Chicken Coops for Sale in Springville, Utah
Chicken Coops for Sale in Springville, Utah
Our Finished Chicken Coop
These past few days had us outside enjoying the beautiful weather. One of the jobs I crossed off the list was to clean out our new chicken coop.
Because of our over the past year or so, our family was going through several dozen eggs a week. (I can’t help it – I’m hooked on !)
So last summer we quit “planning” to get our own chickens, and actually did it. The whole family pitched in to build a little abode for our egg-laying beauties. And because we were first-time chicken owners and newbies in all chicken-related topics, we joined and gleaned months worth of ideas, do’s and don’ts, and building plans. (I can’t recommend this site highly enough! If you have the slightest inclination of doing chicken anything, go here and read to your heart’s content.)
It was so helpful to see photos and designs when we were in the planning stages, I thought I’d share pictures of our coop and the hows and whys of what we did.
The chicken coop
Instead of starting from scratch, we bought a small granary from my brother-in-law; about 9’x7′ inside measurements. This gave us about 3 sq. ft. per bird. The coop is nothing fancy really. It isn’t visible from the road and we don’t live in town with neighbors to care about the view from their back window, so we used as much scrap material as possible. Plus we didn’t think the chickens would mind.
So far they haven’t rebelled.
We re-tinned the roof (that’s my honey!) and I got to use the saw sawl to make holes for the windows and vents. You can call me Mrs. Handyman. . .
Inside the chicken coop
Framing the windows and vents was the most time consuming part since the building wasn’t square. We used insulation and vapor barrier for the walls for added moisture protection and warmth because the windchill can get -40 below or more in the winter.
We made the roosting boards parallel and the same height because apparently hens will act like old biddies and fight for the top most board. (Some people’s kids. . .)
We rounded the edges of the roosting boards so it’s easier on the hens’ feet. The boards can be removed for ease of cleaning the poop boards underneath.
Poop boards seemed quite popular among chicken peoples and we’ve quickly learned why. First, chickens poop more when roosting, so the roosting boards are placed above the poop board. This makes clean up as simple as buying a wide sheetrock mudding tool and scraping the droppings into a bucket each day. We then add the droppings to our compost pile.
We originally built a rollaway community nesting box directly underneath the poop board, but the chickens ended up laying eggs everywhere but there. Eventually we added a ‘normal’ set of 12″x12″x12″ nesting boxes and they’re happy campers again.
We decided to use the deep litter method. We spread a bag of wood chips on the floor and because the hens leave most of their droppings on the poop boards, there’s minimal waste on the floor. The chickens like to scratch and fluff the wood chips so it gets stirred up and aerated. This means the coop is less smelly, and there’s only a few minutes of daily cleaning of the boards. If needed, you can add more wood chips throughout the year.
We clean the coop out fully in the spring and fall. So far it’s worked wonderfully.
We nailed a board across the doorway to prevent the rising litter from falling out every time we opened the door.
The feeders are gravity fed. They’re made of PVC pipe with a 90 degree corner and a cap at the end. We like that we can leave for several days at a time and don’t have to worry about having someone come out to do chicken chores for us.
This water stand was Travis’s idea. The hens have a platform to stand on so no matter how high the litter gets, they can reach the water comfortably.
The chicken nipples underneath are another idea shared by BYC that I LOVE. The water doesn’t drip, there is no poop or mud to worry about, and our full grown hens figured it out within 24 hrs. The pails are covered with lids to prevent the water from getting dirty and it lasts for at least a week (we add apple cider vinegar).
When we’re home, we clean them out and give them fresh water every few days.
There’s electricity on the wall above the waterers with a timed light switch. We use bird bath heaters to keep the water from freezing during the winter. We had to add the slanted plywood because the hens were roosting on the pails. (I told you they fought for highest roosting privileges.)
The pop door is a simple design, and it works great. It slides up and down, held in by L shaped boards.
