Chicken Coops for Sale in Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland
Chicken Coops for Sale in Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland
Transform Your Little Tikes Playhouse into a Chicken Coop
When I started pestering my husband about chickens (again), I knew I was fighting an uphill battle. He did not want to spend a bunch of money and time on the construction of a suitable coop. We’d already been down the road of improper chicken housing before, and it wasn’t a road that either of us wanted to travel again. But I really, REALLY wanted to give chicken keeping another try. And I thought that with a little bit of forethought, we could eliminate the challenges we ran into before. For starters, the birds would need enough space. And the coop would need to be easy to clean. And most importantly, the coop would need to be secure. Nothing like coming home to find your chickens walking along the 6′ high wall that surrounds your yard! But to construct this type of set up from scratch would cost quite a bit of money in materials, not to mention all the time and sweat it would take for the hubs to actually BUILD the thing.
**This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links. That means that purchases made through my site will provide me with a small commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help to keep Homespun Sprout up and running.
So then I started scouring the internet trying to find the best deal on a “coop in a box”. I had my eye on but the price tag was a bit hefty. (It’s actually on sale for 58% off right now if you happen to be in the market for a pre-fabricated coop!) Not only was the hubs not excited about building a chicken coop, he also wasn’t excited about the idea of another “thing” in the yard. Our yard was already overrun with toys, bikes, gardening tools, a composter, and our very well-loved Little Tikes Playhouse. So as I sat in the yard one spring evening watching the kids play with everything BUT the playhouse, I got to thinking… Why couldn’t we just turn the playhouse into a chicken coop?!?! I didn’t tell hubs about the idea right away. Instead, I began looking at the structure of the playhouse to see if my idea would even work. Guys, I swear, this thing was MADE to become a chicken coop! It had everything we needed! The house is large enough for me to walk inside to rake it out, it has plenty of space for a nesting box, waterer, food, and a roosting bar. And it even came with a little cut out section near the floor (picture a doggy door) so the chickens could access the run we built behind it! I sketched out an idea of the modifications that we would need to make, and I presented my idea to the hubs. Guess what? He went for it! It was PERFECT. The structure was already built. We wouldn’t have to add another “thing” to our already tiny yard, and the best part? It’s totally incognito. No one would EVER suspect chickens were living in the playhouse! That night, I ordered our chicks! So how did we transform the playhouse? Well, let’s take a tour, shall we?
The first thing we did was cover all the openings with garden wire. Hubs had a roll of this laying around from some other project. He used drywall screws to attach the wire to the windows. The coop actually stayed like this for a while. While the chicks were still small, it was best for them to be confined to a smaller space, so not having a run wasn’t an issue.
Next the hubs built the run. You can see the “doggy door” in the bottom left corner…this is how the chickens get in and out of the house. The run is a pretty simple A-frame structure made out of 1″x 1″ pine pieces. The frame was made in sections and the wire was screwed on to each section as it was assembled. The top of the run lifts up so I can climb in and rake out the poo. I just prop it open with an upside down rake and jump on in.
The corners are all secured with these nifty . And the whole top piece is attached to the frame with some thin chains that act as a hinge. Here is a picture of the chains.
The brown plastic covering you see on this window is actually the cover to our sand and water table. The hubs cut it to fit over the largest window to break some of the wind in the winter. He used more drywall screws to attach it to the house.
Inside the coop, we attached a roosting bar (made out of an old broom handle) to the side of the house using a simple scrap of wood to attach it.
Here is a look at one side of the roosting bar. The other side just sits on the “mantle” inside the house.
My favorite part about the coop is the nesting box. Hubs attached a recycling bin to the wall using a couple brackets. It’s the PERFECT size for a comfy chicken laying box. And it’s up high so there’s a little privacy. We did cut it down a bit…chickens are not very bright creatures…they were afraid to go inside when the lip of the box was up higher.
The is hung from the ceiling by a thin chain (to keep the birds from standing on it), and the just sits on the floor. The set up is working BRILLIANTLY for us. The birds are happy and laying an egg per chicken per day (even though it’s winter), and it is all super easy to care for. The best part is that we were able to make this transformation for a whopping $46. I can’t say enough about how awesome chicken are…I’m pretty sure my kiddos would agree! Think you might transform your little tikes playhouse into a chicken coop?
