Chicken Coops for Sale in Point Harbor, North Carolina
Chicken Coops for Sale in Point Harbor, North Carolina
Our Finished Chicken Coop
These past few days had us outside enjoying the beautiful weather. One of the jobs I crossed off the list was to clean out our new chicken coop.
Because of our over the past year or so, our family was going through several dozen eggs a week. (I can’t help it – I’m hooked on !)
So last summer we quit “planning” to get our own chickens, and actually did it. The whole family pitched in to build a little abode for our egg-laying beauties. And because we were first-time chicken owners and newbies in all chicken-related topics, we joined and gleaned months worth of ideas, do’s and don’ts, and building plans. (I can’t recommend this site highly enough! If you have the slightest inclination of doing chicken anything, go here and read to your heart’s content.)
It was so helpful to see photos and designs when we were in the planning stages, I thought I’d share pictures of our coop and the hows and whys of what we did.
The chicken coop
Instead of starting from scratch, we bought a small granary from my brother-in-law; about 9’x7′ inside measurements. This gave us about 3 sq. ft. per bird. The coop is nothing fancy really. It isn’t visible from the road and we don’t live in town with neighbors to care about the view from their back window, so we used as much scrap material as possible. Plus we didn’t think the chickens would mind.
So far they haven’t rebelled.
We re-tinned the roof (that’s my honey!) and I got to use the saw sawl to make holes for the windows and vents. You can call me Mrs. Handyman. . .
Inside the chicken coop
Framing the windows and vents was the most time consuming part since the building wasn’t square. We used insulation and vapor barrier for the walls for added moisture protection and warmth because the windchill can get -40 below or more in the winter.
We made the roosting boards parallel and the same height because apparently hens will act like old biddies and fight for the top most board. (Some people’s kids. . .)
We rounded the edges of the roosting boards so it’s easier on the hens’ feet. The boards can be removed for ease of cleaning the poop boards underneath.
Poop boards seemed quite popular among chicken peoples and we’ve quickly learned why. First, chickens poop more when roosting, so the roosting boards are placed above the poop board. This makes clean up as simple as buying a wide sheetrock mudding tool and scraping the droppings into a bucket each day. We then add the droppings to our compost pile.
We originally built a rollaway community nesting box directly underneath the poop board, but the chickens ended up laying eggs everywhere but there. Eventually we added a ‘normal’ set of 12″x12″x12″ nesting boxes and they’re happy campers again.
We decided to use the deep litter method. We spread a bag of wood chips on the floor and because the hens leave most of their droppings on the poop boards, there’s minimal waste on the floor. The chickens like to scratch and fluff the wood chips so it gets stirred up and aerated. This means the coop is less smelly, and there’s only a few minutes of daily cleaning of the boards. If needed, you can add more wood chips throughout the year.
We clean the coop out fully in the spring and fall. So far it’s worked wonderfully.
We nailed a board across the doorway to prevent the rising litter from falling out every time we opened the door.
The feeders are gravity fed. They’re made of PVC pipe with a 90 degree corner and a cap at the end. We like that we can leave for several days at a time and don’t have to worry about having someone come out to do chicken chores for us.
This water stand was Travis’s idea. The hens have a platform to stand on so no matter how high the litter gets, they can reach the water comfortably.
The chicken nipples underneath are another idea shared by BYC that I LOVE. The water doesn’t drip, there is no poop or mud to worry about, and our full grown hens figured it out within 24 hrs. The pails are covered with lids to prevent the water from getting dirty and it lasts for at least a week (we add apple cider vinegar).
When we’re home, we clean them out and give them fresh water every few days.
There’s electricity on the wall above the waterers with a timed light switch. We use bird bath heaters to keep the water from freezing during the winter. We had to add the slanted plywood because the hens were roosting on the pails. (I told you they fought for highest roosting privileges.)
The pop door is a simple design, and it works great. It slides up and down, held in by L shaped boards.