When in the closed position, the hook and eye on the right prevent racoons (or children!) from trying to lift the door from the outside.
We used 1/2″ x 1/2″ hardware cloth to cover the insides of the windows and vents. . .
. . .and plexiglass for the actual windows.
We made sure to have plenty of vents (thanks to sage advice from Pat’s Ventilation Page) and used eyes and rope to open and close them at different heights.
Finally, we added a small lean-to to the side so the hens could come out in the winter. This helps block snow drifts right in front of the pop door, and they can still come out for fresh air and sunshine when they get cabin fever.
It might not win a beauty contest – but there’s something to be said for function-ability Hope this gave you some ideas!
What have you done to your chicken coop? We’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions!
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Baby Yellow Chick in Springville, Utah
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Springville 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 Springville Utah chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Springville, Utah With the big rise in poultry keeping there has actually been a just as large rise in the variety of chicken stuff for sale. Fowl housing is a case in factor. It's likewise a traditional example of the good old bandwagon being jumped on as numerous prospective poultry real estate specialists pitch a variety of lodging declaring to be the ideal remedy to your chicken real estate demands. Frequently the price looks attractive, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks eye-catching, hell also the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Certainly they recognize a professional chicken house when they see one? There are numerous inexpensive and also awful coops flooding the market. I recognize this as I've examined a number of them in the area, as well as seen a ewe run directly with one when the feed container appeared. The outcome was just a pricey pile of fire wood and a little flock of bemused as well as now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop And Run For Sale in Springville, Utah
Typically these standardized versions are created of quick grown hardwood - come the first decrease of rainfall they swell, leaving you either fortifying a door that will not close, or tearing the door furniture off in a vain effort to release the squawking inhabitants. The initial warm and comfortable day implies the wood dries as well as cracks, the felt roofing bubbles as well as boils, as well as come nightfall the hens choose not to go in. This is not due to their frustration at the decrease of their when appealing building however because the hovel is now a place for, and possibly abounding, the fowl caretaker's bane, red mite. Add the fact that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly suit 4 huge hens when that equipping density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and exactly what are you entrusted? A couple of hinges and some kindling. A decent coop for thee to 4 birds must cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this could rely on whether you choose for a complimentary standing house or one with a run attached. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a huge area and the pop opening doorway is big sufficient for the breed you keep, after that the primary requirements of real estate boil down to three points which will define the number of birds your house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and also ventilation. Most breeds of chicken will perch when they go to roost at night, this perch should ideally be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off edges so the foot sits comfortably on it. The perch needs to be more than the nest box entry as chickens will additionally naturally look for the acme 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) resulting in stained eggs the list below day. They shouldn't nonetheless be so high off the flooring of your house that leg injuries might happen when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens need concerning 20cm of perch each (in small breeds this is obviously much less), plus if greater than one perch is installed in the house they ought to be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their next-door neighbors but are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Ideally your house ought to have a the very least one nest box for every 3 birds and also these ought to be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of your house. Your house must have adequate ventilation: without it after that condensation will certainly build up every evening, also in the coldest of climate. Know, ventilation works with the concept of warm air leaving through a high gap attracting cooler air in from a lower void - it's not a set of openings on contrary wall surfaces of your home and also at the very same level, this is what's referred to as a draught. If you have a house with a run affixed then the factors above are still real, yet you must likewise take into consideration the run dimension. The EU maximum legal equipping thickness for a free range bird is (as well as allow's encounter it, among the inspirations for keeping some chickens at home is potentially boosted or much better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m squared. Take a close check out some of the deal residences - it could well be your home has the best perches, correct air flow as well as adequate nest boxes for a practical variety of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? Therefore as the claiming goes, "you get what you spend for". You might believe you've got a deal, however you as well as your group could rue the day you did. Acquisition the right house as well as it will certainly last for a couple of decades, if not longer provided the appropriate therapy. In the end your fowl and your poultry maintaining encounter will certainly be a lot the much better for it.plans coop
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