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Chicken Coops for Sale in Witmer, Pennsylvania

Chicken Coops for Sale in Witmer, Pennsylvania

Tropical Chicken Coop Construction – Ch.1

Tropical Chicken Coop Construction – Ch.1

January 9, 2011 by in , , with

I have been helping our friends build a chicken coop so that they can start raising there own hens and producing their own eggs. The week before I helped them build a compost pile so that they could start composting their yard waist on a larger scale, now we move into coop development. After researching different designs and methods for building a coop I decided to go with one that would fit well in the tropics. Much like San Diego, you don’t have to worry about  a freeze or the chickens getting to cold, however you do need to be concerned with other natural elements like predators, tropical rain storms, gusty winds and too much heat. Taking this into consideration  I designed a coop that would protect the hens from the elements, yet be opened up enough to allow a breeze and shade for the hens to grow in.

Chicken Coop Design

Chicken Coop Plans

The structure of the coop is 4x8x8. It is 4 ft wide by 8ft long and 8ft high at its highest point. The floor of the hen house is three feet off of the ground. There is a thatched roof covering the length of the coop to keep out the rain and sun. The roofs highest point is at 8ft (in the center) dropping down to 6ft on the front side, and 7ft  on the back side. This allows for a consistent air flow throughout the coop

Chicken Coop Plans (Side Views)

I designed the coop on paper, worked out the measurements and then we started putting it together after we picked up the supplies. As expected we made a few adjustments as we began to put the coop together to fit the surroundings a little better. One thing that I didn’t keep in mind was the slope that we would be working on, this eventually elevated the ‘run’ side a little more giving the hens an extra 6 inches to play around in.

Chicken Coop Supplies (So Far)

  • 3  4×8′ 1/2″ pieces of plywood
  • 20  2x4x8′ studs
  • 12 2x2x8′ studs
  • 1 6x2x8′ stud
  • 2 4×8′ roofing sheets
  • 1 4×50′ roll of chicken wire
  • 1 box 3.5″ screws
  • 1 box 2″ screws
  • 6 hinges
  • 3 latches
  • 4 cinder blocks

Chicken Coop Structure

Putting up the Frame

After we picked a location by the mango tree, the first thing that we did was put together the frame. This would be our skeleton if you will, everything else would be built off of the frame. As mentioned before the frame of the structure is 4ft wide by 8ft long. We put 6ft posts on the front side, 7ft posts on the back side, and two 8ft posts on the ends (for the roof). Notice the cinder blocks used to give us a level playing field, not the prettiest look, this is something that we will fix up as we finish the project.

Chicken Coop Construction

Putting Up the Walls

After we got the frame up we started to work on the hen house itself, this is where then hens will go to lay their many eggs in the future. We closed off the floor and the back wall first because these are permanent, no doors or latches needed. In this picture you can see that we also added a few more frame pieces for the roof, this was because of the type of roofing that we decided to go with. You will be able to see why when we finish.

Hen House Layout

Building the Hen House

Once we put in the permanent walls and floor we began building the doors that would allow us access into the hen house for cleaning and feeding. This front door section will open up giving us plenty of room to work around the hen house.

Nesting Boxes

The Nesting Boxes

The Nesting Boxes came next on our plans. We decided to do two rows of boxes 4 boxes deep. This gives us a total of 8 nesting boxes. Each box is 12″x12″12″. We started the bottom row 6 inches off of the floor and the next row 12 inches above that. We left a 3″ over hang to give the hens something to climb up to before entering their boxes. We also put a 4.5 inch lip on the front of the boxes making the entrance to the boxes 7.5″x12″. We did this to give the hens more protection and less room to move around. This should prevent them or the other hens from eating their eggs once they began producing.

Entrance for Eggs

Behind the nesting boxes, on the outside of the hen house we installed two barn style doors to give us easy access to all of the boxes, thus giving us easy access to the eggs down the road. This will also make it easier for cleaning an maintenance when the time comes.

