Chicken Coops for Sale in Hope, Idaho
Chicken Coops for Sale in Hope, Idaho
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 Kit For 6 Chickens in Hope, Idaho
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Hope Idaho" 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 Hope Idaho chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Hope, Idaho With the massive rise in chicken keeping there has actually been an equally big increase in the range of poultry paraphernalia for sale. Chicken housing is a case in factor. It's likewise a timeless example of the good old bandwagon being jumped on as different potential chicken real estate specialists market a selection of accommodation asserting to be the perfect option to your chicken housing requirements. Frequently the price looks eye-catching, the house looks desirable, heck also the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Certainly they recognize a professional chicken house when they see one? There are several affordable as well as nasty cages swamping the market. I understand this as I've examined a number of them in the area, and seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed container appeared. The outcome was only a costly pile of firewood and also a little group of bemused and currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Adelaide in Hope, Idaho
Usually these standardized versions are built of quick grown up timber - come the initial decline of rainfall they swell, leaving you either fortifying a doorway that will not shut, or tearing the doorway furnishings off in a vain attempt to release the squawking residents. The very first cozy day implies the wood dries out as well as splits, the really felt roof bubbles as well as boils, and also come nightfall the chickens refuse to enter. This is not due to their disappointment at the decline of their when attractive building but since the hovel is now a sanctuary for, as well as most likely abounding, the chicken keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add that it claimed on the blurb that it would certainly suit 4 big hens when that equipping density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as what are you left with? A number of hinges and also some kindling. A good coop for thee to four birds should cost you around ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you elect for a complimentary standing house or one with a run attached. Thinking you are varying your birds in a huge space and also the pop hole door allows sufficient for the type you maintain, after that the primary needs of housing boil down to 3 points which will specify the number of birds your home will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and ventilation. The majority of types of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost at night, this perch needs to preferably be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off edges so the foot sits easily on it. The perch should be more than the nest box entrance as chickens will certainly additionally normally look for the highest point to perch. A perch below that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they create the most poo) resulting in stained eggs the following day. They shouldn't nonetheless be so high off the floor of the house that leg injuries could possibly happen when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens need concerning 20cm of perch each (in little types this is undoubtedly less), plus if more than one perch is mounted in your house they should be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their neighbors yet are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Ideally your home ought to have a least one nest box for every 3 birds and also these ought to be off the ground and in the darkest location of your house. The house must have adequate ventilation: without it after that condensation will certainly accumulate every night, even in the chilliest of weather. Know, air flow works with the principle of warm air leaving through a high space attracting cooler air in from a reduced void - it's not a collection of openings on other wall surfaces of your home and at the exact same degree, this is what's known as a draught. If you have a house with a run affixed after that the factors above are still true, however you must also think about the run size. The EU optimum lawful equipping density for a totally free variety bird is (and also let's face it, among the inspirations for maintaining some hens in the house is potentially enhanced or better welfare) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m squared. Take a close check out several of the deal houses - it could well be the house has the appropriate perches, correct air flow and also ample nest boxes for a sensible number of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? And so as the stating goes, "you get just what you spend for". You may assume you've got hold of a deal, but you as well as your flock could possibly rue the day you did. Purchase the right house and also it will certainly last for a couple of years, otherwise longer offered the correct therapy. In the long run your chicken as well as your fowl maintaining encounter will be much the much better for it.plans plan
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