Chicken Coops for Sale in Hollsopple, Pennsylvania
Chicken Coops for Sale in Hollsopple, Pennsylvania
Transform Your Little Tikes Playhouse into a Chicken Coop
When I started pestering my husband about chickens (again), I knew I was fighting an uphill battle. He did not want to spend a bunch of money and time on the construction of a suitable coop. We’d already been down the road of improper chicken housing before, and it wasn’t a road that either of us wanted to travel again. But I really, REALLY wanted to give chicken keeping another try. And I thought that with a little bit of forethought, we could eliminate the challenges we ran into before. For starters, the birds would need enough space. And the coop would need to be easy to clean. And most importantly, the coop would need to be secure. Nothing like coming home to find your chickens walking along the 6′ high wall that surrounds your yard! But to construct this type of set up from scratch would cost quite a bit of money in materials, not to mention all the time and sweat it would take for the hubs to actually BUILD the thing.
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So then I started scouring the internet trying to find the best deal on a “coop in a box”. I had my eye on but the price tag was a bit hefty. (It’s actually on sale for 58% off right now if you happen to be in the market for a pre-fabricated coop!) Not only was the hubs not excited about building a chicken coop, he also wasn’t excited about the idea of another “thing” in the yard. Our yard was already overrun with toys, bikes, gardening tools, a composter, and our very well-loved Little Tikes Playhouse. So as I sat in the yard one spring evening watching the kids play with everything BUT the playhouse, I got to thinking… Why couldn’t we just turn the playhouse into a chicken coop?!?! I didn’t tell hubs about the idea right away. Instead, I began looking at the structure of the playhouse to see if my idea would even work. Guys, I swear, this thing was MADE to become a chicken coop! It had everything we needed! The house is large enough for me to walk inside to rake it out, it has plenty of space for a nesting box, waterer, food, and a roosting bar. And it even came with a little cut out section near the floor (picture a doggy door) so the chickens could access the run we built behind it! I sketched out an idea of the modifications that we would need to make, and I presented my idea to the hubs. Guess what? He went for it! It was PERFECT. The structure was already built. We wouldn’t have to add another “thing” to our already tiny yard, and the best part? It’s totally incognito. No one would EVER suspect chickens were living in the playhouse! That night, I ordered our chicks! So how did we transform the playhouse? Well, let’s take a tour, shall we?
The first thing we did was cover all the openings with garden wire. Hubs had a roll of this laying around from some other project. He used drywall screws to attach the wire to the windows. The coop actually stayed like this for a while. While the chicks were still small, it was best for them to be confined to a smaller space, so not having a run wasn’t an issue.
Next the hubs built the run. You can see the “doggy door” in the bottom left corner…this is how the chickens get in and out of the house. The run is a pretty simple A-frame structure made out of 1″x 1″ pine pieces. The frame was made in sections and the wire was screwed on to each section as it was assembled. The top of the run lifts up so I can climb in and rake out the poo. I just prop it open with an upside down rake and jump on in.
The corners are all secured with these nifty . And the whole top piece is attached to the frame with some thin chains that act as a hinge. Here is a picture of the chains.
The brown plastic covering you see on this window is actually the cover to our sand and water table. The hubs cut it to fit over the largest window to break some of the wind in the winter. He used more drywall screws to attach it to the house.
Inside the coop, we attached a roosting bar (made out of an old broom handle) to the side of the house using a simple scrap of wood to attach it.
Here is a look at one side of the roosting bar. The other side just sits on the “mantle” inside the house.
My favorite part about the coop is the nesting box. Hubs attached a recycling bin to the wall using a couple brackets. It’s the PERFECT size for a comfy chicken laying box. And it’s up high so there’s a little privacy. We did cut it down a bit…chickens are not very bright creatures…they were afraid to go inside when the lip of the box was up higher.
