Chicken Coops for Sale in North Salt Lake, Utah
Chicken Coops for Sale in North Salt Lake, Utah
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 Coop Amazon in North Salt Lake, Utah
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in North Salt Lake Utah" 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 North Salt Lake Utah chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in North Salt Lake, Utah With the significant boost in poultry maintaining there has been a similarly large rise in the range of fowl stuff on sale. Fowl housing is a situation in factor. It's additionally a traditional instance of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as various potential poultry housing experts market an array of lodging asserting to be the excellent option to your chicken housing demands. Commonly the cost looks desirable, your house looks attractive, heck even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Surely they recognize a professional chicken house when they see one? There are lots of affordable and nasty cages flooding the market. I recognize this as I've examined a variety of them in the field, and seen a ewe run directly via one when the feed pail showed up. The result was nothing but a costly pile of fire wood and a little flock of bemused and also currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Construction in North Salt Lake, Utah
Generally these standardized versions are created of fast grown hardwood - come the first decrease of rain they swell, leaving you either barricading a doorway that won't shut, or tearing the door furniture off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking occupants. The very first warm day implies the timber dries and also splits, the felt roof bubbles as well as boils, and come nightfall the chickens choose not to go in. This is not because of their dissatisfaction at the decrease of their once appealing home but since the hovel is now a sanctuary for, and probably crawling with, the chicken caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly suit four large chickens when that stocking thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as what are you entrusted? A couple of joints as well as some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to four birds must cost you around ₤ 300 though this can depend on whether you elect for a totally free standing house or one with a run attached. Thinking you are ranging your birds in a big area and also the pop opening door is big enough for the breed you keep, then the major demands of real estate boil down to three points which will define the number of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes and also air flow. The majority of types of chicken will perch when they go to roost in the evening, this perch should preferably be 5-8cm large with smoothed off sides so the foot rests easily on it. The perch ought to be more than the nest box entry as chickens will also naturally search for the acme 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) resulting in soiled eggs the list below day. They shouldn't nonetheless be so high off the flooring of your home that leg injuries might take place when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens need about 20cm of perch each (in small types this is obviously much less), plus if greater than one perch is set up in your home they should be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their neighbors yet are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Ideally your home needs to have a the very least one nest box for every 3 birds and also these should be off the ground as well as in the darkest location of your house. Your home must have ample ventilation: without it then condensation will certainly accumulate every night, also in the chilliest of weather condition. Understand, ventilation deals with the principle of cozy air leaving with a high space attracting cooler air in from a reduced void - it's not a collection of holes on contrary walls of your home and at the same level, this is what's referred to as a draft. If you have a house with a run affixed after that the factors above are still true, but you ought to likewise think about the run dimension. The EU maximum lawful stocking density for a cost-free range bird is (as well as allow's encounter it, one of the motivations for keeping some hens in your home is potentially enhanced or far better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m made even. Take a close check out a few of the deal residences - it could well be your house has the ideal perches, appropriate air flow as well as ample nest boxes for a practical variety of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? Therefore as the stating goes, "you get exactly what you spend for". You could believe you've got a bargain, however you as well as your flock could rue the day you did. Acquisition the best house as well as it will last for a few years, if not longer provided the correct therapy. Eventually your poultry as well as your chicken maintaining encounter will be considerably the much better for it.plans build
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