Hen House Entrance

Hen House Entrance

This last image is of the entrance into the hen house, this was the last thing that we finished up to this point. We still have the roof, chicken wire enclosure and last minute adjustments. As you can see the Tropical Chicken Coop is coming along just fine. We are almost there but not quite yet. Once we get some more time to work on it we should be able to wrap up this project and move the hens in. Eggs are on their way!

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Chicken coops for sale in Witmer 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. Witmer 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-Witmer-PAFinding chicken coops for sale in Witmer 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 Witmer 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 Witmer 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 Witmer PA

Baby Chicken in Witmer, Pennsylvania

A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Witmer 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 Witmer Pennsylvania chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Witmer, Pennsylvania With the massive increase in poultry keeping there has been an equally big increase in the variety of fowl stuff for sale. Chicken real estate is an instance in point. It's additionally a timeless instance of the excellent old bandwagon being got on as numerous would-be chicken real estate specialists peddle an array of accommodation asserting to be the ideal option to your chicken real estate demands. Usually the cost looks desirable, the house looks appealing, hell even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Undoubtedly they understand a professional chicken house when they see one? There are many cheap as well as awful coops swamping the marketplace. I recognize this as I've tested a number of them in the field, and also seen a ewe run straight via one when the feed bucket appeared. The result was only a pricey heap of fire wood as well as a little group of bemused as well as now homeless bantams. Chickens for sale in Witmer PA

Chicken Coop Large in Witmer, Pennsylvania

Typically these mass produced versions are constructed of rapid grown timber - come the first decrease of rainfall they swell, leaving you either barricading a door that will not shut, or tearing the doorway furniture off in a vain effort to launch the squawking inhabitants. The initial warm and comfortable day suggests the wood dries out and also cracks, the really felt roof covering bubbles and also boils, and also 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 due to the fact that the hovel is currently a haven for, and also most likely abounding, the poultry keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add on the fact that it stated on the blurb that it would fit 4 huge chickens when that stocking density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also exactly what are you left with? A number of joints and some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to four birds need to cost you around ₤ 300 though this could rely on whether you elect for a complimentary standing house or one with a run attached. Thinking you are varying your birds in a huge area as well as the pop hole doorway allows enough for the type you maintain, after that the primary needs of housing boil down to three points which will certainly define the variety of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes and air flow. The majority of breeds of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch should preferably be 5-8cm large with smoothed off sides so the foot sits pleasantly on it. The perch should be higher than the nest box entrance as chickens will likewise normally look for the highest point to perch. A perch below that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they create one of the most poo) leading to stained eggs the following day. They should not nonetheless be so high off the floor of your house that leg injuries could possibly happen 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 more than one perch is installed in your house they should be greater than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their neighbors however are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Preferably the house ought to have a the very least one nest box for each three birds as well as these must be off the ground and in the darkest area of your home. Your house ought to have appropriate ventilation: without it after that condensation will certainly build up every night, also in the coldest of weather condition. Be aware, ventilation works on the concept of cozy air leaving through a high gap drawing cooler air in from a reduced gap - it's not a set of holes on contrary walls of your house and at the exact same level, this is what's known as a draught. If you have a house with a run connected after that the factors above are still real, yet you must likewise take into consideration the run dimension. The EU maximum lawful equipping density for a totally free variety bird is (and also let's face it, one of the motivations for keeping some chickens at home is possibly improved or far better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m squared. Take a close look at some of the bargain houses - it could well be your home has the appropriate perches, proper air flow and sufficient nest boxes for a sensible number of birds, however 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 exactly what you spend for". You might think you've grabbed a deal, however you and also your flock could possibly rue the day you did. Acquisition the right house and it will certainly last for a few decades, otherwise longer provided the right therapy. Eventually your poultry and your poultry maintaining encounter will certainly be a lot the far better for it.
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