Chicken Coops for Sale in Memphis, Michigan
Chicken Coops for Sale in Memphis, Michigan
Tropical Chicken Coop Construction – Ch.1
Tropical Chicken Coop Construction – Ch.1
I have been helping our friends build a chicken coop so that they can start raising there own hens and producing their own eggs. The week before I helped them build a compost pile so that they could start composting their yard waist on a larger scale, now we move into coop development. After researching different designs and methods for building a coop I decided to go with one that would fit well in the tropics. Much like San Diego, you don’t have to worry about a freeze or the chickens getting to cold, however you do need to be concerned with other natural elements like predators, tropical rain storms, gusty winds and too much heat. Taking this into consideration I designed a coop that would protect the hens from the elements, yet be opened up enough to allow a breeze and shade for the hens to grow in.
Chicken Coop Design
Chicken Coop Plans
The structure of the coop is 4x8x8. It is 4 ft wide by 8ft long and 8ft high at its highest point. The floor of the hen house is three feet off of the ground. There is a thatched roof covering the length of the coop to keep out the rain and sun. The roofs highest point is at 8ft (in the center) dropping down to 6ft on the front side, and 7ft on the back side. This allows for a consistent air flow throughout the coop
Chicken Coop Plans (Side Views)
I designed the coop on paper, worked out the measurements and then we started putting it together after we picked up the supplies. As expected we made a few adjustments as we began to put the coop together to fit the surroundings a little better. One thing that I didn’t keep in mind was the slope that we would be working on, this eventually elevated the ‘run’ side a little more giving the hens an extra 6 inches to play around in.
Chicken Coop Supplies (So Far)
- 3 4×8′ 1/2″ pieces of plywood
- 20 2x4x8′ studs
- 12 2x2x8′ studs
- 1 6x2x8′ stud
- 2 4×8′ roofing sheets
- 1 4×50′ roll of chicken wire
- 1 box 3.5″ screws
- 1 box 2″ screws
- 6 hinges
- 3 latches
- 4 cinder blocks
Chicken Coop Structure
Putting up the Frame
After we picked a location by the mango tree, the first thing that we did was put together the frame. This would be our skeleton if you will, everything else would be built off of the frame. As mentioned before the frame of the structure is 4ft wide by 8ft long. We put 6ft posts on the front side, 7ft posts on the back side, and two 8ft posts on the ends (for the roof). Notice the cinder blocks used to give us a level playing field, not the prettiest look, this is something that we will fix up as we finish the project.
Chicken Coop Construction
Putting Up the Walls
After we got the frame up we started to work on the hen house itself, this is where then hens will go to lay their many eggs in the future. We closed off the floor and the back wall first because these are permanent, no doors or latches needed. In this picture you can see that we also added a few more frame pieces for the roof, this was because of the type of roofing that we decided to go with. You will be able to see why when we finish.
Hen House Layout
Building the Hen House
Once we put in the permanent walls and floor we began building the doors that would allow us access into the hen house for cleaning and feeding. This front door section will open up giving us plenty of room to work around the hen house.
Nesting Boxes
The Nesting Boxes
The Nesting Boxes came next on our plans. We decided to do two rows of boxes 4 boxes deep. This gives us a total of 8 nesting boxes. Each box is 12″x12″12″. We started the bottom row 6 inches off of the floor and the next row 12 inches above that. We left a 3″ over hang to give the hens something to climb up to before entering their boxes. We also put a 4.5 inch lip on the front of the boxes making the entrance to the boxes 7.5″x12″. We did this to give the hens more protection and less room to move around. This should prevent them or the other hens from eating their eggs once they began producing.
Entrance for Eggs
Behind the nesting boxes, on the outside of the hen house we installed two barn style doors to give us easy access to all of the boxes, thus giving us easy access to the eggs down the road. This will also make it easier for cleaning an maintenance when the time comes.
Hen House Entrance
Hen House Entrance
This last image is of the entrance into the hen house, this was the last thing that we finished up to this point. We still have the roof, chicken wire enclosure and last minute adjustments. As you can see the Tropical Chicken Coop is coming along just fine. We are almost there but not quite yet. Once we get some more time to work on it we should be able to wrap up this project and move the hens in. Eggs are on their way!
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Chicken Coop For 10 Chickens in Memphis, Michigan
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Memphis 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 Memphis Michigan chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Memphis, Michigan With the substantial increase in poultry maintaining there has actually been a just as big rise in the variety of chicken stuff for sale. Chicken real estate is a situation in point. It's also a timeless instance of the great old bandwagon being got on as numerous would-be fowl housing experts market a range of holiday accommodation asserting to be the optimal solution to your chicken housing demands. Commonly the cost looks appealing, your house looks attractive, heck even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Surely they know a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are lots of affordable and nasty coops flooding the marketplace. I know this as I've tested a number of them in the area, and also seen a ewe run directly with one when the feed pail appeared. The result was only a costly pile of firewood as well as a little flock of bemused and also currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Yard Design in Memphis, Michigan
Usually these standardized models are constructed of rapid grown up hardwood - come the very first decline of rainfall they swell, leaving you either fortifying a door that won't shut, or ripping the door furnishings off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking residents. The very first warm and comfortable day means the hardwood dries out and fractures, the felt roofing system bubbles and also boils, as well as come nightfall the chickens refuse to go in. This is not due to their frustration at the decline of their when eye-catching commercial property however because the hovel is now a place for, and most likely crawling with, the fowl caretaker's bane, red mite. Add the fact that it stated on the blurb that it would fit four big chickens when that equipping thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as just what are you entrusted? A couple of hinges and also some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to four birds must cost you around ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you elect for a free standing house or one with a run attached. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a large room and also the pop hole door is big sufficient for the type you maintain, after that the main needs of real estate boil down to 3 points which will certainly specify the variety of birds the house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and also air flow. Most types of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost at night, this perch ought to preferably be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off edges so the foot sits comfortably on it. The perch must be more than the nest box entrance as chickens will likewise normally look for the highest point to perch. A perch below that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they produce the most poo) resulting in soiled eggs the list below day. They should not nevertheless be so high off the flooring of the house that leg injuries could happen when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens require about 20cm of perch each (in tiny breeds this is clearly less), plus if more than one perch is mounted in your home they ought to be greater than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their neighbors however are not that keen on 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 each 3 birds as well as these must be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of the house. The house ought to have ample air flow: without it then condensation will accumulate every night, also in the chilliest of weather condition. Know, ventilation deals with the concept of warm air leaving through a high void drawing cooler air in from a reduced gap - it's not a collection of openings on other wall surfaces of the house as well as at the exact same degree, this is what's referred to as a draught. If you have a house with a run connected then the factors above are still true, however you should additionally take into consideration the run dimension. The EU maximum legal equipping thickness for a totally free array bird is (and also let's face it, one of the inspirations for keeping some chickens at home is potentially enhanced or better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m squared. Take a close consider some of the bargain residences - it could well be your home has the right perches, right air flow as well as enough nest boxes for a practical number of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized piece of ground to spend the day on? Therefore as the claiming goes, "you get just what you spend for". You may think you've got a deal, yet you and also your flock could rue the day you did. Acquisition the appropriate house and also it will last for a few years, if not longer provided the proper treatment. In the long run your poultry and your poultry keeping encounter will be considerably the far better for it.coops chick
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