Chicken Coops for Sale in Orrtanna, Pennsylvania
Chicken Coops for Sale in Orrtanna, 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 And Run in Orrtanna, Pennsylvania
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Orrtanna 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 Orrtanna Pennsylvania chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Orrtanna, Pennsylvania With the significant boost in poultry maintaining there has actually been an equally huge rise in the variety of poultry paraphernalia on sale. Fowl real estate is a case in point. It's additionally a traditional example of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as different potential poultry real estate professionals pitch a variety of cottage declaring to be the optimal solution to your chicken housing needs. Usually the cost looks attractive, your house looks desirable, hell also the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Undoubtedly they know a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are numerous cheap and also awful cages swamping the market. I understand this as I've checked a variety of them in the area, as well as seen a ewe run directly via one when the feed bucket appeared. The result was nothing but a pricey heap of firewood and also a tiny flock of bemused and currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Kits For 6-8 Chickens in Orrtanna, Pennsylvania
Usually these standardized versions are built of fast grown up lumber - come the first decrease of rain they swell, leaving you either barricading a doorway that won't shut, or ripping the doorway furnishings off in a vain attempt to release the squawking occupants. The first cozy day implies the lumber dries out and fractures, the really felt roof covering bubbles and boils, as well as come nightfall the chickens refuse to enter. This is not because of their frustration at the decrease of their once attractive residential property however since the hovel is currently a sanctuary for, and also possibly abounding, the poultry keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add the fact that it said on the blurb that it would certainly match four large hens when that equipping density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also just what are you left with? A few joints as well as some kindling. A good coop for thee to four birds should cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can depend upon whether you elect for a complimentary standing house or one with a run attached. Assuming you are varying your birds in a large space as well as the pop opening door is big sufficient for the type you keep, after that the major demands of housing boil down to three points which will certainly specify the number of birds your home will hold; perches, nest boxes as well as air flow. A lot of types of chicken will certainly perch when they go to roost during the night, this perch needs to preferably be 5-8cm large with smoothed off edges so the foot sits conveniently on it. The perch needs to be more than the nest box entrance as chickens will certainly also naturally search for the acme to perch. A perch below that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they produce the most poo) leading to dirtied eggs the list below day. They shouldn't nonetheless be so high off the flooring of your house that leg injuries could possibly happen when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens require about 20cm of perch each (in tiny types this is undoubtedly less), plus if greater than one perch is installed in your house they must be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their neighbors but are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Ideally the house ought to have a the very least one nest box for each 3 birds and these should be off the ground and also in the darkest location of the house. The house should have sufficient ventilation: without it then condensation will certainly accumulate every evening, also in the chilliest of weather condition. Know, ventilation works with the concept of warm air leaving via a high gap drawing cooler air in from a reduced void - it's not a set of openings on opposite walls of your house and also at the very same level, this is exactly what's known as a draught. If you have a house with a run attached after that the factors above are still true, however you must also think about the run dimension. The EU maximum lawful stocking thickness for a free array bird is (and also let's face it, one of the inspirations for keeping some hens at home is possibly boosted or better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m made even. Take a close check out some of the deal residences - it could well be the house has the ideal perches, correct air flow and adequate nest boxes for an affordable variety of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything more 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 bargain, yet you as well as your flock could possibly rue the day you did. Purchase the appropriate house as well as it will last for a couple of years, if not longer provided the proper therapy. In the end your fowl and your fowl keeping encounter will be a lot the far better for it.coops coop
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