Chicken Coops for Sale in Gordonville, Pennsylvania
Chicken Coops for Sale in Gordonville, Pennsylvania
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.
Share this:
Chicken Coop Door in Gordonville, Pennsylvania
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Gordonville 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 Gordonville Pennsylvania chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Gordonville, Pennsylvania With the significant increase in chicken maintaining there has been a similarly big increase in the range of fowl materiel for sale. Chicken housing is an instance in factor. It's also a traditional example of the good old bandwagon being jumped on as numerous potential poultry housing specialists peddle a variety of holiday accommodation asserting to be the perfect remedy to your chicken housing requirements. Typically the cost looks attractive, your house looks eye-catching, hell even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Definitely they recognize a quality chicken house when they see one? There are many inexpensive and horrible coops flooding the market. I understand this as I've examined a variety of them in the field, as well as seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed pail showed up. The result was nothing but a pricey pile of firewood and also a little group of bemused as well as currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Ideas Diy in Gordonville, Pennsylvania
Most of the time these standardized versions are built of quick grown up lumber - come the initial decrease of rain they swell, leaving you either fortifying a doorway that will not shut, or ripping the door furnishings off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking inhabitants. The first cozy day implies the timber dries and splits, the really felt roofing system bubbles and boils, and come nightfall the hens choose not to enter. This is not due to their dissatisfaction at the decline of their when appealing commercial property however since the hovel is now a sanctuary for, and possibly abounding, the poultry caretaker's bane, red mite. Add on the fact that it stated on the blurb that it would match 4 large chickens when that equipping thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also exactly what are you entrusted? A few hinges and some kindling. A good coop for thee to four birds ought to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this could depend on whether you elect for a free standing house or one with a run connected. Thinking you are varying your birds in a large room and the pop hole doorway is big enough for the type you keep, after that the primary needs of real estate boil down to 3 factors which will certainly specify the variety of birds the house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and ventilation. Many breeds of chicken will certainly perch when they go to roost at night, this perch should preferably be 5-8cm broad with smoothed off sides so the foot sits easily on it. The perch needs to be more than the nest box entry as chickens will certainly additionally naturally search for the highest point to perch. A perch below that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they generate the most poo) causing soiled eggs the following day. They shouldn't however be so high off the flooring of your house that leg injuries might take place when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens require concerning 20cm of perch each (in tiny breeds this is undoubtedly less), plus if greater than one perch is mounted in the house they need to 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. Preferably your home must have a least one nest box for each 3 birds and these should be off the ground and in the darkest area of the house. Your house must have sufficient ventilation: without it after that condensation will certainly develop every night, also in the chilliest of climate. Know, air flow works on the concept of warm and comfortable air leaving through a high gap drawing cooler air in from a lower void - it's not a collection of holes on contrary walls of the house as well as at the same level, this is what's referred to as a draught. If you have a house with a run connected after that the factors above are still real, yet you must also take into consideration the run size. The EU optimum legal stocking density for a totally free range bird is (and also allow's encounter it, among the inspirations for maintaining some hens at home is possibly improved or better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m squared. Take a close check out several of the deal homes - it could well be the house has the ideal perches, appropriate ventilation and also enough nest boxes for an affordable number of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized piece of ground to spend the day on? Therefore as the saying goes, "you get just what you pay for". You could believe you've got hold of a bargain, but you and your group can rue the day you did. Acquisition the best house and also it will certainly last for a couple of decades, if not longer offered the right treatment. In the end your fowl as well as your poultry keeping experience will be considerably the better for it.build chicken
More Posts
Chicken Coops for Sale in East Springfield, Pennsylvania
Chicken Coops for Sale in Durham, Pennsylvania
Chicken Coops for Sale in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
Chicken Coops for Sale in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania
Chicken Coops for Sale in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania