Chicken Coops for Sale in Teays, West Virginia
Chicken Coops for Sale in Teays, West 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.
Baby Chick House in Teays, West Virginia
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Teays 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 Teays West Virginia chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Teays, West Virginia With the massive boost in chicken maintaining there has been a just as big surge in the array of chicken materiel for sale. Fowl housing is a situation in point. It's additionally a timeless instance of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as various potential chicken real estate experts pitch a selection of accommodation declaring to be the ideal solution to your chicken housing demands. Frequently the rate looks eye-catching, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks appealing, hell even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look eye-catching. Definitely they recognize a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are several inexpensive as well as unpleasant cages flooding the marketplace. I recognize this as I've checked a number of them in the field, as well as seen a ewe run directly through one when the feed pail showed up. The result was only an expensive heap of fire wood as well as a little group of bemused and also currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Building Plans in Teays, West Virginia
Most of the time these standardized models are built of fast grown lumber - come the very first drop of rain they swell, leaving you either defending a doorway that will not shut, or tearing the door furnishings off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking residents. The initial warm and comfortable day means the timber dries out and splits, the really felt roofing system bubbles and boils, and come nightfall the chickens choose not to go in. This is not as a result of their disappointment at the decline of their once appealing residential property but since the hovel is currently a place for, and also possibly crawling with, the fowl keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add the fact that it claimed on the blurb that it would certainly fit four huge 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 number of hinges and also some kindling. A good coop for thee to 4 birds ought to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can depend on whether you choose for a complimentary standing house or one with a run affixed. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a huge space and the pop hole doorway allows sufficient for the breed you maintain, then the main needs of real estate boil down to 3 factors which will specify the number of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes and ventilation. Most breeds of chicken will certainly perch when they go to roost at night, this perch must preferably be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off sides so the foot rests easily on it. The perch should be more than the nest box access as chickens will certainly likewise normally seek the highest point to perch. A perch lower than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they produce the most poo) resulting in stained eggs the list below day. They should not however be so high off the flooring of your home that leg injuries can happen when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens require about 20cm of perch each (in small breeds this is obviously much less), plus if greater than one perch is mounted in your home they ought to be more than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their next-door neighbors but are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably your house needs to have a least one nest box for every single three birds as well as these ought to be off the ground as well as in the darkest location of your home. The house needs to have appropriate ventilation: without it after that condensation will build up every evening, also in the coldest of climate. Be aware, air flow works with the principle of warm air leaving through a high void attracting cooler air in from a reduced space - it's not a set of openings on contrary wall surfaces of your home and also at the very same level, this is exactly what's called a draft. If you have a house with a run affixed then the factors above are still true, however you must likewise take into consideration the run size. The EU maximum legal equipping density for a free variety bird is (and allow's encounter it, among the inspirations for keeping some hens at home is possibly enhanced or much better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m squared. Take a close take a look at some of the deal residences - it could well be your home has the best perches, right ventilation and also ample nest boxes for a sensible number of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? And so as the claiming goes, "you get what you spend for". You may believe you've got a deal, yet you and also your flock might rue the day you did. Acquisition the best house as well as it will certainly last for a few years, if not longer provided the proper treatment. In the long run your chicken as well as your fowl keeping encounter will be a lot the better for it.coops plan
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