Chicken Coops for Sale in Mill Creek, West Virginia
Chicken Coops for Sale in Mill Creek, West Virginia
Transform Your Little Tikes Playhouse into a Chicken Coop
When I started pestering my husband about chickens (again), I knew I was fighting an uphill battle. He did not want to spend a bunch of money and time on the construction of a suitable coop. We’d already been down the road of improper chicken housing before, and it wasn’t a road that either of us wanted to travel again. But I really, REALLY wanted to give chicken keeping another try. And I thought that with a little bit of forethought, we could eliminate the challenges we ran into before. For starters, the birds would need enough space. And the coop would need to be easy to clean. And most importantly, the coop would need to be secure. Nothing like coming home to find your chickens walking along the 6′ high wall that surrounds your yard! But to construct this type of set up from scratch would cost quite a bit of money in materials, not to mention all the time and sweat it would take for the hubs to actually BUILD the thing.
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So then I started scouring the internet trying to find the best deal on a “coop in a box”. I had my eye on but the price tag was a bit hefty. (It’s actually on sale for 58% off right now if you happen to be in the market for a pre-fabricated coop!) Not only was the hubs not excited about building a chicken coop, he also wasn’t excited about the idea of another “thing” in the yard. Our yard was already overrun with toys, bikes, gardening tools, a composter, and our very well-loved Little Tikes Playhouse. So as I sat in the yard one spring evening watching the kids play with everything BUT the playhouse, I got to thinking… Why couldn’t we just turn the playhouse into a chicken coop?!?! I didn’t tell hubs about the idea right away. Instead, I began looking at the structure of the playhouse to see if my idea would even work. Guys, I swear, this thing was MADE to become a chicken coop! It had everything we needed! The house is large enough for me to walk inside to rake it out, it has plenty of space for a nesting box, waterer, food, and a roosting bar. And it even came with a little cut out section near the floor (picture a doggy door) so the chickens could access the run we built behind it! I sketched out an idea of the modifications that we would need to make, and I presented my idea to the hubs. Guess what? He went for it! It was PERFECT. The structure was already built. We wouldn’t have to add another “thing” to our already tiny yard, and the best part? It’s totally incognito. No one would EVER suspect chickens were living in the playhouse! That night, I ordered our chicks! So how did we transform the playhouse? Well, let’s take a tour, shall we?
The first thing we did was cover all the openings with garden wire. Hubs had a roll of this laying around from some other project. He used drywall screws to attach the wire to the windows. The coop actually stayed like this for a while. While the chicks were still small, it was best for them to be confined to a smaller space, so not having a run wasn’t an issue.
Next the hubs built the run. You can see the “doggy door” in the bottom left corner…this is how the chickens get in and out of the house. The run is a pretty simple A-frame structure made out of 1″x 1″ pine pieces. The frame was made in sections and the wire was screwed on to each section as it was assembled. The top of the run lifts up so I can climb in and rake out the poo. I just prop it open with an upside down rake and jump on in.
The corners are all secured with these nifty . And the whole top piece is attached to the frame with some thin chains that act as a hinge. Here is a picture of the chains.
The brown plastic covering you see on this window is actually the cover to our sand and water table. The hubs cut it to fit over the largest window to break some of the wind in the winter. He used more drywall screws to attach it to the house.
Inside the coop, we attached a roosting bar (made out of an old broom handle) to the side of the house using a simple scrap of wood to attach it.
Here is a look at one side of the roosting bar. The other side just sits on the “mantle” inside the house.
My favorite part about the coop is the nesting box. Hubs attached a recycling bin to the wall using a couple brackets. It’s the PERFECT size for a comfy chicken laying box. And it’s up high so there’s a little privacy. We did cut it down a bit…chickens are not very bright creatures…they were afraid to go inside when the lip of the box was up higher.
