Chicken Coops for Sale in Protection, Kansas
Chicken Coops for Sale in Protection, Kansas
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 Tips in Protection, Kansas
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Protection Kansas" 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 Protection Kansas chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Protection, Kansas With the huge boost in chicken keeping there has actually been a similarly huge increase in the range of fowl stuff for sale. Chicken housing is a proceedings in factor. It's additionally a timeless example of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as various prospective chicken real estate specialists peddle an array of accommodation claiming to be the ideal remedy to your chicken real estate needs. Frequently the rate looks attractive, your house looks eye-catching, heck also the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Definitely they know a high quality chicken house when they see one? There are lots of economical and awful coops swamping the market. I know this as I've examined a variety of them in the field, and also 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 small flock of bemused and currently homeless bantams.
Baby Chick Varieties in Protection, Kansas
Usually these standardized models are created of quick grown timber - come the first decline of rain they swell, leaving you either fortifying a door that will not shut, or ripping the door furniture off in a vain attempt to release the squawking occupants. The first cozy day indicates the timber dries and fractures, the felt roof covering bubbles and boils, as well as come nightfall the hens choose not to enter. This is not as a result of their frustration at the decrease of their as soon as appealing apartment however due to the fact that the hovel is currently a sanctuary for, and most likely crawling with, the chicken caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add on the fact that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly match four large hens when that equipping density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as exactly what are you left with? A number of hinges and also some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to 4 birds should cost you around ₤ 300 though this could depend upon whether you elect for a cost-free standing house or one with a run connected. Presuming you are varying your birds in a big space and the pop opening door allows enough for the type you keep, after that the main needs of housing come down to three factors which will define the variety of birds your house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes as well as ventilation. Many types of chicken will certainly perch when they go to roost during the night, this perch needs to preferably be 5-8cm broad with smoothed off edges so the foot rests easily on it. The perch must be higher than the nest box entry as chickens will additionally naturally seek the acme to perch. A perch below that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they create the most poo) resulting in soiled eggs the following day. They should not nonetheless be so high off the flooring of your home that leg injuries could possibly take place when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens need regarding 20cm of perch each (in little breeds this is clearly much less), plus if more than one perch is installed in the house they should be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their neighbors yet are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Preferably the house should have a least one nest box for every three birds and these must be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of your house. Your house ought to have ample ventilation: without it then condensation will certainly accumulate every night, even in the coldest of weather condition. Realize, air flow works on the principle of warm air leaving with a high gap drawing cooler air in from a lower gap - it's not a set of openings on other walls of the house and at the exact same degree, this is what's known as a draught. If you have a house with a run affixed after that the factors above are still true, but you need to also take into consideration the run dimension. The EU maximum lawful equipping thickness for a free variety bird is (and also let's face it, among the inspirations for maintaining some chickens in your home is perhaps improved or far better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m settled. Take a close look at several of the bargain houses - it could well be your home has the right perches, proper air flow and sufficient nest boxes for a practical number of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized item of ground to spend the day on? And so as the stating goes, "you get exactly what you pay for". You may believe you've got hold of a bargain, yet you as well as your group might rue the day you did. Purchase the best house as well as it will certainly last for a couple of decades, if not longer given the appropriate therapy. Eventually your poultry as well as your fowl keeping encounter will certainly be a lot the far better for it.chick build
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