Chicken Coops for Sale in Guilford, Maine
Chicken Coops for Sale in Guilford, Maine
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.
Baby Chick Hatching in Guilford, Maine
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Guilford 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 Guilford Maine chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Guilford, Maine With the big increase in poultry maintaining there has been a similarly big surge in the range of fowl stuff on sale. Chicken housing is a case in factor. It's likewise a classic instance of the great old bandwagon being got on as various prospective chicken real estate specialists pitch a selection of cottage declaring to be the optimal solution to your chicken real estate demands. Often the price looks appealing, your house looks desirable, hell also the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Certainly they understand a high quality chicken house when they see one? There are numerous economical as well as unpleasant cages flooding the market. I recognize this as I've checked a variety of them in the field, as well as seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed bucket appeared. The outcome was nothing but a pricey heap of firewood and a tiny flock of bemused and now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Designs in Guilford, Maine
Usually these mass produced designs are created of quick grown up hardwood - come the initial decrease of rain they swell, leaving you either fortifying a door that won't close, or ripping the doorway furnishings off in a vain effort to release the squawking inhabitants. The first warm day suggests the timber dries out and also splits, the felt roofing bubbles and also boils, as well as come nightfall the chickens choose not to go in. This is not because of their dissatisfaction at the decrease of their once attractive building but considering that the hovel is currently a haven for, as well as most likely crawling with, the fowl caretaker's bane, red mite. Add that it stated on the blurb that it would suit 4 large hens when that stocking thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as what are you left with? A few hinges and some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to 4 birds need to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this could depend upon whether you choose for a totally free standing house or one with a run affixed. Assuming you are varying your birds in a large room and the pop opening doorway allows sufficient for the breed you keep, then the major needs of real estate come down to three points which will define the number of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes and also air flow. The majority of breeds of chicken will perch when they go to roost during the night, this perch ought to ideally be 5-8cm broad with smoothed off sides so the foot sits comfortably on it. The perch ought to be more than the nest box entry as chickens will also naturally seek the acme to perch. A perch less than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they generate one of the most poo) resulting in stained eggs the following day. They should not however be so high off the floor of your home that leg injuries could possibly happen when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens require about 20cm of perch each (in small breeds this is undoubtedly much less), plus if more than one perch is installed in your home they need to 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 in front. Ideally your home should have a the very least one nest box for every three birds as well as these need to be off the ground as well as in the darkest location of your house. Your home must have adequate air flow: without it then condensation will certainly develop every evening, also in the chilliest of climate. Understand, ventilation deals with the principle of warm air leaving through a high void attracting cooler air in from a reduced space - it's not a collection of openings on contrary wall surfaces of your home and at the same degree, 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 real, however you need to also consider the run dimension. The EU optimum lawful equipping density for a totally free range bird is (and also allow's face it, one of the motivations for keeping some hens in the house is potentially improved or better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m settled. Take a close take a look at a few of the deal residences - it could well be your home has the appropriate perches, proper ventilation as well as adequate nest boxes for a reasonable variety of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? And so as the claiming goes, "you obtain exactly what you spend for". You could assume you've got hold of a deal, however you as well as your flock can rue the day you did. Acquisition the best house and also it will last for a couple of decades, otherwise longer provided the correct therapy. In the end your poultry and also your fowl keeping experience will be a lot the far better for it.chick coops
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