The is hung from the ceiling by a thin chain (to keep the birds from standing on it), and the just sits on the floor. The set up is working BRILLIANTLY for us. The birds are happy and laying an egg per chicken per day (even though it’s winter), and it is all super easy to care for. The best part is that we were able to make this transformation for a whopping $46. I can’t say enough about how awesome chicken are…I’m pretty sure my kiddos would agree! Think you might transform your little tikes playhouse into a chicken coop?
Here is the complete list of materials and tools we used to make our playhouse into a chicken coop. Our chickens have been living in the coop for 8 months, and it’s still holding up great!
Hardware
- , to secure wire to playhouse
- to secure wire to wood frame
- to hang feeder from inside coop
Tools
- – for cutting the wire
- (for pounding staples)
- for cutting 1 1/2″ pieces of wood
Chicken Coop Kits in Hollsopple, Pennsylvania
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Hollsopple 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 Hollsopple Pennsylvania chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Hollsopple, Pennsylvania With the significant increase in poultry maintaining there has actually been an equally large rise in the range of poultry paraphernalia for sale. Chicken housing is a proceedings in factor. It's also a classic example of the good old bandwagon being got on as various prospective fowl housing specialists peddle a range of cottage claiming to be the perfect option to your chicken real estate needs. Frequently the cost looks appealing, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks desirable, heck even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look eye-catching. Certainly they recognize a quality chicken house when they see one? There are numerous cheap as well as nasty cages swamping the market. I understand this as I've examined a number of them in the field, and seen a ewe run directly via one when the feed container showed up. The result was just a pricey pile of fire wood and a small group of bemused and now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Small in Hollsopple, Pennsylvania
Most of the time these standardized designs are constructed of rapid grown up lumber - come the very first decline of rain they swell, leaving you either fortifying a door that won't shut, or ripping the doorway furnishings off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking occupants. The first warm day indicates the lumber dries and fractures, the felt roof bubbles and boils, and come nightfall the hens choose not to go in. This is not due to their dissatisfaction at the decline of their as soon as desirable home however since the hovel is currently a place for, as well as probably crawling with, the chicken caretaker's bane, red mite. Add on that it said on the blurb that it would certainly fit 4 large hens when that stocking thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also just what are you entrusted? A number of hinges and also some kindling. A good coop for thee to 4 birds need to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can depend upon whether you choose for a totally free standing house or one with a run connected. Presuming you are ranging your birds in a huge room as well as the pop opening doorway is big enough for the type you maintain, then the major needs of real estate come down to 3 points which will specify the number of birds your house 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 must ideally be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off edges so the foot sits comfortably on it. The perch ought to be above the nest box entry as chickens will certainly likewise naturally look for the acme to perch. A perch below that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they create one of the most poo) bring about soiled eggs the list below day. They should not however be so high off the floor of your home that leg injuries could happen when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens require about 20cm of perch each (in tiny types this is undoubtedly much less), plus if greater than one perch is set up in the house they should be more than 30cm apart. They will 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 house should have a the very least one nest box for each 3 birds and also these ought to be off the ground and also in the darkest location of your home. The house needs to have appropriate ventilation: without it after that condensation will accumulate every evening, also in the chilliest of weather condition. Know, air flow works with the principle of warm and comfortable air leaving through a high void attracting cooler air in from a reduced void - it's not a collection of holes on opposite walls of your home as well as at the exact same level, this is exactly what's known as a draft. If you have a house with a run connected after that the factors above are still true, yet you ought to additionally take into consideration the run size. The EU optimum lawful stocking density for a free variety bird is (as well as let's face it, one of the inspirations for keeping some hens in your home is potentially enhanced or far better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m settled. Take a close check out several of the deal homes - it could well be your home has the right perches, appropriate ventilation and also enough nest boxes for a reasonable 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 get what you pay for". You might assume you've got a deal, however you and your flock might rue the day you did. Purchase the appropriate house as well as it will certainly last for a few decades, otherwise longer provided the correct treatment. In the end your fowl and your poultry keeping experience will certainly be much the better for it.chickens plans
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