Chicken Coops for Sale in Shickshinny, Pennsylvania
Chicken Coops for Sale in Shickshinny, Pennsylvania
Adventures in Country Living at Shalom Engedi Farm
We've been raising meat chickens for a few years now and each year we've learned a few things to add to our list of disasters and a few to add to our triumphs.
Let me explain how we started. A few years ago when we lived in the city we built the worlds most expensive chicken coop. You can read about it . In many ways it was fabulous - for 6 chickens. When you get a few more - like 50 meat birds - it won't do at all.
Every summer that we've had chickens at the farm they've been in different pens. We would solve one problem by making a change the next year only to create more problems we didn't anticipate. The first year we used the only pen we had available in the barn but it was a little small for the 60 chickens that lived in it. We figured they would be outside most of the time anyway and it WOULD BE FINE. Leaving the feed in their pen at all times was also a mistake as it caused them to grow too fast. We didn't get the chicks until September which meant they needed 8 weeks to grow to full size which also meant we were getting into wintery weather by the time they left. Oh dear - can you say chicken poop? They were the laziest chickens you ever saw. They hated going outside even though we chased them outside every day. They just sat and got fat and pooped. End of story. By the time they were ready for the butcher we were REALLY happy to get rid of them because the coop was impossible to keep clean. Without enough exercise and with too much food they got so big they had leg problems too so we lost a few birds in the process.
Fast forward to the next spring when we had the great idea to build them a huge pen. You can read about that . It was such a good idea except now we couldn't get them to gain weight because they got TOO MUCH exercise. They didn't have any leg problems though!. After a few extra weeks of feed before we brought them to the butcher we ended up with really yummy but rather scrawny birds. Sigh* I don't think we got close to breaking even when we sold them that year.
So - lets try that again!!! We recently purchased an old dog kennel through Kijiji - it's 5x15 feet and made of chain link with a good sturdy door. We know from our past coops that Overkilled Fort Knox is the way to go. There can be NO WAY for animals to get in or reach in.
We started by wiring the chain link fencing on far more securely than it was originally - we wanted to keep a dog (and others) OUT! We used two 4 foot pieces of hardware cloth on the ground and zip ties to connect them together - slightly overlapping the pieces. This provides a strong bottom so predator animals can't dig under the coop.
Then we wrapped the top edge of the kennel with 3 foot wide hardware cloth - attaching it with zip ties as well. The bottom section is a full sheet of lattice. It covers the hardware cloth on the top and is connected with zip ties again to the frame and the hardware cloth that makes up the floor. The roof is plywood sheets cut to fit so there is a 6 inch overhang ( 4 sheets cut to 6 feet each - the roof is 6 feet wide and 16 feet long) We cut an old tarp to size and stapled it on top. We were going to have the tarp overhang and peg it to the ground but it made the interior too dark. It took some creative cutting to fill in all the little spaces around the door to create a tight fit but with enough space that we could still open the door.
After adding shavings and a waterer we had to solve the problem of feeding 50 starving chickens at once without them killing each other in the process. They get pretty excited when they're hungry. We have multiple feeders but they never seemed enough. I solved the problem by purchasing a new 10 foot eaves trough with ends and screwed some 1 foot pieces of an old 2x4 across the bottom to act as feet - I used four pieces. When it's situated in the middle of the coop the chickens can access it from both sides and finally there is room for everyone to eat. The coop is bright and airy and doesn't smell bad at all...of course I am not really an expert on that subject! There is great air flow, plenty of space but not too much space and it's a safe place for them to spend the night. We also built the coop within sight of the kitchen window so I can keep an eye on them. In past years we let them free range as far as they wanted to - but sometimes they didn't come back. Our losses were just too great so this year they are kept in a large fenced area. They still have access to plants and bugs and sunshine but they don't disappear as someones lunch! So far this year we haven't lost any birds to predators. We also situated the coop in the shade of several large trees. Meatie birds are not that smart and sometimes when it's really hot they will lay in the sun and die of dehydration before they get up and get a drink. | The rake in the picture is my Chicken Encourager - I use it to gently encourage the chickens to leave the coop! |
The fencing we used is something we've also used to fence our vegetable garden. The material is a plastic mesh that comes in 50 foot rolls for less than $15.00. The posts are a little pricey but since they can be easily moved and re-used we thought it was worth it. You may be wondering why the fence is so short - it's only two feet tall. The fencing comes in three foot height as well but the due to a problem in the pricing for the fence posts it was more economical to buy the two foot fencing instead. We've found that our meat birds grow so fast that they don't fly very well. Occasionally one gets out but they never go far and the fence is more to contain them than to keep them safe from predators.
