. A decent coop for thee to four birds must cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can depend upon 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 as well as the pop hole doorway is big sufficient for the breed you maintain, after that the main demands of housing boil down to three factors which will certainly define the variety of birds the house will hold; perches, nest boxes and also ventilation. Many breeds of chicken will certainly perch when they go to roost in the evening, this perch should ideally be 5-8cm broad with smoothed off edges so the foot sits comfortably on it. The perch needs to be above the nest box access as chickens will also naturally look for the acme to perch. A perch below that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they generate one of the most poo) resulting in dirtied eggs the list below day. They should not nevertheless be so high off the floor of the house that leg injuries might occur when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens need regarding 20cm of perch each (in small breeds this is clearly less), plus if more than one perch is installed in the house they should be greater than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their next-door neighbors but are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Preferably the house should have a least one nest box for every single three birds and also these need to be off the ground and also in the darkest location of your house. Your house ought to have appropriate ventilation: without it then condensation will build up every night, even in the chilliest of weather condition. Be aware, air flow works with the principle of warm air leaving with a high space drawing cooler air in from a lower void - it's not a collection of holes on contrary wall surfaces of your house and also at the same level, this is what's called a draught. If you have a house with a run attached after that the factors above are still real, however you ought to additionally take into consideration the run size. The EU maximum legal stocking thickness for a cost-free variety bird is (as well as allow's encounter it, among the inspirations for maintaining some chickens at home is potentially improved or much better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m squared. Take a close take a look at a few of the bargain houses - it could well be your house has the appropriate perches, right air flow and also enough nest boxes for a practical number 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 saying goes, "you obtain exactly what you spend for". You could think you've got a deal, but you and your flock can rue the day you did. Acquisition the right house and it will last for a few decades, otherwise longer offered the proper therapy. Ultimately your fowl and your poultry maintaining experience will certainly be much the far better for it.
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