Chicken Coops for Sale in Amherstdale, West Virginia
Chicken Coops for Sale in Amherstdale, West Virginia
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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Chicken Coop For 10 Chickens in Amherstdale, West Virginia
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Amherstdale West 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 Amherstdale West Virginia chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Amherstdale, West Virginia With the huge rise in poultry keeping there has been an equally huge rise in the range of fowl stuff for sale. Fowl housing is a proceedings in point. It's likewise a classic example of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as different potential fowl housing experts pitch a variety of cottage asserting to be the optimal option to your chicken housing demands. Commonly the rate looks appealing, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks eye-catching, hell even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Undoubtedly they recognize a professional chicken house when they see one? There are numerous affordable and also horrible cages swamping the market. I know this as I've tested a variety of them in the field, and also seen a ewe run straight with one when the feed pail showed up. The outcome was just a pricey pile of fire wood and a small group of bemused and also currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop And Run in Amherstdale, West Virginia
Typically these standardized versions are built of rapid grown timber - come the first decline of rain they swell, leaving you either defending a door that will not shut, or tearing the door furniture off in a vain effort to release the squawking residents. The very first warm day suggests the timber dries out as well as cracks, the felt roofing system bubbles and also boils, and come nightfall the chickens choose not to go in. This is not because of their frustration at the decline of their once eye-catching apartment yet because the hovel is now a place for, and possibly abounding, the poultry keeper's bane, red mite. Add that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly fit four large chickens when that equipping density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and exactly what are you entrusted? A number of joints as well as some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to 4 birds must cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this can depend on whether you choose for a cost-free standing house or one with a run attached. Presuming you are ranging your birds in a large space and also the pop hole door is big enough for the type you maintain, then the primary demands of real estate come down to 3 points which will certainly specify the variety of birds your home will hold; perches, nest boxes and also air flow. A lot of breeds of chicken will perch when they go to roost in the evening, this perch should ideally be 5-8cm broad with smoothed off edges so the foot rests comfortably on it. The perch ought to be higher than the nest box entry as chickens will additionally naturally look for the acme to perch. A perch lower than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they generate one of the most poo) bring about stained eggs the list below day. They should not nevertheless be so high off the flooring of your home that leg injuries might happen when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens need regarding 20cm of perch each (in tiny types this is certainly less), plus if more than one perch is mounted in your house they should be greater than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their neighbors but are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably your home should have a the very least one nest box for each three birds and also these must be off the ground and also in the darkest location of your home. Your home must have sufficient ventilation: without it after that condensation will accumulate every evening, also in the coldest of weather. Know, ventilation deals with the concept of cozy air leaving via a high space attracting cooler air in from a lower space - it's not a collection of holes on other wall surfaces of your house as well as at the same level, this is what's referred to as a draft. If you have a house with a run connected then the factors above are still real, but you need to also think about the run dimension. The EU maximum lawful equipping thickness for a complimentary variety bird is (and allow's encounter it, among the inspirations for keeping some hens in your home is potentially boosted or much better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m squared. Take a close take a look at some of the bargain homes - it could well be your house has the best perches, right air flow and ample nest boxes for a reasonable variety of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to invest the day on? And so as the claiming goes, "you get just what you pay for". You may assume you've got hold of a bargain, however you and your flock can rue the day you did. Acquisition the right house and it will certainly last for a few years, if not longer provided the appropriate treatment. In the long run your poultry and your poultry maintaining experience will be considerably the far better for it.chick plan
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