Chicken Coops for Sale in Prospect, Virginia
Chicken Coops for Sale in Prospect, Virginia
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 From Pallets in Prospect, Virginia
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Prospect Virginia" 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 Prospect Virginia chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Prospect, Virginia With the big increase in chicken maintaining there has actually been a just as big surge in the array of fowl materiel for sale. Fowl housing is an instance in factor. It's additionally a timeless example of the good old bandwagon being jumped on as numerous would-be poultry housing experts market a range of lodging declaring to be the optimal remedy to your chicken real estate demands. Frequently the rate looks attractive, the house looks eye-catching, hell even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Surely they understand a high quality chicken house when they see one? There are several cheap and also nasty coops flooding the marketplace. I know this as I've tested a number of them in the field, and seen a ewe run straight via one when the feed container appeared. The outcome was just a costly pile of fire wood and also a little group of bemused as well as currently homeless bantams.
Chicken House in Prospect, Virginia
Typically these standardized designs are created of fast grown timber - come the initial drop of rainfall they swell, leaving you either fortifying a doorway that will not shut, or tearing the door furniture off in a vain attempt to release the squawking citizens. The very first cozy day means the hardwood dries and splits, the felt roofing system bubbles as well as boils, and also come nightfall the hens choose not to go in. This is not as a result of their dissatisfaction at the decline of their when desirable residential property yet due to the fact that the hovel is currently a place for, and also probably crawling with, the fowl keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add on that it said on the blurb that it would fit four huge hens when that stocking thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and what are you entrusted? A few hinges and also some kindling. A decent coop for thee to 4 birds ought to cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this could depend upon whether you choose for a complimentary standing house or one with a run affixed. Presuming you are ranging your birds in a big area and the pop hole door allows sufficient for the breed you maintain, then the main demands of real estate boil down to three points which will certainly specify the number of birds your house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and ventilation. Many types of chicken will perch when they visit roost in the evening, this perch ought to ideally be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off sides so the foot sits pleasantly on it. The perch ought to be above the nest box access as chickens will likewise naturally try to find the highest point to perch. A perch lower than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they generate one of the most poo) bring about dirtied eggs the list below day. They shouldn't nevertheless be so high off the floor of the house that leg injuries could occur when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens require concerning 20cm of perch each (in tiny breeds this is undoubtedly much less), plus if more than one perch is set up in your home they must be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their neighbors but are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Ideally your house needs to have a least one nest box for every single three birds as well as these must be off the ground and in the darkest location of your home. Your home needs to have sufficient ventilation: without it after that condensation will certainly accumulate every night, also in the chilliest of weather condition. Be aware, ventilation works on the principle of warm and comfortable air leaving with a high gap drawing cooler air in from a lower void - it's not a collection of holes on other walls of your home and at the very same level, this is exactly what's referred to as a draft. If you have a house with a run attached then the factors above are still real, yet you should likewise take into consideration the run dimension. The EU optimum legal stocking density for a totally free range bird is (as well as allow's encounter it, among the motivations for keeping some hens in your home is possibly improved or far better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m squared. Take a close consider several of the deal houses - it could well be your house has the best perches, appropriate air flow and also adequate nest boxes for a practical variety of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized piece of ground to spend the day on? And so as the stating goes, "you obtain what you spend for". You might believe you've grabbed a bargain, yet you as well as your flock might rue the day you did. Acquisition the right house as well as it will certainly last for a couple of decades, otherwise longer offered the appropriate treatment. Ultimately your chicken as well as your poultry keeping experience will be a lot the better for it.chick plan
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