Chicken Coops for Sale in Duncan, New Mexico
Chicken Coops for Sale in Duncan, New Mexico
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 Kits Ebay in Duncan, New Mexico
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Duncan New Mexico" 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 Duncan New Mexico chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Duncan, New Mexico With the big increase in chicken maintaining there has actually been an equally large increase in the variety of fowl paraphernalia for sale. Poultry real estate is a case in point. It's likewise a timeless instance of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as different would-be chicken real estate specialists peddle a selection of lodging claiming to be the ideal solution to your chicken real estate needs. Often the price looks attractive, your house looks attractive, heck also the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look eye-catching. Certainly they understand a professional chicken house when they see one? There are numerous economical as well as nasty coops flooding the market. I understand this as I've tested a variety of them in the area, and also seen a ewe run directly with one when the feed container showed up. The result was only a pricey heap of fire wood and a small flock of bemused and now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop For Sale Near Me in Duncan, New Mexico
More often than not these standardized versions are constructed of rapid grown up wood - come the very first decline of rainfall they swell, leaving you either blockading a door that won't shut, or tearing the door furniture off in a vain effort to launch the squawking citizens. The first warm day suggests the timber dries and splits, the really felt roof covering bubbles as well as boils, and come nightfall the hens choose not to go in. This is not as a result of their frustration at the decrease of their once desirable building yet due to the fact that the hovel is currently a sanctuary for, and also most likely abounding, the fowl caretaker's bane, red mite. Add that it said on the blurb that it would suit four huge chickens when that stocking density was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as just what are you left with? A number of hinges and some kindling. A good coop for thee to 4 birds need to cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this could depend on whether you choose for a totally free standing house or one with a run attached. Thinking you are varying your birds in a huge space and also the pop opening doorway allows enough for the type you maintain, then the primary demands of real estate come down to 3 factors which will define the variety of birds your house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes as well as air flow. Most breeds of chicken will certainly perch when they go to roost at night, this perch must preferably be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off sides so the foot rests comfortably on it. The perch should be more than the nest box entrance as chickens will also normally seek the acme to perch. A perch lower than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they create one of the most poo) leading to soiled eggs the following day. They shouldn't nonetheless be so high off the floor of your house that leg injuries could possibly take place when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens need concerning 20cm of perch each (in little types this is clearly much less), plus if greater than one perch is installed in your house they ought to be greater than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their neighbors yet are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably your house should have a the very least one nest box for every single 3 birds and also these ought to be off the ground and also in the darkest area of the house. Your home must have adequate ventilation: without it after that condensation will develop every evening, even in the coldest of weather condition. Know, air flow deals with the principle of warm air leaving with a high void attracting cooler air in from a lower space - it's not a set of holes on contrary wall surfaces of your house and at the exact same level, this is what's called a draught. If you have a house with a run affixed after that the points above are still true, yet you need to also think about the run dimension. The EU optimum legal stocking density for a totally free variety bird is (as well as let's encounter it, among the inspirations for maintaining some hens at home is potentially boosted or far better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m squared. Take a close check out several of the deal homes - it could well be the house has the appropriate perches, proper ventilation as well as ample nest boxes for a practical number of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized item of ground to spend the day on? And so as the claiming goes, "you obtain just what you spend for". You could assume you've got hold of a deal, however you and also your group might rue the day you did. Acquisition the ideal house as well as it will last for a few years, if not longer given the right therapy. In the long run your fowl as well as your chicken maintaining encounter will be much the far better for it.build for sale
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