Chicken Coops for Sale in East Freedom, Pennsylvania
Chicken Coops for Sale in East Freedom, Pennsylvania
Changes in the Chicken Coop
Courtesy of Natalie Honan
Changes in the Chicken Coop
By Natalie Honan
Many students have realized in passing that the chicken coop has been looking a bit more crowded than usual. Recently, a group of new chickens were introduced into the current chicken habitat south of the Grove House.
Six chickens, who originally lived off campus, were about to become homeless, when Teddy Menard PZ’16 volunteered to house the chickens at Pitzer. To make room for these new birds, members of the Garden Club built a chicken coop which was located in the grove and backed onto the fence surrounding Harvey Mudd’s field.
During a Garden Club meeting, Jim Miller PZ ’18 and Gabe Elliot PZ ’18 spontaneously volunteered to assume some caregiving responsibilities for the new group of chickens.
“Our basic duties were just to make sure that they had food and water and to collect their eggs. We also wanted to spend some time with them because even a little human companionship can brighten up their day,” Elliot said.
The new chickens were content in their original home in the orchard until one night, when a creature made its way into the coop and ate one of the chickens. Apparently, a long tree which extended over and around the coop allowed for an unknown animal to enter the chickens’ habitat.
After the first attack, Miller and Elliot decided to confine the chickens into the physical structure within their coop to try to keep them safe. Once the chickens were inside, rocks were placed against the exit as to keep the chickens in and the killer out.
However, after two days had passed, one morning students discovered the rocks had been moved and another chicken was found dead.
Miller and Elliot are guessing the creature was either a raccoon or a bobcat. The creature was nimble enough to remove all the rocks out of place, pointing to a raccoon. However, bobcats are physically stronger and could slaughter a chicken a lot easier than a raccoon might have.
“We’ll just call it the creature,” Elliot said.
Menard also speculated that whatever the creature was, it had to be able to climb a very tall fence, strong enough to kill a chicken, and agile enough to break into the hutch.
“To get up the fence, the creature would have had to climb seven or eight feet and then climb down the tree into the hutch. So maybe it was something small, like a fox,” Menard said.
Many animals have been wandering towards more urban settings as a result of the drought wiping out food sources in their natural habitats.
To keep the remaining chickens safe from the creature, the Garden Club decided to relocate the chickens into the original chicken coop. Miller and Elliot explained that the group did not initially want to combine the flocks, due to the dangers of discord and disease within the two chicken populations.
“They grew up separately, they each have their own defined pecking orders and by putting them together, we were worried that they would fight to try and establish dominance over each other,” Elliot said.
“There’s also the issue of disease. One flock of chickens is used to a different set of germs, bacteria, and parasites than the other. So when you introduce them together, there’s the risk that one group will not have built an immunity that the other one has,” Miller added.
Regardless, the creature was a more direct and guaranteed threat to the safety of the chickens than the risks that came with combining the flocks. Left with no other choice, the Garden Club moved the four remaining chickens of the newer flock in with Pitzer’s original flock.
Upon first introducing the two flocks to each other, the chickens were met with some disagreement. The chickens did not socialize with each other and chased each other around when they were fed.
“There were definitely cliques formed, they did not get along. The original chicken flock would hang out closer to Mead and the other one would stay in their separate corner,” said Miller.
Miller and Elliot stated they believe the main reason for the preliminary conflict was limited space in the small tree in which most of the chickens sleep.
“There were complaints from people in Mead about all the noise the chickens were making because the chickens were fighting in the morning,” Elliot said, “This probably had to do with them all getting out of the tree in an orderly fashion.”
With time, the chickens are slowly growing more comfortable with each other. According to Elliot and Miller, they chickens have started mingling with each other. Menard reported not seeing chicken feathers (an indication of chicken violence) or hearing as much squabbling.
“I think overall it was a good transition, I think they’re safer and hopefully happier. Although, they are missing two of their comrades,” Elliot said.
Currently, members of the Garden Club are planning to expand the size of the coop as well as the housing structure to eventually have the capacity for up to 20 chickens.
