Chicken Coops for Sale in Elgin, Nebraska
Chicken Coops for Sale in Elgin, Nebraska
Transform Your Little Tikes Playhouse into a Chicken Coop
When I started pestering my husband about chickens (again), I knew I was fighting an uphill battle. He did not want to spend a bunch of money and time on the construction of a suitable coop. We’d already been down the road of improper chicken housing before, and it wasn’t a road that either of us wanted to travel again. But I really, REALLY wanted to give chicken keeping another try. And I thought that with a little bit of forethought, we could eliminate the challenges we ran into before. For starters, the birds would need enough space. And the coop would need to be easy to clean. And most importantly, the coop would need to be secure. Nothing like coming home to find your chickens walking along the 6′ high wall that surrounds your yard! But to construct this type of set up from scratch would cost quite a bit of money in materials, not to mention all the time and sweat it would take for the hubs to actually BUILD the thing.
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So then I started scouring the internet trying to find the best deal on a “coop in a box”. I had my eye on but the price tag was a bit hefty. (It’s actually on sale for 58% off right now if you happen to be in the market for a pre-fabricated coop!) Not only was the hubs not excited about building a chicken coop, he also wasn’t excited about the idea of another “thing” in the yard. Our yard was already overrun with toys, bikes, gardening tools, a composter, and our very well-loved Little Tikes Playhouse. So as I sat in the yard one spring evening watching the kids play with everything BUT the playhouse, I got to thinking… Why couldn’t we just turn the playhouse into a chicken coop?!?! I didn’t tell hubs about the idea right away. Instead, I began looking at the structure of the playhouse to see if my idea would even work. Guys, I swear, this thing was MADE to become a chicken coop! It had everything we needed! The house is large enough for me to walk inside to rake it out, it has plenty of space for a nesting box, waterer, food, and a roosting bar. And it even came with a little cut out section near the floor (picture a doggy door) so the chickens could access the run we built behind it! I sketched out an idea of the modifications that we would need to make, and I presented my idea to the hubs. Guess what? He went for it! It was PERFECT. The structure was already built. We wouldn’t have to add another “thing” to our already tiny yard, and the best part? It’s totally incognito. No one would EVER suspect chickens were living in the playhouse! That night, I ordered our chicks! So how did we transform the playhouse? Well, let’s take a tour, shall we?
The first thing we did was cover all the openings with garden wire. Hubs had a roll of this laying around from some other project. He used drywall screws to attach the wire to the windows. The coop actually stayed like this for a while. While the chicks were still small, it was best for them to be confined to a smaller space, so not having a run wasn’t an issue.
Next the hubs built the run. You can see the “doggy door” in the bottom left corner…this is how the chickens get in and out of the house. The run is a pretty simple A-frame structure made out of 1″x 1″ pine pieces. The frame was made in sections and the wire was screwed on to each section as it was assembled. The top of the run lifts up so I can climb in and rake out the poo. I just prop it open with an upside down rake and jump on in.
The corners are all secured with these nifty . And the whole top piece is attached to the frame with some thin chains that act as a hinge. Here is a picture of the chains.
The brown plastic covering you see on this window is actually the cover to our sand and water table. The hubs cut it to fit over the largest window to break some of the wind in the winter. He used more drywall screws to attach it to the house.
Inside the coop, we attached a roosting bar (made out of an old broom handle) to the side of the house using a simple scrap of wood to attach it.
Here is a look at one side of the roosting bar. The other side just sits on the “mantle” inside the house.
My favorite part about the coop is the nesting box. Hubs attached a recycling bin to the wall using a couple brackets. It’s the PERFECT size for a comfy chicken laying box. And it’s up high so there’s a little privacy. We did cut it down a bit…chickens are not very bright creatures…they were afraid to go inside when the lip of the box was up higher.
