Chicken Coops for Sale in Kirksville, Missouri
Chicken Coops for Sale in Kirksville, Missouri
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 And Run in Kirksville, Missouri
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Kirksville Missouri" 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 Kirksville Missouri chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Kirksville, Missouri With the substantial rise in chicken keeping there has been an equally big increase in the range of poultry paraphernalia on sale. Fowl housing is a proceedings in point. It's additionally a traditional example of the excellent old bandwagon being got on as numerous prospective fowl real estate professionals peddle a selection of cottage asserting to be the perfect option to your chicken housing needs. Commonly the cost looks attractive, your house looks eye-catching, hell also the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look eye-catching. Definitely they know a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are several affordable and unpleasant coops flooding the marketplace. I know this as I've examined a number of them in the area, and also seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed container appeared. The result was nothing but an expensive heap of firewood and a little flock of bemused and also currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Easy in Kirksville, Missouri
Most of the time these mass produced versions are constructed of rapid grown wood - come the very first drop of rainfall they swell, leaving you either blockading a doorway that won't close, or ripping the doorway furnishings off in a vain effort to release the squawking inhabitants. The initial warm and comfortable day means the hardwood dries as well as fractures, the really felt roofing bubbles as well as boils, and also come nightfall the hens choose not to enter. This is not due to their frustration at the decline of their when attractive home but due to the fact that the hovel is currently a sanctuary for, as well as most likely abounding, the poultry caretaker's bane, red mite. Add that it stated on the blurb that it would fit 4 huge chickens when that equipping thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as what are you entrusted? A number of hinges as well as some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to four birds should cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this could rely on whether you elect for a cost-free standing house or one with a run connected. Presuming you are varying your birds in a large room and also the pop hole door is big sufficient for the type you keep, then the primary demands of real estate boil down to three factors which will specify the variety of birds your home will hold; perches, nest boxes and air flow. A lot of breeds of chicken will certainly perch when they go to roost during the night, this perch must preferably be 5-8cm large with smoothed off edges so the foot sits conveniently on it. The perch should be above the nest box entry as chickens will certainly likewise normally look for the highest point to perch. A perch lower than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they create the most poo) causing soiled eggs the following day. They should not however be so high off the flooring of your house that leg injuries can take place when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens need concerning 20cm of perch each (in little breeds this is clearly much less), plus if more than one perch is installed in the 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 ahead. Ideally your home should have a the very least one nest box for every single three birds and these should be off the ground and in the darkest area of your house. Your house should have adequate air flow: without it then condensation will certainly accumulate every evening, also in the coldest of climate. Be aware, ventilation works with the concept of cozy air leaving with a high gap drawing cooler air in from a reduced void - it's not a collection of openings on contrary wall surfaces of the 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 connected after that the factors above are still true, however you should additionally take into consideration the run size. The EU optimum legal stocking density for a cost-free array bird is (and also allow's encounter it, one of the motivations for maintaining some hens in the house is potentially improved or much better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m made even. Take a close take a look at several of the deal homes - it could well be the house has the right perches, appropriate air flow and also adequate nest boxes for an affordable variety of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to spend the day on? And so as the claiming goes, "you obtain what you spend for". You may assume you've grabbed a bargain, but you and your group might rue the day you did. Purchase the ideal house and also it will last for a few decades, otherwise longer offered the appropriate therapy. Ultimately your poultry as well as your poultry keeping encounter will be much the better for it.coops build
More Posts
Chicken Coops for Sale in Faucett, Missouri
Chicken Coops for Sale in Barnhart, Missouri
Chicken Coops for Sale in Greenville, Missouri
Chicken Coops for Sale in Concordia, Missouri
Chicken Coops for Sale in Kissee Mills, Missouri