Chicken Coops for Sale in Medora, Illinois
Chicken Coops for Sale in Medora, Illinois
Cleaning the Chicken Coop; Fall Chores
Pallets leaned against Coop act as a wind break in Winter.
One of the chores I like to save for beautiful Fall weather is cleaning out the coop. I know that before I got chickens, I really wanted to see other people’s coops and how exactly they did things. So here is a look at my coop and the regular maintenance I have to do to keep my girls happy.
My coop is basically a chicken tractor made permanent. See how I built my chicken coop . It is only good to protect my egg laying divas during the night. I have to get up in the morning to let them out. Trust me they let me know if I am late. Late is after 8 am, so it is not like they start wailing at 5 o’clock in the morning or anything. They have a kind of wail that they only make when they want out. It is the strangest sound, kind of like a long drawn out moooooom , where are youuuuuuu? You have to hear it to understand.
Shoveling out the “raised bed” that my coop rests on.
To clean out my coop I have get someone to help me lift the coop off of the raised bed it is resting on. I have handles on either end, but it is too heavy for me to lift by myself. Thankfully my strong boys help me. Shoveling out all the old bedding and putting in new wood shavings is not too hard of a task, considering you only have to do it about 3 times per year. I empty out the nest boxes and add new hay to freshen things up. I heard for the first time the other day that it is a good idea to add crushed dried herbs to the nest boxes to make them more appealing to your hens. I tried crushed basil this time. Yes, hens are a constant source of amusement. They always want to lay eggs where everyone else is laying. I just have 2 nest boxes for my 10 hens. I call them nest boxes but they are a little unconventional. One is an old basket, the other is an old drawer. This time of year as we transition into winter the light wanes as the days grow shorter. You will notice your egg production reducing quite a bit. This is why commercial growers put a light on their chickens 24 hours a day; to keep their egg production up. Here at the homestead we try to work with nature instead of against it. That means more kale, less eggs. This is also the time that the rabbits really start producing well. While one thing lessens another takes it’s place. This probably wouldn’t work up north but I lean pallets against the coop to provide a wind break. A lot of people ask me if I need to provide a heat source for my girls when temps fall below freezing. The answer is no. It is important to make sure their water is unfrozen. Other than that chickens really do better in the Winter here than the heat of the Summer.
My hens checking out the new fresh nest box.
After the coop is all cleaned out it is time to add new wood chips. I get what is called a “Country Boy” which is farmer speak for a big packed bag of wood shavings. I get mine from my local feed store in Garland. When I first started chickens I used Fall leaves gathered from the curb. I like the shavings better because the compost turns out better, but oak leaves work out well as chicken bedding too. It is hard to see in the picture but the bottom of the coop against the ground is wire screen(yard cloth) to keep digging critters out.
My hens get very curious about all the changes taking place and come to check it all out. I put the old bedding into a bin and drag it to my compost. Thankfully I don’t have to go too far. I keep my compost in my chicken yard so that my hens can stir my compost and so that they can get the minerals they need to keep their egg shells hard. I put the cracked egg shells in the compost where my hens can gobble them up therefore getting the calcium they need to keep their egg shells firm. I also put other left over kitchen scraps in the compost for them to enjoy. Speaking of compost, a lot of people ask me about mine. Let me just say that trying to heat up a compost pile without manure of some sort is NOT easy. To heat up a compost pile without manure add fresh grass clippings. However right about the time fall leaves are readily abundant, grass clippings are NOT readily available. If you have read my posts at all you are probably sensing a theme; get an animal or a source of manure for your garden. Chickens or rabbits, even worms; your garden will thank you with beautiful veggies.
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Chicken Coop Yard Ideas in Medora, Illinois
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Medora 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 Medora Illinois chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Medora, Illinois With the huge boost in poultry keeping there has been a just as large increase in the variety of poultry materiel on sale. Fowl housing is a proceedings in point. It's additionally a timeless example of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as numerous prospective fowl housing experts pitch a range of lodging claiming to be the perfect solution to your chicken housing demands. Typically the cost looks eye-catching, your house looks eye-catching, hell also the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Surely they recognize a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are many low-cost as well as unpleasant cages swamping the market. I know this as I've checked a number of them in the field, and seen a ewe run directly with one when the feed pail showed up. The outcome was just a pricey pile of fire wood and a tiny group of bemused and currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Easy in Medora, Illinois
Typically these mass produced models are built of quick grown up timber - come the first decline of rainfall they swell, leaving you either barricading a doorway that won't close, or tearing the door furniture off in a vain attempt to release the squawking citizens. The initial cozy day implies the wood dries and also cracks, the felt roof bubbles and also boils, and come nightfall the hens refuse to enter. This is not due to their frustration at the decrease of their as soon as attractive apartment however due to the fact that the hovel is now a haven for, and also most likely crawling with, the poultry keeper's bane, red mite. Add the fact that it said on the blurb that it would certainly match 4 large hens when that equipping thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also just what are you left with? A few joints as well as some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to four birds ought to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this could depend upon whether you choose for a cost-free standing house or one with a run affixed. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a large space as well as the pop opening door allows enough for the breed you maintain, then the primary needs of housing come down to three factors which will certainly define the variety of birds the house will hold; perches, nest boxes and air flow. The majority of types of chicken will perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch should preferably be 5-8cm large with smoothed off sides so the foot sits easily on it. The perch must be above the nest box entrance as chickens will additionally naturally look for the highest point to perch. A perch less than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they produce one of the most poo) resulting in stained eggs the following day. They should not nonetheless be so high off the floor of your home that leg injuries might happen when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens need concerning 20cm of perch each (in tiny types this is obviously less), plus if greater than one perch is set up in the house they must be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their next-door 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 least one nest box for every three birds as well as these should be off the ground and also in the darkest location of the house. Your house ought to have adequate ventilation: without it then condensation will certainly build up every evening, also in the chilliest of weather. Know, ventilation works with the concept of warm and comfortable air leaving via a high void attracting cooler air in from a reduced gap - it's not a set of openings on opposite wall surfaces of the house and also at the very same level, this is exactly what's known as a draft. If you have a house with a run connected after that the factors above are still real, however you should also consider the run size. The EU maximum lawful stocking density for a cost-free range bird is (as well as allow's face it, among the motivations for maintaining some hens in your home is potentially boosted or far better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m squared. Take a close check out some of the deal homes - it could well be the house has the best perches, appropriate ventilation as well as ample nest boxes for an affordable variety of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized piece of ground to spend the day on? Therefore as the saying goes, "you get just what you pay for". You may assume you've got a bargain, yet you and your group could rue the day you did. Purchase the best house as well as it will certainly last for a couple of decades, otherwise longer provided the correct therapy. In the long run your poultry and also your poultry maintaining experience will certainly be considerably the far better for it.plan for sale
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