Miller and Elliot both said the chickens play an important role in “bringing joy to the community.” They like to think of the chickens as the celebrities of Pitzer College. Menard added that the chickens “give students a special chance to engage with their campus.”
“They’re a very unique and interesting opportunity to express responsibility. The opportunity to have a relationship with the chickens is also important” Menard said.
Moreover, the chicken coop adds visual appeal to the grounds. The chickens are a highlight of the admissions tours and to school visitors.
“It’s a lovely space. The chicken coop is very old. It’s on display and very visible, so I think aesthetically it plays a very important role,” Menard said.
They also provide eggs for the Pitzer Food Collective and other Pitzer students.
Elliot and Miller wanted to dedicate this article to the first chicken who was slaughtered, “R.I.P. Mona.”
Chicken Coop Build in East Freedom, Pennsylvania
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in East Freedom 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 East Freedom Pennsylvania chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in East Freedom, Pennsylvania With the big increase in poultry keeping there has been a similarly big increase in the range of poultry stuff for sale. Chicken real estate is a case in factor. It's additionally a traditional example of the good old bandwagon being jumped on as various would-be chicken housing specialists market an array of cottage asserting to be the ideal remedy to your chicken housing demands. Frequently the cost looks attractive, your house looks desirable, heck even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Certainly they recognize a professional chicken house when they see one? There are numerous cheap as well as awful cages flooding the market. I recognize this as I've tested a variety of them in the field, as well as seen a ewe run straight via one when the feed container showed up. The result was nothing but an expensive stack of firewood and a tiny flock of bemused as well as now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Designs in East Freedom, Pennsylvania
More often than not these mass produced designs are built of quick grown wood - come the very first decline of rain they swell, leaving you either defending a doorway that won't close, or ripping the doorway furniture off in a vain attempt to release the squawking inhabitants. The initial warm and comfortable day indicates the hardwood dries and also fractures, the really felt roof bubbles and boils, and come nightfall the chickens refuse to go in. This is not as a result of their dissatisfaction at the decline of their once eye-catching residential property however because the hovel is currently a sanctuary for, as well as possibly abounding, the chicken caretaker's bane, red mite. Add that it claimed on the blurb that it would certainly suit four big chickens when that equipping density was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also just what are you left with? A few joints and also some kindling. A good coop for thee to four birds ought to cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this could depend on whether you elect for a cost-free standing house or one with a run connected. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a large room and also the pop opening door allows enough for the type you keep, after that the primary requirements of housing boil down to 3 factors which will define the number of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes and air flow. A lot of breeds of chicken will perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch should ideally be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off sides so the foot rests easily 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 below that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they generate one of the most poo) bring about soiled eggs the list below day. They should not nevertheless be so high off the flooring of your home that leg injuries can occur when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens need regarding 20cm of perch each (in little breeds this is obviously much less), plus if more than one perch is mounted in the house they must be more than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their next-door neighbors yet are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Preferably your house needs to have a the very least one nest box for every single 3 birds and also these must be off the ground and also in the darkest location of your home. Your home ought to have ample air flow: without it after that condensation will build up every night, even in the coldest of climate. Realize, ventilation works on the concept of cozy air leaving with a high space attracting cooler air in from a reduced space - it's not a collection of holes on other walls of the house and at the very same degree, this is exactly what's called a draft. If you have a house with a run affixed after that the factors above are still real, but you ought to also consider the run size. The EU maximum lawful equipping thickness for a cost-free range bird is (and also allow's face it, among the motivations for keeping some hens at home is possibly boosted or much better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m made even. Take a close consider some of the deal homes - it could well be your home has the right perches, appropriate ventilation and sufficient nest boxes for a reasonable number of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized piece of ground to spend the day on? And so as the saying goes, "you get what you pay for". You might assume you've got a bargain, but you and also your flock can rue the day you did. Purchase the right house and also it will last for a couple of decades, otherwise longer given the appropriate therapy. Ultimately your fowl as well as your chicken keeping encounter will be considerably the much better for it.chicken chick
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