Chicken Coops for Sale in Galivants Ferry, South Carolina
Chicken Coops for Sale in Galivants Ferry, South Carolina
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 Coops For Sale in Galivants Ferry, South Carolina
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Galivants Ferry South Carolina" 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 Galivants Ferry South Carolina chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Galivants Ferry, South Carolina With the huge boost in poultry maintaining there has been a just as large surge in the range of poultry stuff for sale. Poultry real estate is a proceedings in factor. It's also a traditional instance of the good old bandwagon being jumped on as numerous prospective poultry real estate experts peddle a selection of holiday accommodation declaring to be the perfect remedy to your chicken real estate demands. Frequently the price looks appealing, the house looks desirable, heck also the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Surely they know a quality chicken house when they see one? There are numerous inexpensive and awful cages flooding the marketplace. I understand this as I've examined a number of them in the field, as well as seen a ewe run directly through one when the feed pail showed up. The outcome was nothing but a pricey stack of firewood and a small group of bemused as well as now homeless bantams.
Baby Chick For Sale in Galivants Ferry, South Carolina
Typically these standardized versions are constructed of fast grown timber - come the very first drop of rainfall they swell, leaving you either defending a doorway that won't shut, or tearing the door furnishings off in a vain effort to release the squawking occupants. The first cozy day implies the hardwood dries out as well as cracks, the felt roof covering bubbles and also boils, and come nightfall the hens refuse to go in. This is not because of their disappointment at the decline of their when desirable commercial property but due to the fact that the hovel is currently a place for, and also possibly crawling with, the poultry keeper's bane, red mite. Add that it claimed on the blurb that it would certainly suit four huge hens when that equipping thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as just what are you entrusted? A couple of hinges as well as some kindling. A good coop for thee to four birds ought to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can depend on whether you elect for a complimentary standing house or one with a run connected. Thinking you are ranging your birds in a huge area and also the pop hole doorway allows sufficient for the breed you maintain, then the primary demands of housing come down to three factors which will certainly specify the number of birds your home will hold; perches, nest boxes and also ventilation. Many types of chicken will perch when they go to roost during the night, this perch needs to ideally be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off sides so the foot sits pleasantly on it. The perch needs to be above the nest box access as chickens will certainly also normally search for the highest point to perch. A perch below that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they produce 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 occur when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens require regarding 20cm of perch each (in little breeds this is clearly less), plus if greater than one perch is mounted in your home 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. Ideally your house ought to have a least one nest box for every 3 birds and these ought to be off the ground as well as in the darkest location of your house. The house needs to have sufficient air flow: without it then condensation will certainly build up every night, also in the coldest of weather condition. Realize, ventilation deals with the concept of cozy air leaving through a high gap drawing cooler air in from a lower gap - it's not a collection of openings on other walls of your home and also at the very same level, this is exactly what's called a draft. If you have a house with a run affixed after that the factors above are still true, but you ought to additionally consider the run dimension. The EU maximum lawful equipping thickness for a complimentary array bird is (as well as allow's face it, one of the inspirations for maintaining some chickens in the house is possibly improved or much better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m settled. Take a close check out several of the bargain homes - it could well be the house has the best perches, right air flow and sufficient nest boxes for an affordable variety of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to spend the day on? Therefore as the saying goes, "you obtain what you pay for". You might assume you've got a deal, however you as well as your group can rue the day you did. Acquisition the right house and it will certainly last for a couple of decades, if not longer provided the right therapy. In the long run your fowl as well as your chicken keeping encounter will certainly be much the far better for it.build coop
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