Chicken Coops for Sale in Laurys Station, Pennsylvania
Chicken Coops for Sale in Laurys Station, Pennsylvania
Coop Building Basics – Getting Started With Chickens
Keeping chickens is one of the fastest growing hobbies in the US. For those of us who already have them – we certainly know why! These intelligent, intriguing, and amazing avians are worth the expense and the effort. Don’t be fooled – keeping your own flock of birds will entail an expense and a good deal of effort – but it sure is worth it. You want to be one of the winners! Those chickens are relying on you.
Be Prepared
Don’t be part of the impulse crowd…you know the ones who want to join the “homestead” movement for eggs. Do not get chickens because you ONLY want backyard eggs. Chickens are livestock that require 365 days of care, health care, and general attention. Their yard requires upkeep and some carpentry business. Be prepared to provide that care to your birds, and structures, for 6-10 years (the lifespan of most breeds).
Building an attractive and useful barn, ONCE, saves money and unpleasant experiences. Build it right, build it BIG and enjoy the coop for decades! And your neighbors will even be thrilled, especially when they see those free eggs.
Taking the poultry plunge
The secret to being successful with chickens rests (or nests), just as in other adventures, with doing your homework. Chicken raising actually is pretty simple. It really isn’t any different than getting a cat or dog. In fact, if you are getting birds BECAUSE you aren’t ready financially, or time-wise, to acquire a cat or dog… do NOT get chickens. Keeping any animal involves dedication, time, coordinating caretakers (if you leave – even for a day), and maintenance expenses.
Ensure that your zoning laws, and your neighbors, allow poultry keeping. Check local building codes and rules before you begin siting your barn. If you do not live in a rural area be sure the barn’s design is appealing and set away from roads and public view (this may be mandatory as well).
The most expensive eggs you will ever buy…
Yes, indeed, these costly eggs will begin draining your account with the coop itself. How do you build, or buy, a coop that will house your birds, last for decades and provide room for those extra chickens, or other fowl, that are going to appear? Remember coops are all about everyone’s comfort – the birds’ and yours.
Size
The coop must be a minimum of 8×8, or so. Anything less and it will be very claustrophobic and impractical. It will not vent properly, dissipate heat or hold heat – issues that can be deadly to the birds. You need to be able to get in there to clean, feed, fill water buckets, collect eggs and hang out with the birds. The old-fashioned coop in the feature photo shows what coops are supposed to look like. Chickens are active animals that need floor space to roam. Grandma and grandpa knew a thing about housing poultry.
Floor Space
Overcrowded and cramped quarters lead to disaster. Avoid disease, filth, broken eggs, chronic chicken stress, fighting, feather-picking, failure to thrive and low-egg production by providing plenty of space per bird. Chronic stress/unhappy birds = disease outbreaks, fighting, low production. Allowances per bird: The following is for single level roost and floor space needs. You can consider these estimations in relation to how much time your birds will be in the barn. For those living in warm areas, with minimal freeze and lots of range time, you can reduce the space needs as the chickens will only use the barn in inclement weather, for sleeping and egg-laying. Cold weather barns will need to increase the floor space, as birds will be spending several months indoors.
Floor Space:
- Standard and Bantam: 3-4 square feet (Leghorn, Hamburgs, Silkie, Bantam Cochin)
- 2-3 square feet for true bantams (Sebright, Japanese, Games), 8-10 inches per bird See Roosting Note
- Heavy Breeds: 4-5 square feet (Brahma, Cochin, White Giants, Jersey Giants, Malay) 10 inches to a foot
- Cold Winter Regions: 5 square feet per standard and bantam breeds 6 square feet for heavy breeds. Roost space remains the same.
Roosting Note: Roosts can be venues for wrestling and squabbling shows. Be flexible about roost space. Troubleshoot by providing multiple roosting areas, rather than setting the poles all in one spot. Many chickens are more comfortable with a “private” roost area. Do not use ladder styled roost systems – you waste space, and there won’t be enough prime property for the chickens (and they poop on the rungs). Chickens instinctively want to roost as high up as they can. If they can’t “feel safe” you are creating a chronic stress issue.
Think above the floor… Provide levels in your barn. This is very important, as you are housing birds and birds like to go up. The birds will use these shelves and benches and you will notice some of them will spend most of their time there. Make sure you have shelves in front of the windows for the chickens to relax, preen and look out.
Predator protection.
