Chicken Coops for Sale in Harleyville, South Carolina
Chicken Coops for Sale in Harleyville, South Carolina
Make a Thrifty DIY Swingset Chicken Coop
Do you have one of those old A-shaped swingsets rusting in your backyard? If you do, then you have the basis for an awesome swingset chicken coop! (And if you don’t, watch Craigslist – there are frequently people offering them for free to whoever comes to pick them up.) Creativity is key .
When we moved recently we had to leave our wonderful chicken coop behind, since it was attached to the barn. While I drooled over some of , I’m on a pretty tight budget so it was important to use items that I could acquire either cheap or free. Luckily, the house we moved to had some pretty interesting stuff in a shed and an old rusty swingset in the woods.
I don’t have a lot of construction skills but the guy who put up my fence does, and luckily, he was on board with my wacky, freebie-scrounging ideas.
For the price of some labor, some hardware, some chicken wire, and a fancy-dancy hanging chicken waterer, I got a snazzy new coop that keeps my chickens safe and sound.
Here’s what we used:
- A swingset with the swings removed
- 2 pieces of corrugated metal on the top 3/4 plus a strip of it over the top to help weather proof
- Some sheets of plywood for the bottom back of the coop
- A piece of chain link fencing for the bottom in order to keep out predators
- Some old pieces of fence posts for the bottom of the coop to attach the chicken wire and chain link to
- Some lumber for the door
- Chicken wire (It was cheaper than from my local store)
If you’re making a scrounged chicken coop, be creative and see what you components you can find for cheap or free. Because most of the items used were found, this isn’t as much a how-to as it is something to inspire you. Here are some photos so you can see how my coop was assembled.
The Scoop on my Swingset Chicken Coop
The door is very heavy, which adds a layer of security against critters that might try to get in during the night. During the day, I use a bungee to hold the door open in the event of wind so no chickens get squashed. (They’re at the door because they know they’re either getting food or getting out.)
There is also a heavy duty double hinged latch that I fasten with a carabiner at night for an added layer of security. (.)
The bottom is covered with a piece of chain link fencing that is attached to the boards that form the bottom edge of the coop.
My biggest splurge is this hanging 5 gallon water dispenser. It stays much cleaner raised a few inches off the ground, only needs to be refilled every few days, and I used the exisiting hook for a swing to hang it from. (You can – it is a lower price than it was at my local feed store.)
Here’s the interior of theswingset chicken coop. The chickens like to roost on the cross bars on each end, and there is an extra bar from an old closet that was also installed. I used some cubbies from my previous garage for nesting boxes. (I probably should have taken the interior pic before I put the chickens in here to poop on everything. Of course, anyone who has chickens knows that a coop only looks clean for about 10 minutes.)
The coop in all of its glory. I’ll be painting the plywood soon to make it a little prettier.
Thor, our LGD, is happy to follow the chickens around and protect them because he realized they’re like little feathered Pez dispensers, dropping nice little egg treats around the yard for him to enjoy. I lock them in the coop a couple of days per week and that gives us more than enough eggs for our needs. The rest of the eggs get scattered around the yard for a doggie version of an Easter egg hunt. Thor’s a little skinny so the added fat will do him good. You can see him licking his dog lips in the photo below.
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Baby Chicken in Harleyville, South Carolina
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Harleyville 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 Harleyville South Carolina chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Harleyville, South Carolina With the big rise in poultry keeping there has been a similarly large surge in the array of poultry paraphernalia for sale. Chicken housing is an instance in factor. It's likewise a traditional example of the excellent old bandwagon being jumped on as numerous would-be poultry real estate specialists peddle a range of lodging asserting to be the excellent remedy to your chicken real estate needs. Typically the cost looks attractive, your house looks desirable, hell even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look eye-catching. Certainly they understand a quality chicken house when they see one? There are numerous affordable as well as horrible coops swamping the market. I recognize this as I've examined a number of them in the field, and seen a ewe run directly via one when the feed container appeared. The outcome was only a pricey pile of fire wood and a small group of bemused and also currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Boxes in Harleyville, South Carolina
Typically these standardized versions are constructed of rapid grown up timber - come the very first drop of rain they swell, leaving you either barricading a doorway that won't shut, or ripping the door furnishings off in a vain effort to release the squawking occupants. The very first warm and comfortable day suggests the hardwood dries out and cracks, the really felt roofing bubbles as well as boils, as well as come nightfall the chickens refuse to enter. This is not due to their disappointment at the decline of their when desirable home yet since the hovel is currently a sanctuary for, and also probably abounding, the fowl caretaker's bane, red mite. Add that it said on the blurb that it would match four huge hens when that stocking thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and exactly what are you left with? A few hinges as well as some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to four birds should cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you choose for a complimentary standing house or one with a run affixed. Presuming you are varying your birds in a large area as well as the pop opening door allows enough for the type you keep, after that the primary demands of housing boil down to three factors which will specify the variety of birds the house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes as well as ventilation. Many breeds of chicken will perch when they go to roost at night, this perch must preferably be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off edges so the foot sits pleasantly on it. The perch ought to be more than the nest box access as chickens will certainly additionally normally seek the highest point to perch. A perch less than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is incidentally when they create one of the most poo) resulting in soiled eggs the following day. They shouldn't however be so high off the floor of the house that leg injuries might happen when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens require regarding 20cm of perch each (in little breeds this is obviously much less), plus if more than one perch is mounted in the house they must be more than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their next-door neighbors but are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Preferably your home should have a the very least one nest box for every 3 birds and also these need to be off the ground and also in the darkest location of the house. Your house needs to have adequate ventilation: without it then condensation will build up every evening, also in the chilliest of climate. Be aware, ventilation deals with the concept of cozy air leaving through a high space drawing cooler air in from a reduced void - it's not a set of holes on contrary wall surfaces of your home and at the exact same level, this is what's referred to as a draught. If you have a house with a run connected then the points above are still real, but you must likewise think about the run dimension. The EU maximum lawful equipping density for a cost-free range bird is (and also let's encounter it, one of the inspirations for keeping some hens at home is perhaps boosted or far better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m squared. Take a close check out several of the bargain houses - it could well be your home has the best perches, appropriate air flow as well as enough nest boxes for an affordable variety of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? And so as the claiming goes, "you obtain just what you spend for". You could believe you've got a bargain, but you and your flock could rue the day you did. Purchase the best house and it will last for a few years, otherwise longer given the correct therapy. Eventually your fowl and your poultry maintaining experience will certainly be a lot the better for it.coop diy
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