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Chicken Coops for Sale in Elk Creek, Nebraska

Chicken Coops for Sale in Elk Creek, Nebraska

Tropical Chicken Coop Construction – Ch.1

Tropical Chicken Coop Construction – Ch.1

January 9, 2011 by in , , with

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 coops for sale in Elk Creek Nebraska can be found in agricultural newspapers and community newspapers. The coops are designed for housing for chickens in a safe and secure environment. They generally consist of a small building or large box that is then sectioned off to smaller boxes where the chickens go to roost (or sleep). Chicken coops are a must for raising chickens. Elk Creek Nebraska chicken coops are commonly constructed from wood products. They are not very stable buildings and provide only minimal protection from the elements. Now chicken houses used for large production facilities are a entirely different structure, they are huge and can hold up to 10000 chickens. The coops are typically used for backyard operations, or small family farms. They vary in size depending on the number of residents they house. chicken-coops-in-Elk Creek-NEFinding chicken coops for sale in Elk Creek Nebraska is probably not one of the easiest of items to find. There are manufacturers of chicken houses and coops that sell them out right and Elk Creek Nebraska farm supply stores that they can also be purchased through, but generally speaking it will take some effort to find a chicken coop for sale in Elk Creek Nebraska, especially if your location is not a typically rural location. In rural locations that are much more abundant and easily had. Chicken Coops for sale in Elk Creek NE

Baby Chick Feeder in Elk Creek, Nebraska

A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Elk Creek 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 Elk Creek Nebraska chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Elk Creek, Nebraska With the massive boost in poultry maintaining there has actually been a just as huge rise in the array of chicken stuff on sale. Chicken housing is an instance in factor. It's also a classic instance of the great old bandwagon being got on as various potential fowl real estate experts peddle a selection of holiday accommodation claiming to be the optimal solution to your chicken real estate demands. Often the cost looks eye-catching, the 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 lots of economical and awful coops flooding 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 appeared. The outcome was just a costly heap of fire wood and also a small group of bemused and also now homeless bantams. Chickens for sale in Elk Creek NE

Chicken Coop And Run in Elk Creek, Nebraska

Generally these mass produced versions are built of fast grown up lumber - come the first decline of rainfall they swell, leaving you either defending a door that will not shut, or ripping the door furnishings off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking occupants. The initial warm and comfortable day means the hardwood dries and splits, the really felt roof covering bubbles and also boils, as well as come nightfall the hens choose not to go in. This is not because of their frustration at the decline of their as soon as desirable apartment yet due to the fact that the hovel is now a sanctuary for, and possibly crawling with, the fowl keeper's bane, red mite. Add the fact that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly fit 4 big hens when that stocking density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as what are you entrusted? A few joints and also some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to four birds must cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you choose for a free standing house or one with a run connected. Assuming you are varying your birds in a big area and the pop opening doorway allows sufficient for the breed you keep, then the major requirements of housing boil down to three points which will specify the variety of birds the house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes as well as ventilation. Many types of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost in the evening, this perch should preferably be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off edges so the foot rests pleasantly on it. The perch needs to be more than the nest box access as chickens will certainly additionally naturally look for the acme to perch. A perch below that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they produce one of the most poo) leading to soiled eggs the following day. They shouldn't nevertheless be so high off the floor of your house that leg injuries could possibly happen when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens need about 20cm of perch each (in tiny breeds this is undoubtedly much less), plus if greater than one perch is set up in the house they need to be greater than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their next-door neighbors however are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Ideally the house needs to have a least one nest box for each three birds and these should be off the ground as well as in the darkest location of your house. Your house needs to have ample ventilation: without it then condensation will build up every evening, even in the chilliest of climate. Be aware, air flow deals with the concept of warm air leaving with a high void attracting cooler air in from a reduced gap - it's not a set of openings on opposite wall surfaces of your house as well as at the exact same degree, this is exactly what's called a draught. If you have a house with a run attached then the factors above are still true, but you must also think about the run size. The EU optimum legal equipping density for a cost-free variety bird is (and also allow's face it, among the inspirations for maintaining some chickens in your home is perhaps boosted or far better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m squared. Take a close look at some of the deal homes - it could well be your home has the right perches, right ventilation as well as enough nest boxes for a sensible 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 stating goes, "you obtain just what you spend for". You could assume you've got a deal, however you as well as your flock might rue the day you did. Acquisition the ideal house as well as it will last for a couple of years, otherwise longer offered the proper therapy. Ultimately your poultry and also your poultry maintaining encounter will be a lot the better for it.
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