Chicken Coops for Sale in Strongs, Michigan
Chicken Coops for Sale in Strongs, Michigan
Make a Thrifty DIY Swingset Chicken Coop
Do you have one of those old A-shaped swingsets rusting in your backyard? If you do, then you have the basis for an awesome swingset chicken coop! (And if you don’t, watch Craigslist – there are frequently people offering them for free to whoever comes to pick them up.) Creativity is key .
When we moved recently we had to leave our wonderful chicken coop behind, since it was attached to the barn. While I drooled over some of , I’m on a pretty tight budget so it was important to use items that I could acquire either cheap or free. Luckily, the house we moved to had some pretty interesting stuff in a shed and an old rusty swingset in the woods.
I don’t have a lot of construction skills but the guy who put up my fence does, and luckily, he was on board with my wacky, freebie-scrounging ideas.
For the price of some labor, some hardware, some chicken wire, and a fancy-dancy hanging chicken waterer, I got a snazzy new coop that keeps my chickens safe and sound.
Here’s what we used:
- A swingset with the swings removed
- 2 pieces of corrugated metal on the top 3/4 plus a strip of it over the top to help weather proof
- Some sheets of plywood for the bottom back of the coop
- A piece of chain link fencing for the bottom in order to keep out predators
- Some old pieces of fence posts for the bottom of the coop to attach the chicken wire and chain link to
- Some lumber for the door
- Chicken wire (It was cheaper than from my local store)
If you’re making a scrounged chicken coop, be creative and see what you components you can find for cheap or free. Because most of the items used were found, this isn’t as much a how-to as it is something to inspire you. Here are some photos so you can see how my coop was assembled.
The Scoop on my Swingset Chicken Coop
The door is very heavy, which adds a layer of security against critters that might try to get in during the night. During the day, I use a bungee to hold the door open in the event of wind so no chickens get squashed. (They’re at the door because they know they’re either getting food or getting out.)
There is also a heavy duty double hinged latch that I fasten with a carabiner at night for an added layer of security. (.)
The bottom is covered with a piece of chain link fencing that is attached to the boards that form the bottom edge of the coop.
My biggest splurge is this hanging 5 gallon water dispenser. It stays much cleaner raised a few inches off the ground, only needs to be refilled every few days, and I used the exisiting hook for a swing to hang it from. (You can – it is a lower price than it was at my local feed store.)
Here’s the interior of theswingset chicken coop. The chickens like to roost on the cross bars on each end, and there is an extra bar from an old closet that was also installed. I used some cubbies from my previous garage for nesting boxes. (I probably should have taken the interior pic before I put the chickens in here to poop on everything. Of course, anyone who has chickens knows that a coop only looks clean for about 10 minutes.)
The coop in all of its glory. I’ll be painting the plywood soon to make it a little prettier.
Thor, our LGD, is happy to follow the chickens around and protect them because he realized they’re like little feathered Pez dispensers, dropping nice little egg treats around the yard for him to enjoy. I lock them in the coop a couple of days per week and that gives us more than enough eggs for our needs. The rest of the eggs get scattered around the yard for a doggie version of an Easter egg hunt. Thor’s a little skinny so the added fat will do him good. You can see him licking his dog lips in the photo below.
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Chicken Coop Kit For 6 Chickens in Strongs, Michigan
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Strongs 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 Strongs Michigan chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Strongs, Michigan With the big rise in chicken maintaining there has actually been a just as large rise in the array of poultry materiel on sale. Chicken real estate is a situation in factor. It's also a traditional example of the good old bandwagon being got on as various potential chicken real estate experts market a variety of accommodation claiming to be the optimal remedy to your chicken real estate requirements. Frequently the rate looks eye-catching, your house looks attractive, hell even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Surely they recognize a high quality chicken house when they see one? There are numerous economical as well as unpleasant coops swamping the market. I recognize this as I've checked a number of them in the field, and seen a ewe run straight via one when the feed container showed up. The result was only a costly stack of firewood and also a tiny flock of bemused as well as now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Kit For 6 Chickens in Strongs, Michigan
Generally these mass produced designs are created of rapid grown up timber - come the initial decline of rain they swell, leaving you either fortifying a door that will not close, or ripping the doorway furnishings off in a vain attempt to release the squawking citizens. The initial cozy day implies the wood dries out and also splits, the felt roofing bubbles and boils, and also come nightfall the hens refuse to go in. This is not as a result of their dissatisfaction at the decrease of their when attractive property but due to the fact that the hovel is currently a sanctuary for, as well as possibly abounding, the fowl keeper's bane, red mite. Add that it claimed on the blurb that it would fit four large hens when that equipping thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and what are you left with? A couple of hinges and also some kindling. A good coop for thee to 4 birds ought to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this could rely on whether you elect for a free standing house or one with a run affixed. Assuming you are varying your birds in a big area and the pop opening doorway is big sufficient for the type you maintain, after that the primary requirements of real estate boil down to three points which will define the number of birds the house will hold; perches, nest boxes and also ventilation. Most types of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch must preferably be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off edges so the foot rests pleasantly on it. The perch needs to be above the nest box access as chickens will likewise naturally try to find the highest point to perch. A perch below that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is incidentally when they produce one of the most poo) bring about dirtied eggs the list below day. They should not nonetheless be so high off the flooring of your house that leg injuries can occur when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens need regarding 20cm of perch each (in small types this is certainly much less), plus if greater than one perch is installed in your home they need to be more than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their 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 the very least one nest box for each 3 birds and these need to be off the ground and in the darkest location of your house. Your home ought to have appropriate air flow: without it then condensation will certainly accumulate every night, also in the chilliest of weather. Understand, ventilation works on the principle of warm and comfortable air leaving with a high space drawing cooler air in from a reduced void - it's not a set of holes on opposite wall surfaces of your home and also at the very same level, this is what's known as a draught. If you have a house with a run connected after that the points above are still real, yet you ought to likewise consider the run dimension. The EU maximum legal equipping thickness for a complimentary array bird is (as well as let's face it, one of the inspirations for maintaining some hens in your home is potentially boosted or better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m settled. Take a close look at several of the bargain residences - it could well be your house has the appropriate perches, appropriate ventilation as well as ample nest boxes for an affordable variety of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to spend the day on? Therefore as the saying goes, "you get just what you pay for". You might believe you've grabbed a deal, yet you as well as your flock can rue the day you did. Acquisition the ideal house and it will certainly last for a few decades, otherwise longer provided the proper treatment. Eventually your fowl and also your chicken maintaining encounter will be considerably the much better for it.diy coops
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