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Chicken Coops for Sale in Bothell, Washington

Chicken Coops for Sale in Bothell, Washington

Changes in the Chicken Coop

Courtesy of Natalie Honan

Changes in the Chicken Coop 

By Natalie Honan

Many students have realized in passing that the chicken coop has been looking a bit more crowded than usual. Recently, a group of new chickens were introduced into the current chicken habitat south of the Grove House.

Six chickens, who originally lived off campus, were about to become homeless, when Teddy Menard PZ’16 volunteered to house the chickens at Pitzer. To make room for these new birds, members of the Garden Club built a chicken coop which was located in the grove and backed onto the fence surrounding Harvey Mudd’s field. 

During a Garden Club meeting, Jim Miller PZ ’18 and Gabe Elliot PZ ’18 spontaneously volunteered to assume some caregiving responsibilities for the new group of chickens.

 “Our basic duties were just to make sure that they had food and water and to collect their eggs. We also wanted to spend some time with them because even a little human companionship can brighten up their day,” Elliot said. 

The new chickens were content in their original home in the orchard until one night, when a creature made its way into the coop and ate one of the chickens. Apparently, a long tree which extended over and around the coop allowed for an unknown animal to enter the chickens’ habitat.

After the first attack, Miller and Elliot decided to confine the chickens into the physical structure within their coop to try to keep them safe. Once the chickens were inside, rocks were placed against the exit as to keep the chickens in and the killer out.

However, after two days had passed, one morning students discovered the rocks had been moved and another chicken was found dead.

Miller and Elliot are guessing the creature was either a raccoon or a bobcat. The creature was nimble enough to remove all the rocks out of place, pointing to a raccoon. However, bobcats are physically stronger and could slaughter a chicken a lot easier than a raccoon might have.

“We’ll just call it the creature,” Elliot said.

Menard also speculated that whatever the creature was, it had to be able to climb a very tall fence, strong enough to kill a chicken, and agile enough to break into the hutch.

“To get up the fence, the creature would have had to climb seven or eight feet and then climb down the tree into the hutch. So maybe it was something small, like a fox,” Menard said.

Many animals have been wandering towards more urban settings as a result of the drought wiping out food sources in their natural habitats.

To keep the remaining chickens safe from the creature, the Garden Club decided to relocate the chickens into the original chicken coop. Miller and Elliot explained that the group did not initially want to combine the flocks, due to the dangers of discord and disease within the two chicken populations.

“They grew up separately, they each have their own defined pecking orders and by putting them together, we were worried that they would fight to try and establish dominance over each other,” Elliot said.

“There’s also the issue of disease. One flock of chickens is used to a different set of germs, bacteria, and parasites than the other. So when you introduce them together, there’s the risk that one group will not have built an immunity that the other one has,” Miller added.

Regardless, the creature was a more direct and guaranteed threat to the safety of the chickens than the risks that came with combining the flocks. Left with no other choice, the Garden Club moved the four remaining chickens of the newer flock in with Pitzer’s original flock.

Upon first introducing the two flocks to each other, the chickens were met with some disagreement. The chickens did not socialize with each other and chased each other around when they were fed.

“There were definitely cliques formed, they did not get along. The original chicken flock would hang out closer to Mead and the other one would stay in their separate corner,” said Miller.

Miller and Elliot stated they believe the main reason for the preliminary conflict was limited space in the small tree in which most of the chickens sleep.

“There were complaints from people in Mead about all the noise the chickens were making because the chickens were fighting in the morning,” Elliot said, “This probably had to do with them all getting out of the tree in an orderly fashion.”

With time, the chickens are slowly growing more comfortable with each other.  According to Elliot and Miller, they chickens have started mingling with each other. Menard reported not seeing chicken feathers (an indication of chicken violence) or hearing as much squabbling.

“I think overall it was a good transition, I think they’re safer and hopefully happier. Although, they are missing two of their comrades,” Elliot said.

Currently, members of the Garden Club are planning to expand the size of the coop as well as the housing structure to eventually have the capacity for up to 20 chickens.

Miller and Elliot both said the chickens play an important role in “bringing joy to the community.” They like to think of the chickens as the celebrities of Pitzer College.  Menard added that the chickens “give students a special chance to engage with their campus.”

“They’re a very unique and interesting opportunity to express responsibility. The opportunity to have a relationship with the chickens is also important” Menard said.  

Moreover, the chicken coop adds visual appeal to the grounds. The chickens are a highlight of the admissions tours and to school visitors.

