Chicken Coops for Sale in Lincolnville, Maine
Chicken Coops for Sale in Lincolnville, Maine
Our Finished Chicken Coop
These past few days had us outside enjoying the beautiful weather. One of the jobs I crossed off the list was to clean out our new chicken coop.
Because of our over the past year or so, our family was going through several dozen eggs a week. (I can’t help it – I’m hooked on !)
So last summer we quit “planning” to get our own chickens, and actually did it. The whole family pitched in to build a little abode for our egg-laying beauties. And because we were first-time chicken owners and newbies in all chicken-related topics, we joined and gleaned months worth of ideas, do’s and don’ts, and building plans. (I can’t recommend this site highly enough! If you have the slightest inclination of doing chicken anything, go here and read to your heart’s content.)
It was so helpful to see photos and designs when we were in the planning stages, I thought I’d share pictures of our coop and the hows and whys of what we did.
The chicken coop
Instead of starting from scratch, we bought a small granary from my brother-in-law; about 9’x7′ inside measurements. This gave us about 3 sq. ft. per bird. The coop is nothing fancy really. It isn’t visible from the road and we don’t live in town with neighbors to care about the view from their back window, so we used as much scrap material as possible. Plus we didn’t think the chickens would mind.
So far they haven’t rebelled.
We re-tinned the roof (that’s my honey!) and I got to use the saw sawl to make holes for the windows and vents. You can call me Mrs. Handyman. . .
Inside the chicken coop
Framing the windows and vents was the most time consuming part since the building wasn’t square. We used insulation and vapor barrier for the walls for added moisture protection and warmth because the windchill can get -40 below or more in the winter.
We made the roosting boards parallel and the same height because apparently hens will act like old biddies and fight for the top most board. (Some people’s kids. . .)
We rounded the edges of the roosting boards so it’s easier on the hens’ feet. The boards can be removed for ease of cleaning the poop boards underneath.
Poop boards seemed quite popular among chicken peoples and we’ve quickly learned why. First, chickens poop more when roosting, so the roosting boards are placed above the poop board. This makes clean up as simple as buying a wide sheetrock mudding tool and scraping the droppings into a bucket each day. We then add the droppings to our compost pile.
We originally built a rollaway community nesting box directly underneath the poop board, but the chickens ended up laying eggs everywhere but there. Eventually we added a ‘normal’ set of 12″x12″x12″ nesting boxes and they’re happy campers again.
We decided to use the deep litter method. We spread a bag of wood chips on the floor and because the hens leave most of their droppings on the poop boards, there’s minimal waste on the floor. The chickens like to scratch and fluff the wood chips so it gets stirred up and aerated. This means the coop is less smelly, and there’s only a few minutes of daily cleaning of the boards. If needed, you can add more wood chips throughout the year.
We clean the coop out fully in the spring and fall. So far it’s worked wonderfully.
We nailed a board across the doorway to prevent the rising litter from falling out every time we opened the door.
The feeders are gravity fed. They’re made of PVC pipe with a 90 degree corner and a cap at the end. We like that we can leave for several days at a time and don’t have to worry about having someone come out to do chicken chores for us.
This water stand was Travis’s idea. The hens have a platform to stand on so no matter how high the litter gets, they can reach the water comfortably.
The chicken nipples underneath are another idea shared by BYC that I LOVE. The water doesn’t drip, there is no poop or mud to worry about, and our full grown hens figured it out within 24 hrs. The pails are covered with lids to prevent the water from getting dirty and it lasts for at least a week (we add apple cider vinegar).
When we’re home, we clean them out and give them fresh water every few days.
There’s electricity on the wall above the waterers with a timed light switch. We use bird bath heaters to keep the water from freezing during the winter. We had to add the slanted plywood because the hens were roosting on the pails. (I told you they fought for highest roosting privileges.)
The pop door is a simple design, and it works great. It slides up and down, held in by L shaped boards.
When in the closed position, the hook and eye on the right prevent racoons (or children!) from trying to lift the door from the outside.
We used 1/2″ x 1/2″ hardware cloth to cover the insides of the windows and vents. . .
. . .and plexiglass for the actual windows.
