Chicken Coops for Sale in West Bloomfield, New York
Chicken Coops for Sale in West Bloomfield, 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 Pinterest in West Bloomfield, New York
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in West Bloomfield 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 West Bloomfield New York chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in West Bloomfield, New York With the huge increase in chicken maintaining there has actually been a similarly large surge in the range of poultry materiel on sale. Chicken housing is an instance in point. It's additionally a classic instance of the excellent old bandwagon being got on as different would-be fowl real estate experts market a variety of holiday accommodation declaring to be the suitable remedy to your chicken housing requirements. Typically the price looks attractive, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks attractive, heck also the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Surely they understand a high quality chicken house when they see one? There are many economical as well as horrible coops flooding the market. I know this as I've examined a variety of them in the area, and also seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed pail showed up. The outcome was only a pricey stack of fire wood and a tiny flock of bemused and currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Sale in West Bloomfield, New York
Usually these standardized designs are built of fast grown up wood - come the first decrease of rain they swell, leaving you either barricading a doorway that will not close, or ripping the doorway furnishings off in a vain effort to release the squawking inhabitants. The very first warm and comfortable day indicates the hardwood dries out and also cracks, the really felt roof bubbles and also boils, as well as come nightfall the hens choose not to enter. This is not due to their dissatisfaction at the decline of their as soon as attractive home however since the hovel is now a place for, as well as possibly abounding, the chicken caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly match four large chickens when that stocking density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and just what are you left with? A few joints as well as some kindling. A good coop for thee to 4 birds should cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this can depend on whether you elect for a cost-free standing house or one with a run affixed. Presuming you are varying your birds in a huge area and the pop opening door allows sufficient for the type you maintain, then the primary requirements of real estate come down to three factors which will certainly define the variety of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes as well as air flow. Many breeds of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost at night, this perch should ideally be 5-8cm broad with smoothed off sides so the foot rests comfortably on it. The perch needs to be higher than the nest box entry as chickens will likewise normally seek the acme to perch. A perch below that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is incidentally when they produce the most poo) causing stained eggs the list below day. They shouldn't nonetheless be so high off the flooring of the house that leg injuries can take place when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens require concerning 20cm of perch each (in tiny breeds this is certainly much less), plus if more than one perch is installed in your home they must be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their next-door neighbors yet are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably your home must have a least one nest box for every 3 birds as well as these need to be off the ground and also in the darkest area of your home. Your home must have adequate air flow: without it after that condensation will develop every night, also in the coldest of weather. Realize, air flow works on the principle of warm air leaving through a high gap attracting cooler air in from a lower void - it's not a collection of openings on other walls of the house and at the very same degree, this is what's called a draft. If you have a house with a run connected then the factors above are still real, yet you must also take into consideration the run dimension. The EU maximum lawful equipping density for a cost-free array bird is (and also allow's face it, one of the inspirations for keeping some chickens in your home is perhaps improved or far better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m squared. Take a close look at several of the deal houses - it could well be the house has the appropriate perches, right air flow and also adequate nest boxes for a reasonable variety of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized piece of ground to invest the day on? Therefore as the stating goes, "you get exactly what you pay for". You could assume you've got a bargain, yet you and also your group might rue the day you did. Acquisition the appropriate house and it will certainly last for a few decades, if not longer provided the proper therapy. Eventually your chicken and your poultry maintaining experience will be a lot the far better for it.coops for sale
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