Chicken Coops for Sale in Reinbeck, Iowa
Chicken Coops for Sale in Reinbeck, Iowa
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 Small in Reinbeck, Iowa
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Reinbeck Iowa" 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 Reinbeck Iowa chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Reinbeck, Iowa With the big rise in chicken keeping there has been an equally large rise in the variety of fowl materiel for sale. Fowl housing is a case in point. It's also a classic example of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as numerous would-be chicken real estate experts pitch a selection of accommodation asserting to be the perfect option to your chicken real estate needs. Often the rate looks appealing, the house looks desirable, hell also the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Definitely they know a quality chicken house when they see one? There are numerous cheap as well as awful coops swamping the market. I know this as I've examined a variety of them in the area, as well as seen a ewe run directly with one when the feed bucket showed up. The outcome was only a costly pile of firewood and a small flock of bemused and also now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Accessories in Reinbeck, Iowa
Usually these mass produced models are created of fast grown up timber - come the very first drop of rainfall they swell, leaving you either defending a door that will not shut, or tearing the door furnishings off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking occupants. The very first warm day indicates the hardwood dries as well as splits, the really felt roof covering bubbles and also boils, and also come nightfall the hens choose not to enter. This is not because of their dissatisfaction at the decrease of their when appealing home yet due to the fact that the hovel is currently a sanctuary for, and probably abounding, the fowl caretaker's bane, red mite. Add the fact that it stated on the blurb that it would fit 4 big chickens when that stocking thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also what are you left with? A few joints and some kindling. A good coop for thee to 4 birds ought to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can depend upon whether you elect for a totally free standing house or one with a run connected. Presuming you are varying your birds in a huge area and also the pop hole doorway allows enough for the type you maintain, then the primary requirements of housing come down to three factors which will define the variety of birds the house will hold; perches, nest boxes as well as ventilation. A lot of breeds of chicken will perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch needs to ideally be 5-8cm broad with smoothed off sides so the foot rests comfortably on it. The perch ought to be above the nest box entrance as chickens will certainly also normally seek the acme to perch. A perch less 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 dirtied eggs the list below day. They shouldn't nevertheless be so high off the flooring of the house that leg injuries could take place when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens require concerning 20cm of perch each (in tiny breeds this is undoubtedly much less), plus if more than one perch is installed in your home they need to be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their next-door neighbors but are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Preferably the house must have a the very least one nest box for each three birds and these need to be off the ground and also in the darkest area of your home. Your home must have adequate ventilation: without it after that condensation will develop every night, also in the chilliest of weather. Understand, air flow works with the concept of cozy air leaving via a high gap attracting cooler air in from a lower gap - it's not a set of openings on other walls of your house as well as at the exact same level, this is what's called a draft. If you have a house with a run affixed then the points above are still true, yet you must additionally take into consideration the run dimension. The EU maximum lawful equipping thickness for a cost-free range bird is (and let's face it, one of the motivations for keeping some hens in the house is perhaps improved or much better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m made even. Take a close check out several of the bargain residences - it could well be your home has the appropriate perches, proper air flow as well as ample nest boxes for a practical variety of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to invest the day on? And so as the claiming goes, "you obtain exactly what you pay for". You could think you've got a deal, yet you and also your group can rue the day you did. Acquisition the right house as well as it will last for a few years, if not longer provided the appropriate treatment. Eventually your fowl as well as your chicken keeping encounter will be much the far better for it.diy chicken
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