“It’s a lovely space. The chicken coop is very old. It’s on display and very visible, so I think aesthetically it plays a very important role,” Menard said.

They also provide eggs for the Pitzer Food Collective and other Pitzer students.

Elliot and Miller wanted to dedicate this article to the first chicken who was slaughtered, “R.I.P. Mona.”

Chicken coops for sale in Bothell Washington can be found in agricultural newspapers and community newspapers. The coops are designed for housing for chickens in a safe and secure environment. They generally consist of a small building or large box that is then sectioned off to smaller boxes where the chickens go to roost (or sleep). Chicken coops are a must for raising chickens. Bothell Washington chicken coops are commonly constructed from wood products. They are not very stable buildings and provide only minimal protection from the elements. Now chicken houses used for large production facilities are a entirely different structure, they are huge and can hold up to 10000 chickens. The coops are typically used for backyard operations, or small family farms. They vary in size depending on the number of residents they house. chicken-coops-in-Bothell-WAFinding chicken coops for sale in Bothell Washington is probably not one of the easiest of items to find. There are manufacturers of chicken houses and coops that sell them out right and Bothell Washington farm supply stores that they can also be purchased through, but generally speaking it will take some effort to find a chicken coop for sale in Bothell Washington, especially if your location is not a typically rural location. In rural locations that are much more abundant and easily had. Chicken Coops for sale in Bothell WA

Baby Chicks For Sale in Bothell, Washington

A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Bothell Washington" 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 Bothell Washington chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Bothell, Washington With the big boost in chicken maintaining there has been a just as large rise in the array of chicken stuff for sale. Chicken real estate is a case in point. It's additionally a traditional example of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as numerous prospective fowl real estate experts peddle a selection of cottage claiming to be the perfect solution to your chicken housing needs. Often the price looks eye-catching, your house looks desirable, hell even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look eye-catching. Surely they know a professional chicken house when they see one? There are several economical as well as horrible cages swamping the market. I understand this as I've examined a variety of them in the area, and seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed bucket appeared. The outcome was nothing but a pricey pile of firewood as well as a small group of bemused and currently homeless bantams. Chickens for sale in Bothell WA

Chicken Coop Plans in Bothell, Washington

Typically these standardized models are created of rapid grown lumber - come the first drop of rainfall they swell, leaving you either defending a doorway that will not shut, or tearing the doorway furniture off in a vain effort to release the squawking residents. The initial warm and comfortable day means the wood dries as well as cracks, the felt roof bubbles and also boils, and also come nightfall the hens choose not to enter. This is not due to their dissatisfaction at the decrease of their as soon as desirable property yet considering that the hovel is now a haven for, and probably abounding, the poultry caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add on that it claimed on the blurb that it would suit 4 large 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 few joints as well as some kindling. A decent coop for thee to four birds ought to 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 connected. Assuming you are varying your birds in a huge area and the pop hole doorway is big sufficient for the breed you maintain, then the primary requirements of real estate come down to three points which will specify the number of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes and air flow. Many breeds of chicken will perch when they go to roost in the evening, this perch needs to preferably be 5-8cm broad with smoothed off edges so the foot rests easily on it. The perch should be above the nest box access as chickens will likewise normally look for the highest point to perch. A perch less than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they produce the most poo) resulting in dirtied eggs the list below day. They should not nonetheless be so high off the floor of the house that leg injuries could possibly happen when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens need concerning 20cm of perch each (in small breeds this is clearly less), plus if greater than one perch is set up in the house they ought to be greater than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their next-door neighbors yet 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 and these must be off the ground and in the darkest area of the house. The house needs to have sufficient air flow: without it then condensation will certainly build up every night, also in the chilliest of weather condition. Know, air flow works with the concept of cozy air leaving through a high void drawing cooler air in from a reduced gap - it's not a set of openings on opposite wall surfaces of your house as well as at the exact same level, this is what's referred to as a draught. If you have a house with a run attached then the points above are still true, but you should also think about the run dimension. The EU maximum lawful stocking thickness for a complimentary range bird is (as well as let's face it, among the inspirations for maintaining some chickens at home is perhaps enhanced or better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m squared. Take a close look at some of the deal houses - it could well be the house has the appropriate perches, right air flow and also ample nest boxes for a sensible 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 stating goes, "you obtain what you spend for". You may think you've got hold of a deal, yet you and also your flock might rue the day you did. Acquisition the right house and it will last for a couple of years, if not longer provided the proper treatment. In the end your chicken and also your chicken keeping experience will be considerably the much better for it.
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