Chicken Coops for Sale in Huey, Illinois
Chicken Coops for Sale in Huey, Illinois
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 Easy in Huey, Illinois
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Huey Illinois" 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 Huey Illinois chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Huey, Illinois With the big rise in chicken maintaining there has actually been a similarly large rise in the variety of poultry materiel for sale. Fowl housing is an instance in point. It's also a classic instance of the good old bandwagon being got on as various potential fowl real estate experts peddle a selection of lodging asserting to be the perfect solution to your chicken real estate requirements. Usually the cost looks desirable, your house looks eye-catching, heck even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Undoubtedly they know a professional chicken house when they see one? There are numerous affordable and also awful cages swamping the market. I recognize this as I've tested a variety of them in the field, and also seen a ewe run straight with one when the feed pail appeared. The outcome was only a pricey heap of fire wood as well as a small flock of bemused as well as currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Kits Cheap in Huey, Illinois
Generally these mass produced models are constructed of rapid grown up hardwood - come the very first decrease of rainfall they swell, leaving you either defending a doorway that will not close, or tearing the door furnishings off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking occupants. The initial warm and comfortable day suggests the lumber dries and cracks, the really felt roofing system bubbles and also boils, and come nightfall the hens choose not to enter. This is not due to their disappointment at the decline of their as soon as appealing commercial property yet since the hovel is now a sanctuary for, and possibly abounding, the fowl keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add on the fact that it stated 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, and what are you entrusted? A few joints as well as some kindling. A decent coop for thee to 4 birds ought to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can depend upon whether you choose for a totally free standing house or one with a run connected. Thinking you are varying your birds in a huge room and also the pop hole doorway is big sufficient for the type you keep, after that the major needs of real estate come down to 3 factors which will certainly define the variety of birds your home will hold; perches, nest boxes and air flow. Many breeds of chicken will perch when they go to roost during the night, this perch must ideally be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off sides so the foot sits conveniently on it. The perch must be above the nest box access as chickens will additionally normally try to find the acme to perch. A perch lower than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they generate the most poo) leading to soiled eggs the following day. They shouldn't however be so high off the floor of your home that leg injuries can happen when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens need about 20cm of perch each (in tiny breeds this is undoubtedly less), plus if greater than one perch is set up in your house they should be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their neighbors but are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably your house should have a the very least one nest box for every 3 birds as well as these should be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of your home. Your house should have adequate air flow: without it after that condensation will certainly accumulate every evening, also in the coldest of climate. Know, air flow works with the principle of warm air leaving with a high void drawing cooler air in from a lower space - it's not a collection of holes on other wall surfaces of your house as well as at the very same level, this is exactly what's called a draught. If you have a house with a run attached then the factors above are still real, yet you ought to additionally think about the run dimension. The EU maximum legal equipping thickness for a complimentary variety bird is (and allow's encounter it, among the motivations for keeping some chickens at home is perhaps enhanced or much better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m settled. Take a close check out a few of the deal homes - it could well be your home has the ideal perches, proper air flow as well as ample nest boxes for an affordable variety of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to invest the day on? Therefore as the claiming goes, "you obtain just what you spend for". You may think you've grabbed a bargain, yet you as well as your group could possibly rue the day you did. Purchase the right house and also it will last for a few years, otherwise longer given the appropriate therapy. In the end your chicken and also your fowl maintaining experience will certainly be much the far better for it.diy chickens
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