This coop is not going to be used in the winter - it's a little too airy for subzero temperatures but it could be modified in a pinch. Necessity is the Mother of Invention they say! If you can get a good deal on a kennel and shop around or use what you have already have you can make a similar coop and have the fencing like this for under $450.00. If all goes well it should pay for itself this summer and last for many years. The chickens seem to like their new digs and are growing well! Three tries and I think we got it right!! 
Chicken Coop Pinterest in Shickshinny, Pennsylvania
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Shickshinny 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 Shickshinny Pennsylvania chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Shickshinny, Pennsylvania With the substantial increase in poultry keeping there has been a just as big increase in the range of fowl materiel on sale. Chicken housing is a case in factor. It's likewise a classic example of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as numerous prospective chicken housing professionals market a selection of accommodation claiming to be the excellent option to your chicken housing needs. Frequently the rate looks appealing, the house looks desirable, heck even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Definitely they recognize a high quality chicken house when they see one? There are several inexpensive and also horrible coops flooding the marketplace. I know this as I've examined a variety of them in the field, and seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed bucket appeared. The result was just a pricey pile of fire wood and a little group of bemused as well as currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Kits Cheap in Shickshinny, Pennsylvania
More often than not these mass produced models are built of rapid grown up timber - come the very first decrease of rain they swell, leaving you either fortifying a doorway that won't shut, or tearing the doorway furnishings off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking inhabitants. The first warm day suggests the wood dries and also fractures, the felt roof bubbles and also boils, and come nightfall the hens refuse to enter. This is not as a result of their frustration at the decrease of their when eye-catching building but considering that the hovel is currently a place for, and also possibly crawling with, the poultry keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add on that it said on the blurb that it would match four large hens when that equipping thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and just what are you entrusted? A few joints as well as some kindling. A good coop for thee to four birds must cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you elect for a free standing house or one with a run attached. Thinking you are varying your birds in a huge space and the pop hole door allows sufficient for the breed you keep, then the primary demands of housing boil down to three factors which will specify the variety of birds your home will hold; perches, nest boxes and air flow. Most breeds of chicken will perch when they go to roost in the evening, this perch should ideally be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off edges so the foot rests conveniently on it. The perch must be higher than the nest box access as chickens will certainly also normally seek the acme to perch. A perch less than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they produce one of the most poo) leading to soiled eggs the list below day. They should not however be so high off the flooring of your house that leg injuries can occur when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens need about 20cm of perch each (in little types this is obviously less), plus if greater than one perch is mounted in the house they should 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 the house needs to have a the very least one nest box for every 3 birds as well as these should be off the ground as well as in the darkest location of your house. Your house needs to have appropriate air flow: without it after that condensation will certainly accumulate every night, even in the chilliest of climate. Understand, air flow works on the principle of warm air leaving through a high gap attracting cooler air in from a lower gap - it's not a set of holes on other walls of your home as well as at the exact same degree, this is exactly what's known as a draught. If you have a house with a run connected after that the factors above are still real, but you should also consider the run size. The EU maximum lawful equipping thickness for a cost-free variety bird is (and also let's face it, among the motivations for maintaining some hens in your home is possibly improved or far better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m settled. Take a close take a look at several of the bargain houses - it could well be the house has the best perches, right air flow as well as sufficient nest boxes for a practical number of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything greater 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 may assume you've got a deal, but you and your flock could rue the day you did. Acquisition the appropriate house and it will last for a couple of decades, otherwise longer offered the appropriate therapy. In the end your fowl and your fowl maintaining encounter will be considerably the much better for it.chickens chick
More Posts
Chicken Coops for Sale in Armbrust, Pennsylvania
Chicken Coops for Sale in Shermans Dale, Pennsylvania
Chicken Coops for Sale in Connoquenessing, Pennsylvania
Chicken Coops for Sale in Fort Hill, Pennsylvania
Chicken Coops for Sale in Montgomery, Pennsylvania