Chicken Coops for Sale in Lower Salem, Ohio
Chicken Coops for Sale in Lower Salem, Ohio
Make a Thrifty DIY Swingset Chicken Coop
Do you have one of those old A-shaped swingsets rusting in your backyard? If you do, then you have the basis for an awesome swingset chicken coop! (And if you don’t, watch Craigslist – there are frequently people offering them for free to whoever comes to pick them up.) Creativity is key .
When we moved recently we had to leave our wonderful chicken coop behind, since it was attached to the barn. While I drooled over some of , I’m on a pretty tight budget so it was important to use items that I could acquire either cheap or free. Luckily, the house we moved to had some pretty interesting stuff in a shed and an old rusty swingset in the woods.
I don’t have a lot of construction skills but the guy who put up my fence does, and luckily, he was on board with my wacky, freebie-scrounging ideas.
For the price of some labor, some hardware, some chicken wire, and a fancy-dancy hanging chicken waterer, I got a snazzy new coop that keeps my chickens safe and sound.
Here’s what we used:
- A swingset with the swings removed
- 2 pieces of corrugated metal on the top 3/4 plus a strip of it over the top to help weather proof
- Some sheets of plywood for the bottom back of the coop
- A piece of chain link fencing for the bottom in order to keep out predators
- Some old pieces of fence posts for the bottom of the coop to attach the chicken wire and chain link to
- Some lumber for the door
- Chicken wire (It was cheaper than from my local store)
If you’re making a scrounged chicken coop, be creative and see what you components you can find for cheap or free. Because most of the items used were found, this isn’t as much a how-to as it is something to inspire you. Here are some photos so you can see how my coop was assembled.
The Scoop on my Swingset Chicken Coop
The door is very heavy, which adds a layer of security against critters that might try to get in during the night. During the day, I use a bungee to hold the door open in the event of wind so no chickens get squashed. (They’re at the door because they know they’re either getting food or getting out.)
There is also a heavy duty double hinged latch that I fasten with a carabiner at night for an added layer of security. (.)
The bottom is covered with a piece of chain link fencing that is attached to the boards that form the bottom edge of the coop.
My biggest splurge is this hanging 5 gallon water dispenser. It stays much cleaner raised a few inches off the ground, only needs to be refilled every few days, and I used the exisiting hook for a swing to hang it from. (You can – it is a lower price than it was at my local feed store.)
Here’s the interior of theswingset chicken coop. The chickens like to roost on the cross bars on each end, and there is an extra bar from an old closet that was also installed. I used some cubbies from my previous garage for nesting boxes. (I probably should have taken the interior pic before I put the chickens in here to poop on everything. Of course, anyone who has chickens knows that a coop only looks clean for about 10 minutes.)
The coop in all of its glory. I’ll be painting the plywood soon to make it a little prettier.
Thor, our LGD, is happy to follow the chickens around and protect them because he realized they’re like little feathered Pez dispensers, dropping nice little egg treats around the yard for him to enjoy. I lock them in the coop a couple of days per week and that gives us more than enough eggs for our needs. The rest of the eggs get scattered around the yard for a doggie version of an Easter egg hunt. Thor’s a little skinny so the added fat will do him good. You can see him licking his dog lips in the photo below.
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Chicken Coop Tips in Lower Salem, Ohio
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Lower Salem Ohio" 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 Lower Salem Ohio chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Lower Salem, Ohio With the big rise in poultry keeping there has actually been a just as large increase in the array of poultry paraphernalia on sale. Poultry real estate is a case in point. It's also a classic example of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as numerous prospective poultry real estate specialists pitch an array of holiday accommodation declaring to be the ideal remedy to your chicken real estate requirements. Often the rate looks attractive, the house looks attractive, hell also the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Definitely they recognize a high quality chicken house when they see one? There are lots of low-cost and horrible coops flooding the marketplace. I recognize this as I've checked a number of them in the field, and also seen a ewe run straight via one when the feed pail showed up. The result was just a pricey pile of firewood as well as a tiny group of bemused and now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Kits For Sale in Lower Salem, Ohio
Most of the time these mass produced designs are built of quick grown lumber - come the first decline of rain they swell, leaving you either fortifying a door that will not shut, or tearing the door furniture off in a vain effort to release the squawking citizens. The initial warm and comfortable day implies the wood dries and fractures, the really felt roofing system bubbles as well as boils, and come nightfall the chickens refuse to go in. This is not because of their frustration at the decrease of their when desirable commercial property however considering that the hovel is now a sanctuary for, and possibly crawling with, the fowl caretaker's bane, red mite. Add on that it claimed on the blurb that it would fit four big hens when that stocking thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as what are you entrusted? A couple of hinges as well as some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to 4 birds should cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this could rely on whether you choose for a free standing house or one with a run connected. Presuming you are ranging your birds in a large room and the pop hole doorway allows sufficient for the breed you maintain, then the main demands of housing boil down to 3 factors which will define the variety of birds your house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and air flow. The majority of breeds of chicken will perch when they go to roost at night, this perch should ideally be 5-8cm broad with smoothed off sides so the foot rests easily on it. The perch ought to be higher than the nest box entry as chickens will likewise normally look for the acme to perch. A perch below that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is incidentally when they generate one of the most poo) leading to dirtied eggs the following day. They should not nevertheless be so high off the flooring of the house that leg injuries can occur when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens require concerning 20cm of perch each (in tiny breeds this is obviously less), plus if more than one perch is installed in the house they must 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 ahead. Ideally your house needs to have a the very least one nest box for each 3 birds and also these must be off the ground and in the darkest area of the house. Your home ought to have ample air flow: without it after that condensation will certainly build up every night, even in the coldest of weather. Realize, air flow works with the concept of cozy air leaving through a high gap drawing cooler air in from a reduced void - it's not a collection of openings on opposite walls of your house and also at the exact same degree, this is what's called a draft. If you have a house with a run attached then the points above are still real, but you should additionally think about the run size. The EU maximum legal equipping density for a totally free range bird is (as well as allow's encounter it, one of the motivations for keeping some hens at home is possibly improved or better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m made even. Take a close check out a few of the deal homes - it could well be the house has the right perches, correct ventilation and adequate nest boxes for a practical number of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to spend the day on? Therefore as the saying goes, "you obtain what you spend for". You could assume you've got a bargain, however you and also your flock could rue the day you did. Acquisition the best house and also it will certainly last for a few years, if not longer provided the appropriate treatment. Ultimately your poultry and your fowl maintaining encounter will be a lot the much better for it.coop chicken
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