Chicken Coops for Sale in Mc Lain, Mississippi
Chicken Coops for Sale in Mc Lain, Mississippi
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 Necessities in Mc Lain, Mississippi
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Mc Lain Mississippi" 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 Mc Lain Mississippi chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Mc Lain, Mississippi With the massive boost in chicken keeping there has been a similarly big increase in the range of fowl materiel on sale. Poultry real estate is a proceedings in factor. It's additionally a traditional example of the excellent old bandwagon being got on as different potential fowl real estate specialists market a selection of holiday accommodation asserting to be the excellent solution to your chicken real estate requirements. Typically the price looks attractive, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks eye-catching, heck also the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Certainly they understand a quality chicken house when they see one? There are lots of cheap and horrible cages swamping the market. I recognize this as I've tested a number of them in the area, as well as seen a ewe run directly via one when the feed container appeared. The outcome was only an expensive pile of fire wood as well as a small group of bemused and currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Yard Ideas in Mc Lain, Mississippi
Generally these mass produced models are constructed of quick grown timber - come the first decrease of rain they swell, leaving you either fortifying a door that will not close, or tearing the doorway furnishings off in a vain effort to release the squawking residents. The first warm and comfortable day means the timber dries as well as fractures, the really felt roof covering bubbles as well as boils, and come nightfall the chickens refuse to go in. This is not because of their dissatisfaction at the decrease of their when eye-catching commercial property however because the hovel is currently a sanctuary for, and most likely crawling with, the poultry keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add that it claimed on the blurb that it would certainly fit 4 large chickens when that equipping density was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and what are you entrusted? A couple of hinges and also some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to four birds must cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you elect for a cost-free standing house or one with a run affixed. Thinking you are ranging your birds in a huge space and the pop hole door allows enough for the breed you keep, then the main requirements of real estate come down to 3 factors which will define the variety of birds your home will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and ventilation. A lot of types of chicken will perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch ought to ideally be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off edges so the foot sits easily on it. The perch ought to be above the nest box access as chickens will also naturally seek the acme to perch. A perch less than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they create the most poo) leading to stained eggs the list below day. They should not nevertheless be so high off the floor of the house that leg injuries could possibly occur when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens require concerning 20cm of perch each (in tiny types this is undoubtedly less), plus if greater than one perch is set up in the house they must 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. Preferably your house ought to have a the very least one nest box for each three birds and these should be off the ground and also in the darkest location of your home. Your home ought to have adequate ventilation: without it then condensation will accumulate every night, also in the coldest of weather. Be aware, ventilation deals with the principle of cozy air leaving through a high space drawing cooler air in from a lower gap - it's not a collection of openings on contrary wall surfaces of your house and at the same degree, this is just what's referred to as a draft. If you have a house with a run attached then the factors above are still real, but you must additionally consider the run dimension. The EU optimum legal stocking thickness for a free range bird is (and also allow's encounter it, among the motivations for maintaining some chickens in the house is perhaps improved or far better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m made even. Take a close consider some of the bargain homes - it could well be the house has the right perches, right ventilation and enough 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 spend the day on? And so as the stating goes, "you obtain just what you pay for". You might assume you've got hold of a deal, however you and also your group might rue the day you did. Purchase the appropriate house and it will last for a couple of years, if not longer provided the right treatment. Eventually your fowl and also your fowl keeping encounter will be a lot the much better for it.coops diy
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