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Chicken Coops for Sale in Smithmill, Pennsylvania

Chicken Coops for Sale in Smithmill, Pennsylvania

Building a Chicken Coop? Avoid These 7 Critical Errors

By Pasha SariLast year I decided to build a chicken coop with my wife. Her and I used to be obese and we decided to evaluate the foods we were eating. We decided that part of us getting even healthier was growing more of our own food and eating organic to avoid the chemicals that build up in our bodies. As part of this we wanted to raise chickens for the healthy eggs. After a little bit more trouble than we had asked for we finally did build a chicken coop. I wish that someone would have told me a long ago what mistakes to avoid.

ERROR #1: Not Planning Before You Build.

When you are ready to build a chicken coop you must plan every aspect of the coop before you even pick up a hammer.To build a chicken coop draw out a plan. Collect all of the materials. Select materials that will be easy to attain, easy to work with and easy to clean up. Plan the functionality of your coop. The doors need to open inwards, not outwards. If you build it the other way with the door opening outwards you chickens will begin roosting on your windows. Your chickens will spend a lot of time in the coop so they need fresh air, designing a coop with sliding windows is a great way to keep them cool in the summer and warm in the summer. When you build a chicken coop you must consider how will you keep the floors clean in your coop. First you will need to cover them with a good material for the chickens to dig and scratch as they naturally do. Hay is, unfortunately, not ideal for this. Second, you should build the coop with the floors slightly sloping towards the door. This way you can spray the hose in the coop and the dirt on the floor easily slides out to the ground below. You will have a clean coop and no puddles of water in the coop.

ERROR #2: Not Giving Your Chickens Proper Ventilation.

Building a chicken coop is to protect your flock. The purpose of your coop is to protect your chickens from the element and outside predators, but you also need to give them proper ventilation. Free movement of air inside the coop is very important, but you do not want to freeze your chickens with a draft. Chickens, are like humans, they can only perform at their optimum levels if all of their basic needs are met first, in this case protection and oxygen. A Chicken coop without free air movement and therefore more oxygen will have high carbon monoxide levels and humidity levels. This is not good because uncomfortable chickens do not produce as many eggs. It is also very dangerous because it makes mold growth within the walls very easy.

ERROR #3: Not Insulating the Walls.

To build a chicken coop properly insulating the walls is very important. The walls of the chicken coop need to have good insulation installed. This will help keep the chickens warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The insulation will also help to keep the coop at optimum humidity levels. When the chickens are kept at the optimum humidity levels they produce more eggs. Insulating the walls will also help to keep the chickens dry. In colder climates when your chickens are dry they can withstand the cold well. Insulating the walls will not only keep your chickens producing eggs but it will prevent your chickens from getting sick.

ERROR #4. Not Putting the Water and the Feeders in the correct place.

If you build a chicken coop, obviously the water and the chicken feeders need to be in a place where your chickens can easily access them. It is important to be very careful in selecting a place to put the water and the feeders. Chickens can make a big mess of things because of their natural instinct to scratch and dig. It is very frustrating to see water and the chicken feed you just put out all over the floor. To prevent this place the feeder and the water at the height of a chicken back. Ideally the chickens will have to stretch their necks up to the food a little bit to eat and drink but they will not be able to place their feet in their food or water. Be sure to replace the water and the chicken feed daily.

ERROR #5 – Not Having a Good Light Source.

Build your chicken coop facing the south so that the coop will receive sunlight throughout the day. For the winter months when the days are shorter and there is less sunlight, it is important to install a light in the coop. This is not difficult. They have lights that you can just stick to the walls at any local hardware store, you do not have to be an electrician, it is as easy as putting a sticker on a paper.Installing this light will be well worth the few dollars you spend to do it. It will keep your chickens warm and happy and keep your egg production up in the winter, when most chicken farmers experience a fall off of production because the chickens get less light and warmth.

Error #6: Not Protecting Your Chickens from the Elements.

Your coop is a haven for your chickens, much like your house is for you. A well constructed chicken coop will protect your chickens from hazardous elements such as bad weather.

Here are the basics for weather proofing your coop:

  1. Make sure the doors and the windows are sealed properly so that they do not let a draft in.
  2. Build the chicken coop on an elevated area where it can be drained easily and the least amount of dampness of the coop.
  3. Build your chicken coop facing the fun sun. This will keep the coop dry after it rains and warm when it is cold out.

ERROR #7: Not Protecting Your Chickens from Predators.

Build a chicken coop not only to protect your flock from the elements and to protect them from predators.

Here are the basics to protect your chickens from predators:

  1. Do not build the coop near brush where other animals may live.
  2. Bury your outside chicken runs with chicken wire. You can lay the wire on the ground and then cover it. This will keep predators such as raccoons, cats and even dogs from digging underneath the run.

