Chicken Coops for Sale in Ozark, Alabama
Chicken Coops for Sale in Ozark, Alabama
Preparing Your Coop/Flock For Winter – Part 1: Roof Structure
Last week I posted a list of items that you may want to consider doing to make sure you and your flock are ready for the colder winter months. I’m going to try address one or two of these topics every Wednesday so that if you are going to work on them over the weekend you have time to plan.
Again I know it’s hard to even think of winter when the temperatures are in the 90’s in many parts of the country, but the cold weather will be on us before you know. Its much easier to take the time now to button up any issues, then trying to do it in the dead of winter. Many of you will not deal with snow and ice (lucky you!) but many of these topics effect all of us backyard chicken keepers and have a detrimental effect on the overall health of your coop…As I always say if what I post pertains to you and helps, great, if not just forget about it and move on…
Coop Roof Structure:
The roof of your coop is the first line of defense against the elements. A sound roof will not only prevent water penetration but will help in keeping your coop warm during the winter. As we all know heat rises (check our second floor of the house out in the summer!) and a solid roof can help trap some of this heat keeping the inside of the coop warmer. The important thing to remember is that you do not want to trap all of the heat by cutting off ventilation. Heat develops moisture and condensation so it’s important to have a balance. Ventilation is an important aspect of the coop, without it moisture builds, ammonia fumes become overpowering and your birds health will suffer. There is a huge difference between ventilation and a draft, we will be discussing “drafts” in a later post.
Having controllable ventilation at the peak of the roof structure will help to maintain a healthy coop. This can easily be accomplished with some screen covered holes on the side walls of the peak and using a piece of plywood to control how much of an opening you want. There are some much more elaborate systems out there but they all accomplish the same thing, controllable ventilation. If you don’t have ventilation at the peak you may want to consider it. There is a reason why so many homes have ventilation at the eves and peaks, it helps to control moisture in the home during the winter as well keeping the home cooler in the summer months.
Ensuring that your roof is leak free is also very important. That little leak you have been dealing with all summer may become a big issue during the winter when you get the “freeze/thaw effects”. During the day as snow and ice melt, water can leak into the the roof structure. At night this water freezes and expands resulting in a larger and larger leak as the days go by. There are many products out there that can help seal up these leaks but be careful some have toxic fumes that could be harmful to your flock. Sometimes just using a new shingle on asphalt roofs does the trick. Metal roofs typically leak at the seams or nail heads, a good quality sealer should handle these areas. Just remember most of the time the leak you see dripping on the underside of the roof came from a hole or crack above where you see the dripping. When water leaks in, gravity causes the water to run to the lowest point. It may take some investigation to find where the leak is actually coming from but a good starting point is to start above the spot you see the leak dripping.
If the wood on your coop roof is rotted it should be replaced. Rotted wood normally contains a large amount of moisture. The moisture in this wood adds moisture to the coop (remember, it’s a bad thing). “Freeze/Thaw” effects can take place on this rotted wood causing it to deteriorate even quicker. Snow loads can add significant weight to the top of the coop and a unstable structure runs the risk of collapse. I can only imagine how difficult it would be dealing with a roof collapse in the dead of winter! If the snow and ice get to heavy for the roof on your coop, you should remove it. When removing it be careful not to damage the roof shingles or other covering! Stand on a steady surface with both feet firmly planted on the ground or step when attempting to remove snow and ice.
A roof leak also adds unwanted moisture to you coop by letting water in and keeping the litter wet. The interior of a coop has enough moisture from bird droppings and the moisture a chicken itself gives off by breathing, you don’t need or want the added moisture from a leak. If the litter in the coop becomes wet from any source during the winter you should remove it and replace it with fresh as quickly as possible. Placing a bucket under the leak to catch the drip is not a good fix. When water drips into the bucket it can splash a fine mist a considerable distance. This mist keeps the litter wet and the air inside the coop too moist.