Here is the complete list of materials and tools we used to make our playhouse into a chicken coop. Our chickens have been living in the coop for 8 months, and it’s still holding up great!
Hardware
- , to secure wire to playhouse
- to secure wire to wood frame
- to hang feeder from inside coop
Tools
- – for cutting the wire
- (for pounding staples)
- for cutting 1 1/2″ pieces of wood
Chicken Coop Necessities in Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Andrews Air Force Base Maryland" 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 Andrews Air Force Base Maryland chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland With the massive rise in chicken maintaining there has actually been an equally huge increase in the range of poultry stuff on sale. Poultry real estate is an instance in factor. It's additionally a classic example of the good old bandwagon being got on as numerous potential chicken real estate experts market a variety of cottage declaring to be the optimal option to your chicken real estate requirements. Commonly the rate looks appealing, the house looks eye-catching, hell also the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Undoubtedly they know a high quality chicken house when they see one? There are several inexpensive and awful coops swamping the marketplace. I know this as I've checked a variety of them in the field, and seen a ewe run directly via one when the feed pail appeared. The result was nothing but a costly stack of fire wood and a little group of bemused and now homeless bantams.
Baby Chick Feeder in Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland
Typically these mass produced models are created of rapid grown hardwood - come the initial decrease of rain they swell, leaving you either blockading a door that will not shut, or tearing the door furniture off in a vain effort to release the squawking citizens. The very first warm day indicates the wood dries as well as fractures, the really felt roof covering bubbles and also boils, and also come nightfall the hens refuse to enter. This is not due to their dissatisfaction at the decrease of their as soon as attractive residential property but considering that the hovel is currently a sanctuary for, and possibly abounding, the fowl keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add the fact that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly match 4 big chickens when that stocking thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as what are you entrusted? A few joints as well as some kindling. A decent coop for thee to 4 birds ought to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this could depend upon whether you choose for a free standing house or one with a run connected. Thinking you are ranging your birds in a large area as well as the pop hole door allows sufficient for the type you keep, then the primary needs of real estate boil down to three factors which will specify the number of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes and also ventilation. The majority of types of chicken will perch when they go to roost in the evening, this perch should ideally be 5-8cm broad with smoothed off sides so the foot rests pleasantly on it. The perch needs to be more than the nest box entrance as chickens will additionally normally look for 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) causing soiled eggs the list below day. They should not however be so high off the flooring of your house that leg injuries can occur when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens need concerning 20cm of perch each (in tiny breeds this is obviously less), plus if more than one perch is installed in your house they ought to be more 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 the house needs to have a least one nest box for each three birds and these need to be off the ground and also in the darkest area of your house. Your home should have ample air flow: without it then condensation will accumulate every evening, even in the chilliest of weather condition. Realize, ventilation works with the principle of warm air leaving through a high gap attracting cooler air in from a reduced gap - it's not a set of holes on contrary walls of your house and at the same level, this is exactly what's known as a draft. If you have a house with a run affixed then the points above are still real, however you must additionally think about the run size. The EU maximum legal stocking thickness for a free array bird is (as well as allow's encounter it, one of the inspirations for maintaining some hens in your home is perhaps enhanced or better welfare) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m settled. Take a close look at some of the bargain houses - it could well be the house has the right perches, appropriate air flow and ample nest boxes for a sensible variety of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to spend the day on? Therefore as the stating goes, "you get what you pay for". You could believe you've grabbed a deal, however you and also your flock could possibly rue the day you did. Purchase the appropriate house as well as it will last for a couple of decades, otherwise longer provided the appropriate treatment. Ultimately your fowl as well as your fowl keeping experience will be much the better for it.coops chickens
More Posts
Chicken Coops for Sale in Annapolis, Maryland
Chicken Coops for Sale in Accokeek, Maryland
Chicken Coops for Sale in Aberdeen, Maryland
Chicken Coops for Sale in Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland
Chicken Coops for Sale in Abingdon, Maryland