Chicken Coops for Sale in Barryton, Michigan
Chicken Coops for Sale in Barryton, Michigan
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 Used in Barryton, Michigan
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Barryton Michigan" 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 Barryton Michigan chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Barryton, Michigan With the substantial boost in poultry maintaining there has been a similarly big surge in the array of chicken paraphernalia for sale. Poultry real estate is an instance in point. It's additionally a traditional example of the excellent old bandwagon being got on as various would-be poultry housing experts market a selection of accommodation claiming to be the ideal option to your chicken housing needs. Typically the cost looks attractive, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks desirable, heck also the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Definitely they recognize a quality chicken house when they see one? There are several inexpensive as well as horrible coops flooding the marketplace. I recognize this as I've checked a variety of them in the area, as well as seen a ewe run directly via one when the feed bucket appeared. The result was just a costly stack of firewood as well as a little group of bemused and also now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop And Run in Barryton, Michigan
Most of the time these standardized models are constructed of quick grown hardwood - come the very first drop of rainfall they swell, leaving you either fortifying a doorway that won't shut, or ripping the doorway furniture off in a vain effort to release the squawking residents. The first warm day indicates the lumber dries and fractures, the really felt roof bubbles and also boils, as well as come nightfall the chickens choose not to enter. This is not as a result of their dissatisfaction at the decline of their once desirable commercial property but since the hovel is now a sanctuary for, as well as possibly abounding, the chicken caretaker's bane, red mite. Add on that it claimed on the blurb that it would suit 4 huge chickens when that stocking thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as just what are you left with? A couple of hinges and also some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to 4 birds should cost you around ₤ 300 though this can depend upon whether you elect for a complimentary standing house or one with a run affixed. Presuming you are ranging your birds in a huge room and the pop opening door is big sufficient for the breed you maintain, then the primary demands of real estate boil down to 3 factors which will certainly define the number of birds the house will hold; perches, nest boxes and ventilation. Many breeds of chicken will perch when they visit roost at night, this perch should preferably be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off sides so the foot sits easily on it. The perch must be higher than the nest box entry as chickens will certainly also naturally look for the highest point to perch. A perch less than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is incidentally when they produce the most poo) bring about soiled eggs the following day. They shouldn't however be so high off the floor of your home that leg injuries could possibly happen when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens need regarding 20cm of perch each (in tiny breeds this is certainly much less), plus if greater than one perch is mounted in your house they need to be greater than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their neighbors yet are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably your home should have a least one nest box for each three birds and also these need to be off the ground as well as in the darkest location of your house. The house ought to have adequate air flow: without it then condensation will accumulate every night, even in the coldest of weather. Understand, air flow works with the principle of warm and comfortable air leaving through a high space drawing cooler air in from a lower void - it's not a collection of holes on other walls of your house as well as at the exact same level, this is just what's called a draught. If you have a house with a run connected then the points above are still true, but you must likewise take into consideration the run size. The EU maximum legal equipping thickness for a cost-free array bird is (and allow's face it, one of the motivations for maintaining some hens at home is perhaps boosted or better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m made even. Take a close look at several of the deal homes - it could well be the house has the ideal perches, correct ventilation as well as sufficient nest boxes for a sensible variety of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to invest the day on? And so as the claiming goes, "you get exactly what you spend for". You might believe you've got a deal, however you as well as your flock can rue the day you did. Acquisition the best house and also it will certainly last for a few years, if not longer offered the proper therapy. In the end your chicken and your poultry keeping encounter will certainly be a lot the better for it.build chick
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