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Recommended Reading & Review: |
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How To Build An Attractive & Affordable
Chicken Coup In Simple And Easy Steps... |
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Since I had not read any reviews,
I expected the book to be aimed only at the carpenter or
handyman who wanted some tips where to "hammer in the nails"
and how to put the chicken coup together.
This book turned out to be oh so much more.
First you get advice on what types of chicken will fit your situation and
garden best, and how to feed them the best. How to prepare everything before the
chickens arrive is emphasized.
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I hadn't thought about how much room was needed “per chicken”, yet this critical to know, and the book tells you how to figure it out so easily. The same goes for the nesting boxes.
I was completely clueless before reading this book, and I definitely didn’t think I was going to find such detailed, rich and all-inclusive information in a book titled “Building A Chicken Coop”.
The book gives you step by step instructions on what you need to do
each week (called husbandry), and even includes advice the health of
your chickens and the eggs they lay.
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Still the greatest part of the entire book, and why I decided to buy it was… the plan and building of the chicken coop itself.
To begin with, I must
admit that I’m not very good at DIY. Of course,
I know how to use a saw, hammer and drill, but I’m
no expert at it. The tools you need to follow this
guide are very simple. If I had gone out and bought
the same coop that I have now built, it would have
cost me twice the money.
The building plans
are so simple and easy to understand, and because
the entire guide is on my computer I could just
print out a couple that I screwed up. Plus, they’re
in color.
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"A Must Read
Book" |
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The level of
detail is just
right, from a
list of the
color of the egg
you might expect
from you hen to
a description of
healthy hen’s
poop!
If you follow
his tips, your
happy hens will
be very
productive |
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It sure is
incredible that someone like me was able
to build an amazing coop that even gathers
the eggs. I was able to construct quite
a large one in only 4 days.
I’m now going
through all of the books (you get more as
free extra bonuses) again to
learn even more about caring for chickens.
In the end, I must say that no matter
if you are a complete beginner at DIY with a
limited budget, or a pro with more funds to use,
this book is incredible!
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Chicken Coup
Chickens rarely complain about their homes.
All they need is a piece of grass and a dry
place to sleep. So don’t be afraid to build
your own chicken coop. If you feel that you
have limited skills building,
you might want to consider buying a set of plans
that show you exactly, step by step how to do it.
The plans should contain a list of all the supplies you need,
to save you from making unnecessary trips to the hardware store.
If you have some basic building experience, that’s all you need
to complete this project on your own. |
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Chicken Coup Plans - How to Build A Coup? |
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To raise chickens doesn’t have to cost a lot of money.
It can in fact be a very inexpensive and satisfying hobby.
They are interesting little animals to observe, and you
get the bonus of fresh eggs too. A lot of the problems with
having chickens can be taken care of by building a good
chicken coup as housing for them. |
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A common problem with building a coop that can’t be moved is
that you need to deal with the pile up of manure. But if you
instead build one that can be moved around every couple of days
you easily get around this problem and can give your birds
fresh food to eat.
To begin with, you need to choose the right design. One of the
best is called an A-frame, it’s about 4 feet wide and 6 feet
long. This model can give room for 6-7 birds, but is still
small enough to be moved around very easy (the entire goal of
the design). Look through inline to get an idea of the various
kinds of models that are for sale. By doing this you’ll get
a lot of ideas for what features you might like to include
in your own coop.
Because of the fact that the coup you are building will be
placed outdoors on the grass, you should use lumber that is
pressure treated. That way you don’t have to worry about bugs
infecting the wood. If you use 2x4 boards that will give the
triangle walls at both ends sufficient strength, as well as
the runners that connect every set on points. Add two additional
boards, to give floor of the some extra support, about halfway
up the sides. A helpful tip is that if you extend these supports
past the ends of the chicken ark the can also serve as handles.
One sheet of plywood that has been properly pressure treated
will give you enough wood for both the roof and the floor. With
great care, cut out a hole in the middle of the coup and save
this part to use as a ramp later. To do that, place a latch to
one side and a hinge on the other. Also place hinges to either
side of the roof, so you can easily get access to the coop and
the place where the eggs are being laid. In case your feeling
creative and you have the material available at home, you can
also put metal siding on the roof of the coop. If you want to
and think it looks good, do it
When you’ve finished that, the big part of the construction is complete.
Adding chicken wire to the ark’s lower level is the next step,
and then you’re done! You can decide after that if you’d like to
paint the coop, to make it look nicer in any way, or just let it
have a natural look. Your very own coop is now safe and complete,
ready to receive it’s first chickens.
Karin Clayton |
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Chicken Coops - What And How To Feed Your Chickens? |
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Okay, so you’ve finished building your Chicken Coup,
and you’ve decided on what kind of chickens you want.
What’s next? It’s time to learn the simple basics of
how to care for and keep chickens happy. First off,
water. Like most other creatures, chickens need a lot
of fresh clean water. Drinking clean water makes them
more active, which is critical to if they’re going to
lay good eggs. It can also be a good idea to mix in
some vitamins and minerals (that dissolve in water)
into their water supply because that will improve
their eating and at the same time boost their health. |
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You also need to be conscious of changes in the weather and temperature over the year. How do we humans react to hot weather? We drink more water. The same goes for chickens. When it’s hot, you need to give them some extra water. Over time it will be enough to change their water once a day, but in the beginning you might like to do it two times each day, just to be on the safe side. Also, when constructing your next coup, consider integrating the water supply above ground level, that will protect it more from being spoiled.
What do you feed the chickens? Decide on one of main brands of chicken feeds that you can find in your local pet store. This will ensure their diet contain all the minerals and nutrients needed to keep birds happy, healthy and active. The two common kinds of chicken feed are layers pellets and mixed corn. It’s best to feed your chicks a combination of both. How much of you give them varies from each owner to the next. But if mix together 50% of each you should be perfectly fine.
The recommended dosage is a handful each morning and night per chicken. Still, you need to make sure that all of them are sharing the food. And this can be difficult task. But the biggest thing to keep in mind is to make sure that no chicken is excluded during “dinner time”!
The cost of feed each month is pretty low, approximately 1 dollar per chicken. And last but not least, remember to get some grit into the chicken coop. They need this. However, oyster shells are not good for chickens. A great little trick is to cook the shells of eggs that have already been used in the oven. Take them out when they’re crunchy and got a little shaded color. Then grind them down until they have the same texture that grit does. This works like a charm.
Some owners make the mistake of feeding the birds leftovers from their own meals. This should be avoided. Because the food will not contain the proper balance of nutrients and minerals the chickens need to lay good eggs and keep healthy. Do not take the risk.
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