A well ventilated, leak free, structurally sound roof on your coop is a extremely important part in maintaining the overall health of your coop. This is not an area that you want to just “make do” and cut corners. There are many materials that you can use for a roof. Some, like scrap metal roofing or end cut pieces of tar paper and shingles can be found at a local building site (ask first, you don’t want the end up in jail!) or a recycling center. I would avoid using a tarp, although these are good in an emergency should you find a leak. And never use pressure treated wood which can give off toxic fumes in a enclosed area like a coop. If your roof membrane is water tight there is no need for pressure treated plywood or lumber as a deck surface.
By addressing the coops roof now you can prevent dealing with the effects of a wet environment in the dead cold of the winter months…Hope this helps….
FrankThe Chicken Fountain™
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Chicken Coop Setup in Ozark, Alabama
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Ozark Alabama" 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 Ozark Alabama chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Ozark, Alabama With the substantial rise in poultry maintaining there has actually been a similarly large rise in the variety of fowl materiel for sale. Poultry real estate is an instance in point. It's additionally a classic example of the good old bandwagon being got on as various would-be chicken real estate specialists peddle an array of accommodation declaring to be the ideal solution to your chicken housing requirements. Typically the rate looks attractive, your house looks appealing, heck also the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Definitely they know a quality chicken house when they see one? There are many economical as well as horrible cages swamping the market. I know this as I've examined a variety of them in the area, as well as seen a ewe run straight via one when the feed pail appeared. The outcome was nothing but a costly pile of firewood and also a little flock of bemused and now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Ideas in Ozark, Alabama
Typically these mass produced models are built of rapid grown hardwood - come the very first decrease of rainfall they swell, leaving you either blockading a doorway that will not close, or ripping the doorway furniture off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking inhabitants. The initial warm day indicates the timber dries and also fractures, the felt roof covering bubbles and boils, as well as come nightfall the chickens choose not to go in. This is not as a result of their frustration at the decrease of their once appealing home however considering that the hovel is now a sanctuary for, and possibly crawling with, the fowl keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add on the fact that it claimed on the blurb that it would match four huge chickens when that equipping thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as just what are you entrusted? A couple of joints as well as some kindling. A decent coop for thee to 4 birds should cost you around ₤ 300 though this could depend upon whether you elect for a totally free standing house or one with a run attached. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a huge area and the pop hole door allows enough for the type you keep, then the major demands of housing come down to 3 factors which will certainly define the variety of birds the house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes as well as ventilation. The majority of types of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost in the evening, this perch needs to ideally be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off sides so the foot rests pleasantly on it. The perch needs to be higher than the nest box access as chickens will certainly likewise normally search for the highest point to perch. A perch lower than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they produce the most poo) bring about stained eggs the list below day. They should not nonetheless be so high off the floor of your home that leg injuries could possibly happen when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens need regarding 20cm of perch each (in small breeds this is certainly much less), plus if greater than one perch is installed in the house they need to be greater than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their next-door neighbors but are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Ideally your house needs to have a the very least one nest box for every single three birds and these need to be off the ground and also in the darkest area of the house. The house ought to have appropriate air flow: without it then condensation will develop every night, even in the coldest of weather condition. Be aware, air flow works with the principle of cozy air leaving via a high gap drawing cooler air in from a reduced space - it's not a collection of holes on other walls of the house and also at the same level, this is just what's referred to as a draft. If you have a house with a run affixed then the factors above are still true, but you must likewise think about the run dimension. The EU maximum legal stocking density for a cost-free variety bird is (and let's encounter it, one of the motivations for keeping some hens in your home is perhaps enhanced or far better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m made even. Take a close consider a few of the bargain residences - it could well be your house has the right perches, right ventilation and sufficient nest boxes for a reasonable number of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to spend the day on? Therefore as the claiming goes, "you get exactly what you spend for". You might believe you've got a bargain, however you as well as your flock could possibly rue the day you did. Acquisition the best house and it will last for a couple of years, if not longer provided the appropriate therapy. Eventually your fowl and also your poultry maintaining encounter will certainly be much the better for it.plan diy
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