Chicken Coops for Sale in Castanea, Pennsylvania
Chicken Coops for Sale in Castanea, Pennsylvania
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 Out Of Pallets in Castanea, Pennsylvania
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Castanea Pennsylvania" 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 Castanea Pennsylvania chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Castanea, Pennsylvania With the big boost in poultry keeping there has actually been a similarly big rise in the range of chicken materiel for sale. Fowl real estate is a proceedings in factor. It's likewise a classic example of the good old bandwagon being got on as various would-be poultry housing experts peddle an array of lodging asserting to be the perfect remedy to your chicken housing requirements. Often the price looks attractive, your house looks eye-catching, heck even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Certainly they understand a quality chicken house when they see one? There are many inexpensive and also unpleasant coops swamping the marketplace. I recognize this as I've checked a number of them in the field, and also seen a ewe run directly with one when the feed pail showed up. The result was nothing but a pricey pile of fire wood and also a tiny group of bemused as well as now homeless bantams.
Baby Chick Hatcheries in Castanea, Pennsylvania
Generally these standardized versions are created of quick grown wood - come the initial decrease of rain they swell, leaving you either fortifying a doorway that will not close, or tearing the doorway furnishings off in a vain attempt to release the squawking residents. The initial warm day implies the timber dries out and also splits, the really felt roofing system bubbles as well as boils, as well as come nightfall the chickens choose not to enter. This is not as a result of their disappointment at the decline of their when desirable building yet since the hovel is currently a haven for, and also possibly abounding, the poultry caretaker's bane, red mite. Add that it said on the blurb that it would fit 4 big chickens when that stocking thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also just what are you left with? A couple of hinges and some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to 4 birds need to cost you around ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you choose for a totally free standing house or one with a run connected. Thinking you are ranging your birds in a large space and the pop hole doorway is big enough for the type you maintain, then the main needs of real estate come down to 3 factors which will certainly specify the number of birds your home will hold; perches, nest boxes and also air flow. Most types of chicken will certainly perch when they go to roost at night, this perch should preferably be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off edges so the foot sits easily on it. The perch ought to be more than the nest box entry as chickens will certainly also naturally seek the acme 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) bring about soiled eggs the following day. They shouldn't nevertheless be so high off the flooring of the house that leg injuries might take place when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens need about 20cm of perch each (in tiny breeds this is clearly much less), plus if greater than one perch is installed in your house they should be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their neighbors however are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably your house needs to have a the very least one nest box for every single three birds as well as these should be off the ground and in the darkest location of your home. Your home ought to have ample air flow: without it then condensation will certainly develop every night, also in the coldest of weather. Understand, air flow works on the concept of cozy air leaving via a high gap drawing cooler air in from a reduced void - it's not a set of openings on contrary walls of your house and at the exact same degree, this is what's called a draft. If you have a house with a run affixed after that the points above are still true, yet you need to additionally consider the run dimension. The EU optimum legal equipping thickness for a cost-free variety bird is (and let's face it, one of the inspirations for maintaining some hens in the house is perhaps improved or far better welfare) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m squared. Take a close look at some of the bargain residences - it could well be your home has the appropriate perches, proper ventilation and enough nest boxes for a reasonable number of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized piece of ground to spend the day on? And so as the claiming goes, "you get what you pay for". You could assume you've grabbed a deal, however you as well as your group could possibly rue the day you did. Acquisition the right house and it will certainly last for a few decades, if not longer offered the right treatment. In the long run your poultry as well as your poultry maintaining experience will certainly be considerably the much better for it.diy chicken
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