Chicken Coops for Sale in Soper, Oklahoma
Chicken Coops for Sale in Soper, Oklahoma
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 Large in Soper, Oklahoma
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Soper Oklahoma" 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 Soper Oklahoma chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Soper, Oklahoma With the big rise in chicken keeping there has been a similarly huge rise in the range of chicken stuff on sale. Poultry housing is a proceedings in factor. It's likewise a classic instance of the good old bandwagon being got on as various prospective poultry real estate experts market a range of holiday accommodation declaring to be the suitable solution to your chicken real estate requirements. Usually the price looks appealing, the house looks appealing, heck even the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Definitely they know a quality chicken house when they see one? There are many economical and unpleasant cages flooding the marketplace. I recognize this as I've tested a variety of them in the area, as well as seen a ewe run directly through one when the feed bucket showed up. The result was just a costly heap of fire wood as well as a small group of bemused and also currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Easy To Clean in Soper, Oklahoma
Usually these mass produced models are constructed of rapid grown wood - come the very first decrease of rainfall they swell, leaving you either barricading a doorway that won't close, or ripping the door furnishings off in a vain effort to launch the squawking inhabitants. The very first warm day suggests the timber dries out and also fractures, the really felt roof bubbles and also boils, and come nightfall the hens refuse to go in. This is not due to their disappointment at the decrease of their when desirable property but because the hovel is currently a sanctuary for, as well as most likely abounding, the fowl keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add on that it claimed on the blurb that it would match four big chickens when that stocking thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and exactly what are you entrusted? A number of hinges and also some kindling. A decent coop for thee to 4 birds must cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this could depend upon whether you elect for a totally free standing house or one with a run connected. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a huge space and also the pop hole door is big sufficient for the type you keep, after that the major requirements of real estate come down to 3 points which will certainly define the number of birds the house will hold; perches, nest boxes as well as air flow. Most breeds of chicken will perch when they go to roost at night, this perch ought to preferably be 5-8cm large with smoothed off edges so the foot rests comfortably on it. The perch needs to be more than the nest box entrance as chickens will certainly also naturally seek the highest point to perch. A perch lower than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is incidentally when they produce one of the most poo) leading to stained 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 early morning. Chickens need about 20cm of perch each (in tiny types this is obviously much less), plus if more than one perch is set up in your house they must be more 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 ought to have a least one nest box for each 3 birds and also these ought to be off the ground and also in the darkest location of the house. Your house ought to have ample ventilation: without it after that condensation will build up every night, even in the coldest of weather. Know, ventilation works with the concept of cozy air leaving through a high gap drawing cooler air in from a reduced space - it's not a set of openings on contrary wall surfaces of your home and at the exact same level, this is exactly what's known as a draft. If you have a house with a run connected then the factors above are still real, however you ought to additionally consider the run size. The EU maximum lawful equipping thickness for a complimentary range bird is (and let's face it, among the inspirations for keeping some chickens at home is perhaps improved or better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m squared. Take a close look at a few of the deal residences - it could well be your house has the right perches, proper air flow as well as ample nest boxes for a sensible number of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? Therefore as the stating goes, "you get just what you pay for". You could assume you've got a deal, however you and your group can rue the day you did. Acquisition the right house as well as it will certainly last for a couple of years, if not longer offered the proper therapy. Ultimately your poultry and your poultry keeping encounter will certainly be considerably the far better for it.chick chick
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