We made sure to have plenty of vents (thanks to sage advice from Pat’s Ventilation Page) and used eyes and rope to open and close them at different heights.
Finally, we added a small lean-to to the side so the hens could come out in the winter. This helps block snow drifts right in front of the pop door, and they can still come out for fresh air and sunshine when they get cabin fever.
It might not win a beauty contest – but there’s something to be said for function-ability Hope this gave you some ideas!
What have you done to your chicken coop? We’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions!
shared with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Related Posts
Latest posts by Paula ()
- - March 22, 2016
- - January 28, 2016
- - January 22, 2016
Chicken Coop Adelaide in Lincolnville, Maine
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Lincolnville 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 Lincolnville Maine chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Lincolnville, Maine With the significant rise in chicken maintaining there has been an equally large increase in the array of chicken stuff for sale. Poultry real estate is a situation in point. It's also a timeless instance of the good old bandwagon being jumped on as different prospective poultry real estate specialists pitch a selection of lodging claiming to be the suitable solution to your chicken real estate needs. Usually the price looks attractive, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks desirable, heck also the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Undoubtedly they know a professional chicken house when they see one? There are many cheap and also unpleasant cages swamping the marketplace. I know this as I've tested a number of them in the field, and also seen a ewe run straight via one when the feed bucket appeared. The outcome was only a pricey stack of fire wood as well as a little group of bemused and also now homeless bantams.
Baby Chick For Sale in Lincolnville, Maine
Most of the time these mass produced models are built of fast grown hardwood - come the very first decline of rain they swell, leaving you either fortifying a doorway that will not shut, or ripping the door furniture off in a vain effort to launch the squawking residents. The initial warm day indicates the timber dries out as well as cracks, the really felt roofing system bubbles and also boils, as well as come nightfall the hens choose not to go in. This is not as a result of their frustration at the decrease of their as soon as desirable property but considering that the hovel is currently a haven for, and possibly crawling with, the chicken caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add that it claimed on the blurb that it would suit four huge chickens when that equipping thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and just what are you entrusted? A couple of hinges and some kindling. A decent coop for thee to 4 birds need to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you elect for a free standing house or one with a run affixed. Presuming you are ranging your birds in a big space and the pop opening door allows sufficient for the type you keep, after that the primary needs of real estate come down to 3 points which will define the variety of birds your house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and air flow. The majority of breeds of chicken will perch when they go to roost during the night, this perch needs to ideally be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off edges so the foot sits easily on it. The perch should be more than the nest box entry as chickens will additionally normally try to find the acme to perch. A perch below that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is incidentally when they generate the most poo) leading to soiled eggs the list below day. They shouldn't however be so high off the flooring of your home that leg injuries can occur when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens require about 20cm of perch each (in little types this is obviously much less), plus if more than one perch is mounted in the house they should be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their next-door neighbors yet are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Preferably your home needs to have a least one nest box for each three birds and also these must be off the ground and in the darkest area of the house. Your house ought to have adequate air flow: without it after that condensation will build up every night, even in the coldest of climate. Know, ventilation deals with the principle of cozy air leaving with a high space drawing cooler air in from a lower void - it's not a set of openings on opposite wall surfaces of the house as well as at the same level, this is exactly what's referred to as a draught. If you have a house with a run attached after that the factors above are still real, however you need to additionally think about the run size. The EU optimum lawful stocking thickness for a cost-free variety bird is (and also allow's face it, among the inspirations for maintaining some chickens in the house is perhaps boosted or far better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m made even. Take a close consider a few of the deal homes - it could well be the house has the right perches, correct air flow and sufficient nest boxes for a sensible variety of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? Therefore as the stating goes, "you get what you pay for". You may think you've got hold of a deal, but you and your flock can rue the day you did. Purchase the right house and it will certainly last for a few years, if not longer offered the appropriate therapy. In the long run your poultry and also your poultry keeping experience will certainly be much the better for it.plans chick
More Posts
Chicken Coops for Sale in Columbia Falls, Maine
Chicken Coops for Sale in Cherryfield, Maine
Chicken Coops for Sale in Camden, Maine
Chicken Coops for Sale in Belgrade Lakes, Maine
Chicken Coops for Sale in Grand Lake Stream, Maine