Chicken Coops for Sale in Fayetteville, Arkansas
Chicken Coops for Sale in Fayetteville, Arkansas
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 With Run in Fayetteville, Arkansas
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Fayetteville Arkansas" 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 Fayetteville Arkansas chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Fayetteville, Arkansas With the big boost in chicken keeping there has been a similarly big rise in the range of chicken stuff on sale. Chicken real estate is a situation in factor. It's also a timeless instance of the good old bandwagon being got on as numerous prospective fowl housing experts pitch a selection of holiday accommodation asserting to be the suitable solution to your chicken real estate demands. Typically the price looks desirable, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks eye-catching, hell even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Certainly they understand a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are many affordable as well as awful coops swamping the market. I know this as I've checked a variety of them in the area, as well as seen a ewe run straight with one when the feed container showed up. The result was only an expensive pile of firewood and a tiny flock of bemused and also currently homeless bantams.
Baby Chick Incubator in Fayetteville, Arkansas
Generally these mass produced models are constructed of rapid grown hardwood - come the first decrease of rainfall they swell, leaving you either fortifying a door that will not shut, or ripping the door furniture off in a vain attempt to release the squawking inhabitants. The very first warm and comfortable day suggests the hardwood dries out and also cracks, the felt roofing bubbles as well as boils, as well as come nightfall the hens refuse to go in. This is not because of their disappointment at the decline of their as soon as desirable building however considering that the hovel is currently a haven for, as well as probably crawling with, the poultry caretaker's bane, red mite. Add on the fact that it stated on the blurb that it would match four huge chickens when that stocking thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and exactly what are you entrusted? A couple of hinges and also some kindling. A good coop for thee to four birds should cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this could depend on whether you choose for a totally free standing house or one with a run connected. Thinking you are ranging your birds in a big area and also the pop opening doorway is big enough for the breed you keep, after that the primary demands of real estate boil down to 3 factors which will certainly specify the number of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes and ventilation. A lot of breeds of chicken will perch when they visit roost at night, this perch must ideally be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off sides so the foot rests conveniently on it. The perch should be higher than the nest box entrance as chickens will certainly additionally normally seek the acme to perch. A perch below that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they create the most poo) bring about dirtied eggs the list below day. They should not nevertheless be so high off the floor of your house that leg injuries could happen when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens need concerning 20cm of perch each (in little breeds this is obviously much less), plus if more than one perch is mounted in your house they must be greater than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their next-door neighbors however are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Preferably your house ought to have a least one nest box for every single 3 birds and these must be off the ground as well as in the darkest location of the house. Your home must have ample ventilation: without it then condensation will accumulate every night, also in the chilliest of climate. Be aware, air flow works with the concept of cozy air leaving through a high space attracting cooler air in from a lower gap - it's not a set of openings on opposite walls of your house as well as at the very same level, this is just what's known as a draught. If you have a house with a run connected after that the factors above are still true, yet you must additionally take into consideration the run dimension. The EU maximum lawful equipping density for a complimentary range bird is (as well as let's encounter it, among the inspirations for maintaining some chickens in the house is perhaps improved or better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m made even. Take a close look at several of the bargain houses - it could well be the house has the ideal perches, correct air flow as well as adequate nest boxes for an affordable variety of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? And so as the stating goes, "you get just what you pay for". You could think you've got hold of a deal, yet you and your flock might rue the day you did. Purchase the appropriate house and it will last for a few decades, if not longer provided the correct therapy. Ultimately your chicken and also your chicken maintaining encounter will be considerably the much better for it.build coops
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