Chicken Coops for Sale in Clarkton, North Carolina
Chicken Coops for Sale in Clarkton, North Carolina
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 Easy To Clean in Clarkton, North Carolina
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Clarkton North Carolina" 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 Clarkton North Carolina chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Clarkton, North Carolina With the huge rise in chicken maintaining there has been an equally large increase in the range of fowl materiel for sale. Chicken real estate is a situation in point. It's also a classic instance of the excellent old bandwagon being got on as different prospective fowl housing experts market a selection of holiday accommodation claiming to be the excellent remedy to your chicken housing requirements. Typically the price looks attractive, your house looks appealing, heck also the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Definitely they understand a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are lots of cheap and unpleasant cages swamping the marketplace. I recognize this as I've checked a number of them in the field, and also seen a ewe run directly through one when the feed bucket appeared. The outcome was nothing but a costly heap of fire wood and a tiny flock of bemused and now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Small in Clarkton, North Carolina
Most of the time these standardized designs are created of rapid grown hardwood - come the initial decline of rain they swell, leaving you either blockading a door that won't close, or ripping the doorway furnishings off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking citizens. The very first warm day suggests the timber dries out and splits, the really felt roofing system bubbles and also boils, and come nightfall the hens choose not to go in. This is not due to their dissatisfaction at the decrease of their as soon as eye-catching home however considering that the hovel is currently a sanctuary for, as well as most likely crawling with, the chicken caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add that it said on the blurb that it would certainly suit 4 large hens when that stocking thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and what are you entrusted? A few joints as well as some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to four birds need to cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this could rely on whether you elect for a complimentary standing house or one with a run affixed. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a huge room as well as the pop hole doorway is big enough for the type you maintain, after that the main requirements of housing come down to 3 points which will certainly define the variety of birds the house will hold; perches, nest boxes as well as ventilation. A lot of types of chicken will certainly perch when they go to roost during the night, this perch must preferably be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off sides so the foot rests conveniently on it. The perch ought to be higher than the nest box entry as chickens will certainly additionally naturally seek the acme to perch. A perch less than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is incidentally when they create the most poo) resulting in soiled eggs the following day. They shouldn't however be so high off the floor of your home that leg injuries can occur when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens require concerning 20cm of perch each (in tiny breeds this is obviously less), plus if greater than one perch is mounted in your house they ought to be greater than 30cm apart. They will certainly 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 least one nest box for each 3 birds as well as these must be off the ground and in the darkest location of your house. Your house ought to have appropriate ventilation: without it after that condensation will build up every night, even in the chilliest of weather. Understand, ventilation works with the principle of cozy air leaving via a high space attracting cooler air in from a lower gap - it's not a collection of openings on other wall surfaces of your house as well as at the very same level, this is exactly what's called a draught. If you have a house with a run affixed then the points above are still true, yet you must likewise think about the run dimension. The EU maximum lawful stocking density for a totally free range bird is (and allow's encounter it, among the motivations for keeping some chickens in the house is potentially boosted or better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m settled. Take a close consider several of the deal houses - it could well be the house has the appropriate perches, right air flow and also ample nest boxes for a reasonable variety of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? And so as the saying goes, "you get just what you spend for". You could think you've got a bargain, however you and also your group can rue the day you did. Acquisition the right house and it will last for a couple of years, if not longer given the correct treatment. In the end your chicken and also your chicken maintaining encounter will certainly be much the far better for it.coop chicken
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