Chicken Coops for Sale in Utica, Pennsylvania
Chicken Coops for Sale in Utica, Pennsylvania
How To Set Up Your Chicken Coop
Often when people buy chickens from us they’ve never owned poultry before therefore I usually find myself explaining the basics of operating a healthy and effective coop. As I grew up on a farm much of it is second nature but many city folk are unsure of just whats involved. The easiest and quickest way to get the message across is to take them on a tour of our back section to see how everything in our coop has be arranged.
The important aspects I talk about are:
Feed …
Because chickens grow so fast I use larger feeders as soon as possible. If you are raising them from day one there are feeders available that have been designed to cover the first couple of weeks. After that one on an adjustable rope works well as its just a matter of raising the height from time to time as the chickens grow. To get the best results it needs to be kept high enough to be accessible but not too low as to allow litter and droppings to be scratched into it. As can be seen in the photo above an off cut of PVC down pipe with holes drilled through it works well as a cheap grit feeder. Commercial feeds normally have grit added however I wonder if its sufficient as our hens regularly go through a 2 kilo bag of crushed oyster shell.
Feeding guide …
Day old to 6 -8 weeks … chick starter crumbles. 8 – 14 weeks … pullet grower or similar. 14 weeks onward … regular chook feed. 18 – 20 weeks or just prior to the commencement of laying … oyster shell grit.
Don’t over do the kitchen scraps as the nutritional value from these is fairly low. If they are fed as a substitute for a properly balance diet egg production will suffer.
Water …
Its important to have a plentiful supply of good clean water at all times. Hens don’t drink much at anyone time but they do drink often and even more so during spring and summer when air temperatures increase. I always leave the coop door open when our hens free range as they can get cool water whenever they need it. Hens drinking dirty contaminated water from containers and puddles is a recipe for disease.
If its not clean enough for you to drink you shouldn’t give it to your hens.
As shown above I prefer to used a fixed water container as the hanging versions leak and spill water when knocked. Its easily removed for cleaning and is installed in such a way to prevent debris getting into it.
Perches …
Chickens have a natural instinct to perch therefore it important to provide good sturdy perches. The ones in our coup are about 5cm square and have the sharp edges taken off to make them more chicken friendly. Tree branches of a similar diameter also work well if they are reasonably straight. The perches shown above are approximately 50cm and 80cm above the floor however I set them at lower levels when I first introduce 3 to 4 week old chicks. They should be fixed securely to the coop walls whilst being easily removable for cleaning.
Even when I have day old chicks under lights I provide perches as its a habit that I want them to learn as soon as possible because it makes my job so much easier. There’s no space on my daily to do list for cleaning dirty nesting boxes and eggs. Perch space per bird should be about 20cm.
Without suitable perches hens will perch on what ever is handy namely nesting boxes, feeders and the like or they will crowd into a corner of a coop. The end result will be a hard mound of droppings which will ultimately end up in feathers on claws then into nesting boxes and subsequently onto eggs. Correctly positioned perches eliminates crowding, flighty hens, dirty eggs and ensures your hens will be more relaxed and manageable.
Like all females of the species they need to be pampered. My other half constantly reminds me that I pay more attention to our Flora’s that I do to her. Its not true of course !!
Nesting boxes …
For me keeping hens is all about egg production therefore when we I invested extra time and effort into creating workable nesting boxes.
- One nesting box for every 4 hens, wonder why sometimes as they all seem to lay in the same box.
- Easily accessible for me from the outside.
- Easily accessible for the hens from the inside.
- Removable for easy cleaning.
- Spacious … 40cm height x 40cm width x 40cm depth or thereabouts.
- Weather proof.
- 10cm lip at the front to keep shavings and eggs in.
When introducing young chickens I keep the boxes closed off until near the time when they will start laying. This is to ensure that they use the perches rather than sleeping in and fouling the boxes. As mentioned previously this means only one thing, dirty eggs.
Deep litter …
We use a deep litter system as it makes for easy maintenance and reduces the need to be continually cleaning chicken manure out of the coop. Simply put the floor is covered with a 10cm layer of untreated wood shavings which is raked over every few days. A more detailed explanation of this concept can be .
Access – easy and straight forward …
- Human sized entry, applicable if you need a large coop.
- Removing old litter is almost effortless, especially when I have to work the camera !
- Predator proof entry- exit.
A user friendly coop ensures that keeping hens doesn’t become just another unwanted chore so build or buy wisely.
Chicken House in Utica, Pennsylvania
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Utica 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 Utica Pennsylvania chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Utica, Pennsylvania With the huge increase in chicken maintaining there has actually been a just as large surge in the variety of chicken stuff on sale. Poultry housing is an instance in point. It's also a traditional instance of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as different would-be poultry housing specialists pitch an array of cottage declaring to be the ideal solution to your chicken housing demands. Typically the cost looks eye-catching, the house looks desirable, hell also the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Surely they understand a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are many inexpensive and also unpleasant coops flooding the marketplace. I recognize this as I've examined a number of them in the field, and also seen a ewe run straight with one when the feed container appeared. The result was just a costly pile of fire wood and a small flock of bemused and also currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Run in Utica, Pennsylvania
More often than not these standardized versions are built of rapid grown hardwood - come the first decline of rain they swell, leaving you either blockading a doorway that will not shut, or tearing the door furniture off in a vain effort to launch the squawking inhabitants. The initial warm day suggests the wood dries and also fractures, the really felt roofing bubbles and boils, and also come nightfall the hens refuse to go in. This is not due to their frustration at the decrease of their once eye-catching property however since the hovel is currently a haven for, and also probably abounding, the poultry keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add on that it stated on the blurb that it would suit four huge hens when that stocking density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as what are you left with? A number of joints and some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to four birds need to cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you elect for a free standing house or one with a run connected. Thinking you are ranging your birds in a huge area and the pop opening doorway is big enough for the breed you keep, after that the primary demands of housing boil down to three points which will define the number of birds your home will hold; perches, nest boxes and ventilation. Many breeds of chicken will perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch ought to preferably be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off edges so the foot sits easily on it. The perch should be above the nest box entrance as chickens will additionally normally look for the highest point to perch. A perch lower than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they produce the most poo) causing stained eggs the following day. They shouldn't however be so high off the floor of your home that leg injuries might take place when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens need about 20cm of perch each (in little breeds this is obviously much less), plus if greater than one perch is installed in the house they need to be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their next-door neighbors however are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Preferably your house should have a least one nest box for every 3 birds and these should be off the ground and in the darkest area of your home. The house should have appropriate air flow: without it after that condensation will build up every evening, also in the coldest of climate. Be aware, air flow works with the principle of warm air leaving via a high gap attracting cooler air in from a reduced void - it's not a collection of holes on other wall surfaces of the house and also at the very same degree, this is exactly what's referred to as a draught. If you have a house with a run attached after that the factors above are still real, however you need to likewise think about the run dimension. The EU maximum lawful stocking density for a cost-free range bird is (and also let's encounter it, one of the motivations for keeping some hens in your home is perhaps enhanced or much better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m made even. Take a close consider a few of the deal houses - it could well be the house has the right perches, proper ventilation and sufficient nest boxes for a practical 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 saying goes, "you get exactly what you pay for". You could think you've got hold of a bargain, however you and your group could rue the day you did. Acquisition the right house as well as it will certainly last for a few decades, otherwise longer provided the correct treatment. Eventually your fowl as well as your fowl maintaining encounter will certainly be much the far better for it.plan coop
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