The coop must have an actual foundation with a floor. If your coop is raised on blocks – it already has one! Do not build a structure directly on the ground. Not only will the foundation rot, but predators simply dig under. Put down a floor.
Windows and doors will need heavy-gauge wire framed over any screen. Window and door mesh screens are critical to prevent mosquitoes from entering (“skeeters” are fowl pox vectors), but they offer no protection from predators. Chicken wire is also unsafe, and be sure the mesh openings are small enough to deter mink. Mink will kill every bird in your barn and they can enter an opening small enough for a rat.
Reinforce any area in which mice or rats may, or have, gained access. There presence is unwanted and the damage they do creates access holes for predators. Rats will kill chicks or small birds.
Check for rotting wood, loose features and flashing, evidence of digging – and note any chewing along doors, windows and eaves. Do this once a week, or if you suspect varmints. Never ignore these signs as the predator will be back each night, and it only takes one night to lose your flock. Many keepers set up a game camera to see what is lurking around.
Start Planning for Spring
If you haven’t built your dream coop, it’s never to early to start planning! If you already have a coop up and running, do a predator “check.” As always, leave us your tips and tricks. We love to hear from our readers…keep on cooping!
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Chicken Coop For Sale in Laurys Station, Pennsylvania
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Laurys Station 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 Laurys Station Pennsylvania chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Laurys Station, Pennsylvania With the massive rise in chicken keeping there has actually been an equally large increase in the variety of fowl paraphernalia on sale. Fowl real estate is a situation in point. It's additionally a classic instance of the great old bandwagon being got on as different prospective chicken housing experts pitch an array of cottage declaring to be the suitable solution to your chicken real estate needs. Typically the rate looks appealing, your house looks appealing, heck even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look eye-catching. Surely they understand a high quality chicken house when they see one? There are numerous inexpensive and nasty coops flooding the market. I recognize this as I've checked a number of them in the area, and seen a ewe run straight with one when the feed bucket showed up. The outcome was just a costly pile of fire wood and also a little flock of bemused and also currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Plans For 20 Chickens in Laurys Station, Pennsylvania
Typically these standardized versions are constructed of quick grown up hardwood - come the initial decline of rainfall they swell, leaving you either barricading a door that will not shut, or ripping the door furnishings off in a vain attempt to release the squawking citizens. The first cozy day suggests the hardwood dries as well as fractures, the felt roofing bubbles as well as boils, and also come nightfall the hens choose not to go in. This is not due to their dissatisfaction at the decrease of their when appealing commercial property yet considering that the hovel is now a place for, and also possibly abounding, the chicken keeper's bane, red mite. Add on that it stated on the blurb that it would fit 4 large chickens when that stocking thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as what are you entrusted? A number of hinges and also some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to 4 birds should cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can depend upon whether you choose for a totally free standing house or one with a run affixed. Thinking you are varying your birds in a big area and also the pop hole door allows enough for the type you keep, then the major requirements of real estate boil down to three factors which will define the number of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes as well as ventilation. Most types of chicken will perch when they visit roost at night, this perch needs to preferably be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off sides so the foot sits comfortably on it. The perch ought to be higher than the nest box entrance as chickens will certainly likewise normally look for 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 the most poo) leading to dirtied eggs the list below day. They shouldn't however be so high off the floor of the house that leg injuries might happen when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens require concerning 20cm of perch each (in tiny types this is undoubtedly much less), plus if more than one perch is installed in your home they ought to be greater than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their next-door neighbors yet are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Ideally your home needs to have a the very least one nest box for every single 3 birds and these ought to be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of your house. The house must have adequate air flow: without it after that condensation will build up every evening, also in the chilliest of weather. Understand, air flow works with the concept of cozy air leaving via a high gap attracting cooler air in from a lower void - it's not a set of holes on contrary wall surfaces of the house and also at the exact same degree, this is what's called a draught. If you have a house with a run attached after that the points above are still real, however you should likewise consider the run size. The EU maximum legal stocking thickness for a free range bird is (and also allow's face it, among the inspirations for maintaining some chickens in the house is potentially improved or better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m squared. Take a close check out several of the deal homes - it could well be your house has the best perches, right ventilation and also sufficient nest boxes for an affordable number of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to invest the day on? Therefore as the claiming goes, "you obtain just what you pay for". You could think you've got a deal, but you and also your group might rue the day you did. Purchase the ideal house as well as it will last for a couple of years, if not longer offered the correct therapy. Ultimately your fowl and your fowl keeping experience will certainly be a lot the better for it.build chick
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