Chicken Coops for Sale in Boxborough, Massachusetts
Chicken Coops for Sale in Boxborough, Massachusetts
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 For 6 Chickens in Boxborough, Massachusetts
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Boxborough Massachusetts" 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 Boxborough Massachusetts chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Boxborough, Massachusetts With the huge rise in chicken keeping there has been an equally large rise in the variety of fowl materiel for sale. Chicken real estate is a situation in point. It's likewise a traditional example of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as different would-be poultry real estate specialists peddle a range of lodging asserting to be the suitable solution to your chicken real estate requirements. Usually the price looks desirable, your house looks attractive, heck also the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Surely they understand a quality chicken house when they see one? There are lots of affordable as well as horrible coops flooding the marketplace. I know this as I've checked a variety of them in the area, and seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed pail appeared. The result was nothing but a costly stack of fire wood and a tiny flock of bemused and currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Small in Boxborough, Massachusetts
Most of the time these mass produced models are created of rapid grown wood - come the first drop of rainfall they swell, leaving you either defending a doorway that will not close, or tearing the doorway furniture off in a vain effort to launch the squawking citizens. The very first warm and comfortable day suggests the hardwood dries out and also fractures, the really felt roof covering bubbles as well as boils, as well as come nightfall the chickens refuse to go in. This is not due to their disappointment at the decline of their once attractive property but since the hovel is currently a haven for, and possibly crawling with, the poultry caretaker's bane, red mite. Add that it said on the blurb that it would certainly suit four large hens when that stocking thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as exactly what are you left with? A few joints and some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to four birds need to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this could depend upon whether you elect for a cost-free standing house or one with a run affixed. Thinking you are ranging your birds in a large room and the pop hole doorway is big sufficient for the type you maintain, after that the primary requirements of real estate come down to 3 points which will certainly specify the number of birds the house will hold; perches, nest boxes and also air flow. The majority of types of chicken will perch when they go to roost in the evening, this perch needs to preferably be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off edges so the foot sits comfortably on it. The perch should be above the nest box entry as chickens will certainly additionally naturally seek the highest point to perch. A perch less than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they generate one of the most poo) leading to soiled eggs the following day. They shouldn't however be so high off the floor of your home that leg injuries could take place when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens need about 20cm of perch each (in tiny types this is undoubtedly less), plus if greater than one perch is installed in the house they ought to be greater than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their next-door neighbors yet are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Ideally the house must have a least one nest box for each three birds and also these should be off the ground and also in the darkest location of your home. Your home should have adequate air flow: without it then condensation will build up every evening, even in the coldest of weather condition. Be aware, ventilation works with the concept of warm air leaving via a high void drawing cooler air in from a lower void - it's not a set of openings on opposite wall surfaces of your house as well as at the very same level, this is just what's referred to as a draft. If you have a house with a run attached after that the factors above are still true, but you should likewise take into consideration the run dimension. The EU maximum legal equipping density for a free variety bird is (and also let's encounter it, among the motivations for keeping some chickens in the house is perhaps improved or far better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m settled. Take a close look at a few of the deal homes - it could well be your home has the ideal perches, appropriate air flow and adequate nest boxes for an affordable 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 claiming goes, "you obtain exactly what you spend for". You could assume you've got a bargain, however you as well as your group could rue the day you did. Purchase the ideal house and it will certainly last for a couple of decades, otherwise longer offered the correct therapy. In the end your poultry and also your poultry maintaining experience will certainly be a lot the much better for it.chicken plan
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