 

is fun and easy, but you have to follow these simple steps to avoid big problems in the future. Raising chickens on a farm or in your suburban or urban backyard is a fun experience. Just do not commit these errors.

Article Source:

Chicken coops for sale in Smithmill Pennsylvania can be found in agricultural newspapers and community newspapers. The coops are designed for housing for chickens in a safe and secure environment. They generally consist of a small building or large box that is then sectioned off to smaller boxes where the chickens go to roost (or sleep). Chicken coops are a must for raising chickens. Smithmill Pennsylvania chicken coops are commonly constructed from wood products. They are not very stable buildings and provide only minimal protection from the elements. Now chicken houses used for large production facilities are a entirely different structure, they are huge and can hold up to 10000 chickens. The coops are typically used for backyard operations, or small family farms. They vary in size depending on the number of residents they house. chicken-coops-in-Smithmill-PAFinding chicken coops for sale in Smithmill Pennsylvania is probably not one of the easiest of items to find. There are manufacturers of chicken houses and coops that sell them out right and Smithmill Pennsylvania farm supply stores that they can also be purchased through, but generally speaking it will take some effort to find a chicken coop for sale in Smithmill Pennsylvania, especially if your location is not a typically rural location. In rural locations that are much more abundant and easily had. Chicken Coops for sale in Smithmill PA

Baby Chicks Hatching in Smithmill, Pennsylvania

A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Smithmill 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 Smithmill Pennsylvania chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Smithmill, Pennsylvania With the massive increase in chicken keeping there has actually been an equally large increase in the variety of fowl materiel for sale. Poultry real estate is a case in point. It's likewise a traditional example of the excellent old bandwagon being jumped on as different would-be fowl housing specialists pitch a selection of cottage claiming to be the excellent solution to your chicken real estate needs. Often the price looks appealing, your house looks desirable, heck even the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Undoubtedly they recognize a quality chicken house when they see one? There are lots of low-cost and unpleasant cages swamping the market. I know this as I've tested a variety of them in the area, as well as seen a ewe run straight with one when the feed pail appeared. The outcome was just an expensive stack of firewood and also a tiny flock of bemused and currently homeless bantams. Chickens for sale in Smithmill PA

Chicken Coop Ebay in Smithmill, Pennsylvania

More often than not these mass produced designs are created of fast grown up lumber - come the first decline of rain they swell, leaving you either barricading a doorway that will not close, or tearing the door furnishings off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking inhabitants. The very first warm day suggests the hardwood dries out and cracks, the felt roof bubbles and boils, and also come nightfall the hens refuse to go in. This is not as a result of their disappointment at the decrease of their once appealing home but because the hovel is now a haven for, and also most likely crawling with, the fowl keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add the fact that it claimed 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 also just what are you left with? A number of hinges and some kindling. A good coop for thee to 4 birds should cost you around ₤ 300 though this can depend upon whether you elect for a free standing house or one with a run connected. Presuming you are ranging your birds in a big area and the pop hole doorway allows enough for the breed you maintain, then the major needs of real estate boil down to three points which will specify the variety of birds the house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and also ventilation. Most breeds of chicken will perch when they visit 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 higher than the nest box entrance as chickens will certainly additionally normally search for the acme to perch. A perch below that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is incidentally when they generate one of the most poo) resulting in dirtied eggs the following day. They should not nevertheless be so high off the flooring of your home that leg injuries could occur when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens need concerning 20cm of perch each (in little types this is certainly less), plus if more than one perch is set up in your home they need to be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their neighbors however are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably your house ought to have a the very least one nest box for every 3 birds as well as these must be off the ground as well as in the darkest location of the house. Your home should have sufficient air flow: without it then condensation will develop every evening, even in the coldest of climate. Know, air flow works on the concept of warm air leaving with a high gap drawing cooler air in from a lower void - it's not a set of openings on other walls of the house and also at the exact same level, this is exactly what's known as a draft. If you have a house with a run affixed after that the points above are still real, yet you need to likewise think about the run dimension. The EU optimum lawful stocking density for a cost-free variety bird is (and let's face it, among the inspirations for maintaining some hens in your home is potentially enhanced or far better welfare) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m settled. Take a close check out a few of the deal residences - it could well be your home has the ideal perches, right air flow and also sufficient nest boxes for a sensible number of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? Therefore as the saying goes, "you get just what you spend for". You may assume you've got a deal, yet you as well as your flock can rue the day you did. Acquisition the right house and also it will certainly last for a few years, if not longer provided the appropriate therapy. Ultimately your fowl as well as your chicken maintaining experience will be much the far better for it.
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