The is hung from the ceiling by a thin chain (to keep the birds from standing on it), and the just sits on the floor. The set up is working BRILLIANTLY for us. The birds are happy and laying an egg per chicken per day (even though it’s winter), and it is all super easy to care for. The best part is that we were able to make this transformation for a whopping $46. I can’t say enough about how awesome chicken are…I’m pretty sure my kiddos would agree! Think you might transform your little tikes playhouse into a chicken coop?
Here is the complete list of materials and tools we used to make our playhouse into a chicken coop. Our chickens have been living in the coop for 8 months, and it’s still holding up great!
Hardware
- , to secure wire to playhouse
- to secure wire to wood frame
- to hang feeder from inside coop
Tools
- – for cutting the wire
- (for pounding staples)
- for cutting 1 1/2″ pieces of wood
Chicken Coop You Can Walk In in Elgin, Nebraska
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Elgin Nebraska" 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 Elgin Nebraska chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Elgin, Nebraska With the big boost in chicken keeping there has actually been a just as large increase in the range of poultry paraphernalia for sale. Chicken real estate is a case in point. It's also a timeless example of the excellent old bandwagon being jumped on as numerous prospective chicken housing specialists pitch a selection of holiday accommodation asserting to be the optimal solution to your chicken housing needs. Frequently the rate looks appealing, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks eye-catching, heck even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look eye-catching. Undoubtedly they know a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are several low-cost as well as nasty cages swamping the marketplace. I know this as I've examined a variety of them in the area, and seen a ewe run directly with one when the feed bucket showed up. The outcome was nothing but a costly stack of fire wood as well as a tiny flock of bemused and now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop For 10 Chickens in Elgin, Nebraska
Generally these standardized designs are constructed of rapid grown up wood - come the initial decrease of rainfall they swell, leaving you either fortifying a doorway that will not close, or tearing the doorway furnishings off in a vain effort to launch the squawking occupants. The initial warm day means the hardwood dries and fractures, the felt roofing system bubbles and also boils, and come nightfall the chickens refuse to go in. This is not because of their dissatisfaction at the decrease of their once desirable property yet considering that the hovel is currently a place for, and most likely abounding, the chicken caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add that it said on the blurb that it would certainly fit 4 large chickens when that stocking density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also exactly what are you left with? A few joints as well as some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to 4 birds ought to cost you around ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you choose for a cost-free standing house or one with a run connected. Thinking you are varying your birds in a large space and the pop hole doorway is big enough for the type you keep, after that the main requirements of housing come down to 3 factors which will certainly define the variety of birds your home will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes as well as air flow. The majority of breeds of chicken will perch when they visit roost at night, this perch needs to preferably be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off edges so the foot rests conveniently on it. The perch must be higher than the nest box entrance as chickens will also normally try to find the acme to perch. A perch below that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they generate one of the most poo) causing stained eggs the list below day. They should not nevertheless be so high off the flooring of your house that leg injuries can take place when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens require regarding 20cm of perch each (in small breeds this is undoubtedly much less), plus if greater than one perch is mounted in your house they need to be greater than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their next-door neighbors but are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably your home should have a least one nest box for every three birds and also these ought to be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of your home. Your house ought to have sufficient ventilation: without it after that condensation will certainly accumulate every night, even in the chilliest of climate. Know, ventilation works with the concept of warm and comfortable air leaving via a high space attracting cooler air in from a lower void - it's not a set of holes on other wall surfaces of your house and also at the very same degree, this is what's known as a draught. If you have a house with a run affixed then the factors above are still real, however you should likewise think about the run dimension. The EU maximum lawful stocking thickness for a free range bird is (and also let's face it, among the inspirations for keeping some hens in the house is perhaps enhanced or far better welfare) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m made even. Take a close consider a few of the bargain residences - it could well be the house has the best perches, appropriate air flow and also ample nest boxes for a reasonable variety of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to spend the day on? And so as the saying goes, "you get just what you pay for". You could believe you've grabbed a bargain, however you and also your group might rue the day you did. Acquisition the appropriate house and it will certainly last for a few years, if not longer provided the right treatment. Ultimately your chicken and also your poultry keeping experience will be much the much better for it.chickens diy
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