Chicken Coops for Sale in Bergen, New York
Chicken Coops for Sale in Bergen, New York
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 Plans Free in Bergen, New York
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Bergen New York" 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 Bergen New York chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Bergen, New York With the substantial rise in chicken keeping there has actually been a similarly huge rise in the variety of fowl materiel for sale. Fowl real estate is a case in point. It's likewise a classic example of the excellent old bandwagon being got on as various prospective chicken housing specialists peddle a range of holiday accommodation asserting to be the excellent solution to your chicken real estate demands. Frequently the price looks desirable, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks appealing, heck also the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Certainly they recognize a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are numerous affordable and also awful coops flooding the marketplace. I recognize this as I've checked a number of them in the area, and also seen a ewe run straight with one when the feed bucket showed up. The result was nothing but a costly pile of firewood as well as a small group of bemused and now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Run Ideas in Bergen, New York
Usually these standardized versions are built of rapid grown wood - come the initial decrease of rain they swell, leaving you either blockading a doorway that will not close, or tearing the door furnishings off in a vain effort to release the squawking residents. The initial warm day indicates the timber dries out as well as cracks, the really felt roofing system bubbles and boils, as well as come nightfall the hens choose not to enter. This is not because of their disappointment at the decrease of their as soon as eye-catching property yet since the hovel is now a sanctuary for, as well as probably crawling with, the fowl keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly match four huge chickens when that equipping thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as just what are you entrusted? A number of joints as well as some kindling. A good coop for thee to 4 birds need to cost you around ₤ 300 though this could depend upon whether you choose for a free standing house or one with a run affixed. Thinking you are varying your birds in a big area as well as the pop opening doorway is big enough for the type you maintain, after that the main needs of housing come down to three points which will certainly define the number of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes as well as ventilation. Many types of chicken will certainly perch when they go to roost in the evening, this perch should ideally be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off sides so the foot sits easily on it. The perch must be above the nest box entrance as chickens will also normally search for 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 produce the most poo) causing soiled eggs the following day. They shouldn't nonetheless be so high off the flooring of the house that leg injuries could possibly occur when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens need about 20cm of perch each (in little types this is certainly less), plus if more than one perch is mounted in your home they must be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their neighbors however are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably your house must have a least one nest box for every single 3 birds and these need to be off the ground and also in the darkest area of the house. Your home ought to have appropriate air flow: without it after that condensation will develop every evening, even in the chilliest of weather. Realize, ventilation works on the concept of warm and comfortable air leaving via a high gap drawing cooler air in from a reduced space - it's not a set of holes on other walls of your house and also at the same level, this is what's known as a draft. If you have a house with a run affixed after that the factors above are still true, however you ought to likewise think about the run size. The EU optimum legal stocking density for a cost-free variety bird is (and also let's face it, among the inspirations for maintaining some hens at home is potentially boosted or far better welfare) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m settled. Take a close look at a few of the bargain residences - it could well be your home has the right perches, right ventilation and sufficient nest boxes for an affordable 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 saying goes, "you obtain what you spend for". You could think you've grabbed a deal, but you and your group could possibly rue the day you did. Purchase the right house and it will last for a couple of years, if not longer provided the correct therapy. In the long run your poultry and also your fowl keeping experience will certainly be a lot the better for it.coop coop
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