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Chicken Coops for Sale in Springboro, Ohio

Chicken Coops for Sale in Springboro, Ohio

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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I’m Paula - like many of you I wear a lot of hats. Child of God, wife of 19 years, mother of 5 earthly children (and another on the way), reluctant cook, chocolate-snatcher, and health and fitness coach at . Various family health issues including Lyme disease and candida has turned me into a 'researcher' with a passion for understanding how our God-created bodies thrive or deteriorate based on what we put in it.

Latest posts by Paula ()

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Chicken coops for sale in Springboro Ohio can be found in agricultural newspapers and community newspapers. The coops are designed for housing for chickens in a safe and secure environment. They generally consist of a small building or large box that is then sectioned off to smaller boxes where the chickens go to roost (or sleep). Chicken coops are a must for raising chickens. Springboro Ohio chicken coops are commonly constructed from wood products. They are not very stable buildings and provide only minimal protection from the elements. Now chicken houses used for large production facilities are a entirely different structure, they are huge and can hold up to 10000 chickens. The coops are typically used for backyard operations, or small family farms. They vary in size depending on the number of residents they house. chicken-coops-in-Springboro-OHFinding chicken coops for sale in Springboro Ohio is probably not one of the easiest of items to find. There are manufacturers of chicken houses and coops that sell them out right and Springboro Ohio farm supply stores that they can also be purchased through, but generally speaking it will take some effort to find a chicken coop for sale in Springboro Ohio, especially if your location is not a typically rural location. In rural locations that are much more abundant and easily had. Chicken Coops for sale in Springboro OH

Chicken Coop in Springboro, Ohio

A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Springboro 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 Springboro Ohio chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Springboro, Ohio With the big boost in poultry maintaining there has actually been a just as huge rise in the array of fowl stuff for sale. Chicken real estate is an instance in point. It's likewise a timeless example of the good old bandwagon being jumped on as different prospective fowl housing experts pitch an array of accommodation asserting to be the excellent remedy to your chicken real estate demands. Commonly the rate looks appealing, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks desirable, heck even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Surely they know a professional chicken house when they see one? There are lots of inexpensive and also nasty cages swamping the market. I recognize this as I've tested a variety of them in the field, and seen a ewe run directly with one when the feed container showed up. The result was nothing but an expensive stack of fire wood and a little flock of bemused and also currently homeless bantams. Chickens for sale in Springboro OH

Chicken Coop Tips in Springboro, Ohio

Typically these mass produced models are created of quick grown up lumber - come the very first drop of rainfall they swell, leaving you either barricading a doorway that will not shut, or ripping the door furniture off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking inhabitants. The first warm and comfortable day indicates the timber dries as well as cracks, the felt roof covering bubbles and boils, and also come nightfall the chickens refuse to enter. This is not due to their disappointment at the decline of their as soon as attractive property yet because the hovel is currently a sanctuary for, and possibly abounding, the poultry caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add the fact that it said on the blurb that it would suit 4 big hens when that equipping density was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and exactly what are you entrusted? A couple of hinges and some kindling. A decent coop for thee to 4 birds ought to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you choose for a totally free standing house or one with a run affixed. Presuming you are ranging your birds in a big space and also the pop opening doorway allows sufficient for the breed you maintain, then the main demands of housing boil down to 3 factors which will specify the variety of birds the house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes as well as ventilation. The majority of breeds of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch needs to ideally be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off edges so the foot rests comfortably on it. The perch ought to be higher than the nest box entrance as chickens will certainly additionally naturally try to find the highest point to perch. A perch less than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they produce one of the most poo) bring about dirtied eggs the following day. They shouldn't nevertheless be so high off the floor of your house that leg injuries can occur when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens need concerning 20cm of perch each (in little types this is undoubtedly much less), plus if greater than one perch is mounted in the house they must be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their neighbors yet are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Ideally your house should have a least one nest box for every single three birds as well as these ought to be off the ground and in the darkest location of your house. Your house should have appropriate air flow: without it then condensation will accumulate every night, even in the coldest of weather. Realize, air flow works with the concept of warm air leaving through a high gap drawing cooler air in from a lower space - it's not a collection of openings on opposite wall surfaces of the house and at the very same degree, this is just what's referred to as a draught. If you have a house with a run attached then the factors above are still true, yet you ought to also take into consideration the run size. The EU maximum legal stocking density for a totally free variety bird is (and also allow's encounter it, among the motivations for keeping some chickens in your home is possibly enhanced or much better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m made even. Take a close take a look at several of the bargain houses - it could well be your home has the right perches, proper ventilation and also adequate nest boxes for a practical number of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? And so as the claiming goes, "you obtain what you pay for". You may assume you've grabbed a bargain, yet you and your flock might rue the day you did. Acquisition the best house and also it will certainly last for a few decades, if not longer provided the correct therapy. Ultimately your fowl and your fowl maintaining encounter will certainly be considerably the better for it.
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