The is hung from the ceiling by a thin chain (to keep the birds from standing on it), and the just sits on the floor. The set up is working BRILLIANTLY for us. The birds are happy and laying an egg per chicken per day (even though it’s winter), and it is all super easy to care for. The best part is that we were able to make this transformation for a whopping $46. I can’t say enough about how awesome chicken are…I’m pretty sure my kiddos would agree! Think you might transform your little tikes playhouse into a chicken coop?
Here is the complete list of materials and tools we used to make our playhouse into a chicken coop. Our chickens have been living in the coop for 8 months, and it’s still holding up great!
Hardware
- , to secure wire to playhouse
- to secure wire to wood frame
- to hang feeder from inside coop
Tools
- – for cutting the wire
- (for pounding staples)
- for cutting 1 1/2″ pieces of wood
Chicken Coop Run in Mill Creek, West Virginia
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Mill Creek 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 Mill Creek West Virginia chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Mill Creek, West Virginia With the substantial boost in poultry keeping there has been a just as big rise in the range of chicken materiel on sale. Chicken housing is a situation in point. It's also a traditional example of the excellent old bandwagon being jumped on as numerous prospective chicken real estate experts pitch an array of accommodation asserting to be the perfect remedy to your chicken real estate requirements. Typically the price looks attractive, the house looks desirable, heck even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Definitely they understand a professional chicken house when they see one? There are many affordable and also horrible cages flooding the market. I understand this as I've tested a variety of them in the area, and seen a ewe run directly via one when the feed bucket appeared. The result was just a pricey pile of fire wood as well as a little flock of bemused and currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Kits For 6-8 Chickens in Mill Creek, West Virginia
Most of the time these standardized versions are created of rapid grown up wood - come the first decrease of rainfall they swell, leaving you either fortifying a door that will not shut, or tearing the doorway furniture off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking residents. The first warm day means the timber dries out as well as splits, the really felt roof bubbles and also boils, and come nightfall the hens choose not to enter. This is not due to their dissatisfaction at the decrease of their as soon as appealing home yet due to the fact that the hovel is currently a haven for, and also most likely crawling with, the chicken caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add the fact that it said on the blurb that it would suit 4 large hens when that stocking thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also exactly what are you entrusted? A couple of hinges as well as some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to four birds ought to cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this can depend upon whether you elect for a complimentary standing house or one with a run connected. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a big space and also the pop opening doorway allows sufficient for the type you keep, then the main requirements of real estate come down to 3 points which will specify the number of birds your home will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and also air flow. A lot of breeds of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch must ideally be 5-8cm large with smoothed off edges so the foot sits easily on it. The perch needs to be higher than the nest box entrance as chickens will also naturally try to find the acme to perch. A perch less than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they create one of the most poo) bring about stained eggs the list below day. They shouldn't however be so high off the floor of your home that leg injuries could possibly take place when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens need regarding 20cm of perch each (in small breeds this is certainly much less), plus if more than one perch is set up in your home they must be greater than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their neighbors yet are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Preferably your house must have a the very least one nest box for every three birds as well as these should be off the ground and in the darkest location of your home. Your house ought to have appropriate ventilation: without it then condensation will accumulate every night, even in the chilliest of weather. Be aware, ventilation deals with the principle of warm and comfortable air leaving through a high void drawing cooler air in from a lower void - it's not a set of holes on other wall surfaces of your home and also at the very same level, this is exactly what's referred to as a draught. If you have a house with a run connected after that the factors above are still real, but you ought to likewise think about the run size. The EU maximum legal equipping density for a free variety bird is (as well as allow's face it, one of the inspirations for maintaining some chickens in your home is perhaps enhanced or better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m settled. Take a close take a look at several of the deal homes - it could well be the house has the right perches, correct air flow and sufficient nest boxes for a sensible number of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to spend the day on? And so as the stating goes, "you get what you spend for". You could think you've got hold of a deal, yet you and also your flock could possibly rue the day you did. Acquisition the appropriate house and it will certainly last for a few decades, otherwise longer provided the proper therapy. In the end your poultry and also your chicken keeping experience will be considerably the better for it.plans diy
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