Chicken Coops for Sale in Indian Lake, New York
Chicken Coops for Sale in Indian Lake, New York
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 Basics in Indian Lake, New York
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Indian Lake 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 Indian Lake New York chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Indian Lake, New York With the big rise in poultry keeping there has been an equally big rise in the range of poultry paraphernalia for sale. Fowl real estate is a case in point. It's also a classic example of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as different potential fowl real estate professionals market an array of accommodation asserting to be the suitable remedy to your chicken housing needs. Often the price looks eye-catching, the house looks appealing, hell also the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Undoubtedly they understand a quality chicken house when they see one? There are several affordable as well as unpleasant coops flooding the market. I understand this as I've checked a variety of them in the area, as well as seen a ewe run directly with one when the feed pail showed up. The result was just a costly pile of fire wood as well as a tiny flock of bemused and now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Plans Pdf in Indian Lake, New York
Typically these standardized designs are created of fast grown lumber - come the initial drop of rain they swell, leaving you either defending a doorway that will not shut, or ripping the door furniture off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking occupants. The very first cozy day implies the timber dries as well as fractures, the really felt roof bubbles and also boils, as well as come nightfall the chickens refuse to enter. This is not as a result of their frustration at the decrease of their once eye-catching apartment but because the hovel is currently a place for, and also most likely crawling with, the poultry caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add on the fact that it claimed on the blurb that it would certainly fit 4 large chickens when that equipping thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as exactly what are you left with? A few joints and also some kindling. A good coop for thee to four birds need to cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you choose for a totally free standing house or one with a run connected. Presuming you are ranging your birds in a large room as well as the pop hole doorway allows sufficient for the breed you maintain, after that the primary demands of real estate boil down to 3 points which will define the number of birds the house will hold; perches, nest boxes and ventilation. Many breeds of chicken will perch when they visit roost at night, this perch should preferably be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off sides so the foot sits conveniently on it. The perch needs to be higher than the nest box access as chickens will certainly likewise normally look for the highest point to perch. A perch less than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they produce one of the most poo) bring about dirtied eggs the list below day. They shouldn't nevertheless be so high off the floor of the house that leg injuries could take place when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens require about 20cm of perch each (in little breeds this is obviously less), plus if more than one perch is set up in your home they should be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their next-door neighbors however are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Ideally the house ought to have a least one nest box for every single three birds and these should be off the ground and also in the darkest location of the house. The house should have appropriate air flow: without it then condensation will build up every evening, also in the chilliest of climate. Realize, ventilation deals with the principle of warm air leaving through a high gap attracting cooler air in from a lower gap - it's not a set of openings on contrary walls of your house as well as at the exact same level, this is what's referred to as a draught. If you have a house with a run affixed after that the points above are still real, however you need to likewise think about the run size. The EU maximum lawful equipping thickness for a totally free array bird is (and also let's encounter it, among the inspirations for keeping some hens at home is perhaps improved or better welfare) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m settled. Take a close take a look at a few of the deal houses - it could well be your house has the best perches, proper air flow and adequate nest boxes for a reasonable number of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to invest the day on? And so as the stating goes, "you obtain just what you spend for". You could assume you've got a bargain, however you and your group could rue the day you did. Purchase the appropriate house and also it will certainly last for a few decades, if not longer offered the right therapy. Eventually your fowl and your poultry keeping encounter will certainly be considerably the far better for it.coops plans
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