Chicken Coops for Sale in Templeton, California
Chicken Coops for Sale in Templeton, California
Sand Litter Bed In The Chicken Coop: An Experiment
We’ve been managing our chicken coop through a . This hybrid system has worked extremely well in . Briefly, how that system works is, the chickens roost over the sand, which acts like kitty litter to dry out their overnight poop, and in the morning the poop is raked to the lower area, where it composts-in-place with lots of straw and other high-carbon bedding.
Last year, fed up with the very real problems involved when you combine chickens and vegetable gardening, we decided to stop attempting to free-range our birds and instead fenced in a large, outdoor area adjacent to the coop. We confined the hens to this area (the ducks, less destructive, still get to free range) and this solved many of our chickens-scratching up-my-seedlings problems.
Too Much Of A Good Thing?
However, this confined run area led to another problem. This is a good problem, a problem I cannot believe I have, but it’s a problem nonetheless. In order to accommodate our flock in this confined area, we piled on the straw and woodchips in both the coop’s lower area, and the outdoor run.
This has led to, basically, more compost than I can use. Yeah, I have too much compost. Crazy, right? I didn’t know there was such thing as too much compost.
When I hauled out all the deep litter and piled it up, it looked like this.
And it’s not just dealing with storing Mount Compost Heap up there. The bedding was building up so deeply in both the coop and the run that we started to have problems just opening the door to the coop. The chickens weren’t super effective at scratching down to the lowest levels, and I’m embarrassed to say that some anaerobic ickiness was starting to take place in the deeper levels of the bedding.
Something needed to change.
Trying something new.
Is Sand A Solution?
In order to manage these drawbacks, we are experimenting with a sand bed in the run area of the coop. The fenced outdoor chicken area will still be managed as a deep litter system, with arborists woodchips and straw added as needed for carbon.
But inside the coop itself, I’m trying sand.
I had help raking out the new sand.
I see several potential upsides to a sand bed, and a few downsides as well.
Pros:
- Sand bed is lower profile, so we’re able to open the door without hassle.
- Seems drier in winter due to superior drainage.
- Spilled chicken food is less likely to get “lost” in the bedding. I’ve observed chickens pecking at the food that falls on the sand. Less food waste = less feed expense.
- Sand adds natural grit to a chicken’s diet and sharpens nails
- Probably less expensive in the long-term, since sand doesn’t require frequent additions or “top-ups” like a deep litter system.
- May allow for indoor dust-bathing. I have not observed my hens using the sand to dust bathe, but I’ve read that they will.
- May cut down on opportunities for Coccidiosis in chickens by providing an inhospitable environment for the protozoa.
- Easy collection of poop allows for a more dedicated manure-composting system, which might be of use to people looking at black soldier fly farming (hem hem, me) or related endeavors.
When the hens spill feed, they can pick it up now.
Cons:
- Cold. The sand does not add to the warmth of the coop like the composting bedding. The sand feels noticeably colder to me when I touch it, and I’m not even walking around barefoot like my chooks. Cold is a drawback here in January. However, to chicken keepers in hot weather climates, perhaps a non-heat generating litter option would be a benefit?
- Requires more regular dedicated maintenance. We’re already in the daily habit of scooping the poop from the sand covered upper coop area, so this doesn’t add a huge amount of work to that chore, but it’s definitely not the kind of job you can ignore for several
weeksdays. - Does not break down into compost. Unless your chickens already make more compost than you can use, less compost is a bad thing.
- The ducks don’t seem happy about the sand, but then ducks don’t like change, so I don’t read too much into this yet.
- Duck poop doesn’t scoop well. The front runner of Reasons I May Go Back To Deep Litter is wet duck poop on sand. Ewww.
- The poop has to go somewhere. In the prior system we just scrapped the upper poop onto the composting bedding. Now the upper and lower poop have to go somewhere. At the moment we’re scraping the poop out the door into the outdoor run area, but this experiment of sand-bedding the indoor run has triggered a re-evaluation of all my manure and compost management practices. So, simple change.
As of now, I have more questions than answers. I’ll let you know how the sand bed works out going forward.
Chicken Coop in Templeton, California
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Templeton 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 Templeton California chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Templeton, California With the massive rise in poultry maintaining there has actually been an equally big increase in the variety of fowl materiel on sale. Poultry housing is a proceedings in point. It's additionally a classic example of the good old bandwagon being got on as numerous prospective chicken real estate specialists market a variety of accommodation asserting to be the suitable option to your chicken real estate needs. Often the cost looks eye-catching, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks eye-catching, hell also the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Surely they understand a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are many low-cost as well as horrible cages swamping the market. I understand this as I've examined a number of them in the area, and seen a ewe run directly with one when the feed container appeared. The outcome was just a pricey heap of fire wood and a small group of bemused and currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Plans Pdf in Templeton, California
Usually these mass produced versions are created of quick grown up timber - come the first decrease of rain they swell, leaving you either fortifying a doorway that will not close, or ripping the door furnishings off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking citizens. The very first warm and comfortable day implies the lumber dries out and also fractures, the really felt roofing bubbles as well as boils, and also come nightfall the hens choose not to enter. This is not due to their disappointment at the decrease of their when attractive home however considering that the hovel is now a sanctuary for, and also most likely abounding, the poultry caretaker's bane, red mite. Add on that it claimed on the blurb that it would certainly match four big hens when that stocking thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as just what are you left with? A number of joints and some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to four birds need to cost you around ₤ 300 though this could depend on whether you choose for a complimentary standing house or one with a run affixed. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a huge room and the pop opening door is big sufficient for the type you keep, after that the main needs of housing boil down to 3 points which will specify the variety of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes and ventilation. A lot of types of chicken will perch when they visit roost at night, this perch ought to preferably be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off sides so the foot rests conveniently on it. The perch should be above the nest box access as chickens will also naturally search for the acme to perch. A perch lower than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they generate one of the most poo) resulting in dirtied eggs the list below day. They should not nevertheless be so high off the flooring of your house that leg injuries might happen when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens require regarding 20cm of perch each (in tiny types this is clearly much less), plus if greater than one perch is set up in your home they must be more than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their neighbors but are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Ideally your home must have a the very least one nest box for every single three birds and also these must be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of your house. Your home should have appropriate ventilation: without it after that condensation will certainly develop every evening, even in the coldest of weather. Understand, air flow works with the principle of warm air leaving via a high void drawing cooler air in from a reduced void - it's not a set of holes on other walls of the house and at the exact same level, this is exactly what's called a draught. If you have a house with a run affixed after that the points above are still true, but you ought to likewise consider the run dimension. The EU optimum legal equipping thickness for a free range bird is (and also allow's face it, among the inspirations for maintaining some chickens in your home is possibly improved or far better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m squared. Take a close take a look at several of the bargain residences - it could well be the house has the best perches, proper ventilation and also enough nest boxes for an affordable number of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to spend the day on? Therefore as the stating goes, "you get what you pay for". You could think you've grabbed a deal, however you as well as your flock could rue the day you did. Acquisition the best house as well as it will last for a couple of decades, if not longer given the proper therapy. Eventually your fowl and your chicken keeping experience will be a lot the better for it.chick chick
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