Chicken Coops for Sale in Wesley, Iowa
Chicken Coops for Sale in Wesley, Iowa
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 And Run For Sale in Wesley, Iowa
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Wesley 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 Wesley Iowa chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Wesley, Iowa With the substantial rise in poultry keeping there has been an equally big increase in the array of chicken stuff for sale. Fowl housing is a case in point. It's also a timeless example of the great old bandwagon being got on as numerous potential fowl housing specialists market a range of cottage declaring to be the excellent solution to your chicken real estate demands. Frequently the rate looks desirable, your house looks appealing, hell also the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Certainly they recognize a quality chicken house when they see one? There are numerous economical and unpleasant cages flooding the marketplace. I recognize this as I've tested a number of them in the area, and seen a ewe run directly via one when the feed pail appeared. The outcome was just a pricey pile of fire wood and also a tiny group of bemused and now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Designs in Wesley, Iowa
Typically these standardized designs are constructed of fast grown up hardwood - come the very first drop of rain they swell, leaving you either defending a door that will not close, or ripping the doorway furniture off in a vain effort to launch the squawking occupants. The first warm and comfortable day means the wood dries and also cracks, the felt roofing system bubbles and also boils, and also come nightfall the chickens refuse to enter. This is not due to their dissatisfaction at the decrease of their once attractive residential property but due to the fact that the hovel is currently a haven for, and possibly abounding, the fowl caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add on that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly match four huge chickens when that stocking thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as what are you entrusted? A couple of joints and some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to 4 birds should cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this could depend on whether you choose for a totally free standing house or one with a run attached. Presuming you are ranging your birds in a big area and also the pop opening doorway is big sufficient for the type you maintain, then the primary needs of real estate come down to 3 factors which will define the number of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes as well as air flow. A lot of types of chicken will perch when they visit roost in the evening, this perch ought to ideally be 5-8cm large with smoothed off edges so the foot sits conveniently on it. The perch should be more than the nest box entry as chickens will likewise normally seek 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 create one of the most poo) leading to stained eggs the list below day. They should not however be so high off the flooring of your home that leg injuries might take place when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens need about 20cm of perch each (in little breeds this is certainly much less), plus if greater than one perch is installed in the house they should be more than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their neighbors but are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Ideally your home should have a least one nest box for every single 3 birds and also these ought to be off the ground and also in the darkest area of your home. Your home ought to have ample air flow: without it then condensation will certainly build up every night, also in the coldest of weather. Understand, ventilation works on the principle of cozy air leaving through a high gap drawing cooler air in from a lower void - it's not a set of holes on other wall surfaces of your home as well as at the exact same degree, this is what's called a draft. If you have a house with a run connected then the factors above are still true, but you ought to likewise think about the run dimension. The EU optimum legal equipping density for a totally free range bird is (and also allow's encounter it, among the inspirations for maintaining some chickens in your home is possibly improved or better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m made even. Take a close take a look at a few of the deal houses - it could well be the house has the best perches, appropriate ventilation as well as adequate nest boxes for a practical number of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized piece of ground to spend the day on? And so as the saying goes, "you get exactly what you spend for". You could believe you've got a deal, but you as well as your group could rue the day you did. Purchase the appropriate house as well as it will certainly last for a few years, otherwise longer given the right therapy. Eventually your fowl and your poultry keeping encounter will be considerably the better for it.plan plan
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