Yesterday I wrote about how every chicken owner should have a wire dog crate as a part of their standard equipment. Being the thrifty mom that I am, I suggested that you start looking at yardsales and even put up on your facebook page that you are looking for a cage that no one else needs.
A few people contacted me with additional suggestions, you can also try:
- Craigslist to see if any are available
- Freecyle to make a request or see if any are posted
One lucky reader even told me how she had found a wire cage on the side of the road set out for free and grabbed it. She said that she’s used it a million times for many different things.
My point is, you don’t need an expensive new one, you simply need to get one (and if it’s free, all the better.)
One of my readers (Stephan-not-Stephen-who-is-really-Modesty) sent me this photo that he found on Craiglist:
It gets me all kinds of excited. Not only does it suggest a cost effective way to make a cage (some chicken wire, a staple gun, and Grandma’s outdated side table is all you need) but, if you leave the bottom open, it’s also a neat way to make a “mini-chicken tractor” which are those portable cages you move around your yard so your chickens can feed in a different area each day. (And Modesty take note: it’s hawk proof.)
Wanting to walk the talk, I put up on my facebook page that I was looking for wire dog crates. Because I teach chicken workshops and want people in my community to have chickens, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have a few in storage should someone contact me with an immediate need.
One of my friends who knows that I tend to collect (I just want to always be prepared) some things, checked in with me after she had read my post.
“You’re not going to start hoarding dog crates now, are you?”
Even typing that last sentence makes me giggle. What kind of sick person does my friend think I am to hoard dog crates????
And besides, why on earth would I start hoarding dog crates, when I can collect these little beauties?
