Chicken Coops for Sale in Nevada City, California
Chicken Coops for Sale in Nevada City, California
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™
Share this:
Like this:
Chicken Coop On Wheels in Nevada City, California
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Nevada City California" 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 Nevada City California chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Nevada City, California With the substantial increase in poultry keeping there has been an equally large increase in the array of chicken paraphernalia for sale. Chicken real estate is a situation in point. It's likewise a classic instance of the good old bandwagon being jumped on as numerous would-be fowl housing experts market a variety of lodging claiming to be the perfect solution to your chicken housing requirements. Frequently the price looks eye-catching, your house looks eye-catching, hell even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Surely they know a quality chicken house when they see one? There are many inexpensive and also nasty coops swamping the marketplace. I understand this as I've tested a number of them in the area, as well as seen a ewe run directly through one when the feed pail appeared. The outcome was only a costly stack of fire wood as well as a tiny flock of bemused and now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Designs in Nevada City, California
Usually these standardized models are created of fast grown lumber - come the very first drop of rain they swell, leaving you either barricading a doorway that will not shut, or tearing the doorway furnishings off in a vain effort to launch the squawking inhabitants. The first warm and comfortable day means the lumber dries out and also splits, the really felt roof bubbles and also boils, and come nightfall the hens choose not to enter. This is not because of their disappointment at the decline of their as soon as attractive property yet due to the fact that the hovel is now a place for, as well as most likely abounding, the fowl keeper's bane, red mite. Add that it claimed on the blurb that it would suit four big hens when that stocking density was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also exactly what are you left with? A number of joints and also some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to four birds must cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this could depend on whether you choose for a free standing house or one with a run attached. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a huge area and also the pop hole doorway is big sufficient for the breed you keep, then the major demands of housing come down to three points which will define the number of birds your home will hold; perches, nest boxes and also ventilation. A lot of breeds of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch ought to ideally be 5-8cm large with smoothed off edges so the foot sits comfortably on it. The perch ought to be higher than the nest box entrance as chickens will also naturally try to find the acme to perch. A perch below that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is incidentally when they generate one of the most poo) leading to soiled eggs the list below day. They should not nevertheless be so high off the flooring of your home that leg injuries can take place when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens require about 20cm of perch each (in little types this is clearly less), plus if more than one perch is installed in your home they ought to be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their neighbors however are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably the house ought to have a least one nest box for each 3 birds and these must be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of your home. The house ought to have adequate ventilation: without it after that condensation will certainly develop every night, even in the coldest of weather. Realize, ventilation works on the principle of warm air leaving via a high gap attracting cooler air in from a reduced space - it's not a collection of openings on other walls of your house as well as at the very same degree, this is just what's called a draft. If you have a house with a run attached after that the factors above are still real, but you should likewise think about the run dimension. The EU maximum lawful equipping density for a free array bird is (and also allow's face it, one of the motivations for keeping some hens at home is possibly enhanced or much better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m squared. Take a close take a look at several of the deal residences - it could well be your home has the appropriate perches, appropriate ventilation and also enough nest boxes for an affordable variety of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? Therefore as the saying goes, "you get exactly what you spend for". You may believe you've got a bargain, yet you and your group can rue the day you did. Purchase the best house and it will last for a few years, if not longer given the correct therapy. In the long run your poultry and your fowl keeping encounter will certainly be considerably the much better for it.chick coop
More Posts
Chicken Coops for Sale in Del Mar, California
Chicken Coops for Sale in Holt, California
Chicken Coops for Sale in Hemet, California
Chicken Coops for Sale in Fish Camp, California
Chicken Coops for Sale in Ben Lomond, California