Chicken Coops for Sale in Purdum, Nebraska
Chicken Coops for Sale in Purdum, Nebraska
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 Ideas in Purdum, Nebraska
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Purdum 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 Purdum Nebraska chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Purdum, Nebraska With the big boost in chicken maintaining there has actually been an equally big increase in the variety of poultry stuff on sale. Poultry housing is a situation in factor. It's likewise a traditional instance of the good old bandwagon being got on as numerous would-be poultry housing specialists market an array of holiday accommodation declaring to be the excellent remedy to your chicken housing demands. Typically the price looks appealing, the house looks eye-catching, heck also the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look eye-catching. Definitely they recognize a quality chicken house when they see one? There are many inexpensive and nasty cages swamping the marketplace. I understand this as I've checked a number of them in the area, as well as seen a ewe run directly with one when the feed pail appeared. The result was nothing but a pricey heap of firewood and a small group of bemused as well as currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Tips in Purdum, Nebraska
Generally these standardized designs are built of rapid grown up wood - come the initial decline of rain they swell, leaving you either blockading a doorway that won't close, or ripping the door furniture off in a vain effort to release the squawking residents. The first warm and comfortable day means the lumber dries out and fractures, the felt roofing bubbles and boils, and come nightfall the chickens choose not to enter. This is not as a result of their dissatisfaction at the decline of their once appealing commercial property however because the hovel is now a haven for, as well as most likely crawling with, the poultry caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add the fact that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly match 4 big hens when that equipping thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also what are you left with? A number of hinges and some kindling. A decent coop for thee to four birds need to cost you around ₤ 300 though this could rely on whether you choose for a totally free standing house or one with a run attached. Thinking you are varying your birds in a big room and also the pop hole doorway allows sufficient for the type you keep, after that the major requirements of real estate boil down to 3 points which will specify the variety of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes and also ventilation. Many breeds of chicken will certainly perch when they go to roost in the evening, this perch must preferably be 5-8cm large with smoothed off edges so the foot rests pleasantly on it. The perch must be more than the nest box entrance as chickens will likewise normally seek the acme to perch. A perch below that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they create the most poo) causing soiled eggs the following day. They should not nevertheless be so high off the flooring of your house that leg injuries might happen when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens need regarding 20cm of perch each (in little breeds this is obviously less), plus if greater than one perch is mounted in your house they should be greater 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 ahead. Preferably the house ought to have a the very least one nest box for every single 3 birds as well as these should be off the ground as well as in the darkest location of the house. The house ought to have appropriate ventilation: without it then condensation will certainly build up every evening, also in the chilliest of climate. Understand, air flow works with the concept of warm and comfortable air leaving with a high void attracting cooler air in from a lower space - it's not a collection of holes on other wall surfaces of your house and at the exact same level, this is just what's referred to as a draft. If you have a house with a run connected after that the points above are still real, however you must likewise consider the run size. The EU optimum legal stocking density for a cost-free variety bird is (and also let's face it, one of the inspirations for maintaining some hens in the house is possibly improved or far better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m settled. Take a close check out several of the deal homes - it could well be your house has the right perches, proper air flow and also sufficient nest boxes for a reasonable number of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? Therefore as the claiming goes, "you obtain just what you spend for". You could believe you've got a deal, yet you and also your flock might rue the day you did. Purchase the best house and it will certainly last for a few decades, if not longer offered the proper treatment. In the long run your fowl and your poultry maintaining experience will certainly be a lot the much better for it.coops chick
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