When in the closed position, the hook and eye on the right prevent racoons (or children!) from trying to lift the door from the outside.
We used 1/2″ x 1/2″ hardware cloth to cover the insides of the windows and vents. . .
. . .and plexiglass for the actual windows.
We made sure to have plenty of vents (thanks to sage advice from Pat’s Ventilation Page) and used eyes and rope to open and close them at different heights.
Finally, we added a small lean-to to the side so the hens could come out in the winter. This helps block snow drifts right in front of the pop door, and they can still come out for fresh air and sunshine when they get cabin fever.
It might not win a beauty contest – but there’s something to be said for function-ability Hope this gave you some ideas!
What have you done to your chicken coop? We’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions!
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Baby Chicks Hatching in Point Harbor, North Carolina
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Point Harbor 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 Point Harbor North Carolina chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Point Harbor, North Carolina With the big boost in chicken keeping there has been a just as big increase in the array of fowl stuff for sale. Chicken real estate is a case in factor. It's additionally a traditional example of the excellent old bandwagon being got on as different prospective fowl housing professionals peddle a range of holiday accommodation declaring to be the ideal option to your chicken housing demands. Often the rate looks appealing, the house looks appealing, hell even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Undoubtedly they understand a high quality chicken house when they see one? There are numerous affordable and unpleasant coops swamping the marketplace. I know this as I've checked a variety of them in the field, as well as seen a ewe run straight with one when the feed bucket showed up. The outcome was only an expensive pile of firewood and also a tiny flock of bemused and currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop And Run in Point Harbor, North Carolina
Most of the time these standardized versions are created of fast grown wood - come the first decrease of rain they swell, leaving you either defending a door that will not shut, or ripping the door furniture off in a vain attempt to release the squawking inhabitants. The first warm day indicates the hardwood dries and cracks, the felt roofing bubbles and also boils, as well as come nightfall the hens choose not to enter. This is not as a result of their frustration at the decrease of their when eye-catching property yet due to the fact that the hovel is currently a haven for, as well as possibly abounding, the poultry keeper's bane, red mite. Add on that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly match 4 big hens when that stocking density was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also what are you entrusted? A number of joints as well as some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to 4 birds should cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this could depend on whether you choose for a complimentary standing house or one with a run attached. Presuming you are varying your birds in a large area and also the pop hole door is big sufficient for the breed you maintain, then the primary demands of housing boil down to 3 factors which will certainly define the variety of birds your home will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and also air flow. A lot of breeds of chicken will perch when they visit roost at night, this perch ought to 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 entrance as chickens will additionally naturally look for the highest point to perch. A perch below that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they create one of the most poo) causing dirtied eggs the list below day. They should not however be so high off the floor of your house that leg injuries might happen when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens require about 20cm of perch each (in little types this is undoubtedly much less), plus if greater than one perch is mounted in your home they need to be greater 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. Preferably your house ought to have a least one nest box for every three birds as well as these should be off the ground and also in the darkest area of the house. Your house should have appropriate air flow: without it then condensation will certainly develop every night, also in the chilliest of climate. Be aware, ventilation deals with the principle of cozy air leaving via a high gap attracting cooler air in from a reduced gap - it's not a set of holes on contrary wall surfaces of your home and also at the same degree, this is exactly what's known as a draft. If you have a house with a run affixed then the points above are still real, yet you must likewise consider the run dimension. The EU maximum legal stocking thickness for a totally free array bird is (and let's face it, among the inspirations for keeping some chickens in your home is potentially enhanced or better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m squared. Take a close check out some of the bargain residences - it could well be your house has the best perches, correct ventilation and also enough nest boxes for a sensible number of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized item of ground to spend the day on? Therefore as the saying goes, "you obtain what you pay for". You may believe you've grabbed a bargain, but you as well as your flock might rue the day you did. Purchase the ideal house as well as it will last for a few decades, if not longer offered the correct therapy. Eventually your fowl and also your poultry keeping encounter will certainly be much the better for it.chick build
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