Chicken Coops for Sale in Woodhull, Illinois
Chicken Coops for Sale in Woodhull, Illinois
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 On Wheels in Woodhull, Illinois
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Woodhull 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 Woodhull Illinois chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Woodhull, Illinois With the big rise in chicken maintaining there has been an equally big surge in the array of poultry stuff on sale. Fowl real estate is a case in factor. It's additionally a timeless example of the great old bandwagon being got on as different would-be fowl housing specialists market a variety of lodging declaring to be the suitable option to your chicken housing demands. Frequently the cost looks attractive, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks desirable, hell even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Undoubtedly they recognize a quality chicken house when they see one? There are lots of affordable as well as nasty coops swamping the market. I recognize this as I've tested a variety of them in the area, and seen a ewe run straight via one when the feed container showed up. The result was only a costly pile of firewood as well as a tiny flock of bemused as well as currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Plans For 20 Chickens in Woodhull, Illinois
Generally these mass produced versions are created of quick grown up hardwood - come the initial decline of rain they swell, leaving you either barricading a door that won't shut, or tearing the door furniture off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking residents. The very first cozy day implies the timber dries out as well as splits, the really felt roofing bubbles as well as boils, and also come nightfall the hens choose not to enter. This is not because of their dissatisfaction at the decline of their when appealing residential property but due to the fact that the hovel is now a sanctuary for, and possibly crawling with, the chicken caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add the fact that it said on the blurb that it would suit 4 huge chickens when that equipping thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also what are you left with? A couple of joints and also some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to four birds need to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can depend on whether you choose for a cost-free standing house or one with a run affixed. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a big space and also the pop hole doorway is big enough for the breed you maintain, then the major demands of real estate come down to 3 points which will define the number of birds your home will hold; perches, nest boxes and also ventilation. Most types of chicken will perch when they go to roost at night, this perch should preferably be 5-8cm large with smoothed off edges so the foot rests comfortably on it. The perch should be more than the nest box entrance as chickens will likewise normally look for the highest point to perch. A perch lower than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they produce the most poo) resulting in stained eggs the following day. They should not nevertheless be so high off the flooring of the house that leg injuries can occur when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens need concerning 20cm of perch each (in small types this is certainly much less), plus if more than one perch is mounted in your house they ought to be greater 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 ahead. Preferably your house ought to have a the very least one nest box for each three birds and these ought to be off the ground and also in the darkest location of your home. Your house should have adequate ventilation: without it then condensation will accumulate every night, even in the chilliest of weather. Know, air flow works with the principle of cozy air leaving via a high space attracting cooler air in from a reduced space - it's not a collection of openings on contrary walls of the house and also at the very same level, this is just what's referred to as a draft. If you have a house with a run attached after that the factors above are still real, yet you need to additionally think about the run size. The EU optimum legal equipping density for a free variety bird is (and let's face it, one of the motivations for maintaining some chickens in your home is perhaps boosted or much better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m made even. Take a close check out a few of the deal homes - it could well be the house has the appropriate perches, proper air flow and also ample nest boxes for a sensible number of birds, but 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 obtain exactly what you spend for". You might assume you've grabbed a deal, however you and your flock can rue the day you did. Purchase the appropriate house and also it will last for a few years, otherwise longer offered the appropriate treatment. In the end your chicken and your poultry keeping experience will certainly be considerably the much better for it.build chicken
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