Chicken Coops for Sale in Eastwood, Kentucky
Chicken Coops for Sale in Eastwood, Kentucky
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 Basics in Eastwood, Kentucky
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Eastwood Kentucky" 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 Eastwood Kentucky chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Eastwood, Kentucky With the huge rise in chicken keeping there has been an equally large rise in the range of chicken paraphernalia on sale. Poultry housing is a case in factor. It's likewise a classic instance of the excellent old bandwagon being jumped on as numerous prospective poultry real estate professionals pitch a range of cottage claiming to be the suitable remedy to your chicken real estate needs. Usually the rate looks desirable, your house looks attractive, heck also the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Surely they understand a quality chicken house when they see one? There are several affordable as well as unpleasant cages swamping the marketplace. I understand this as I've tested a number of them in the field, and also seen a ewe run straight with one when the feed pail appeared. The outcome was nothing but a costly heap of firewood and also a little flock of bemused and now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Free Plans in Eastwood, Kentucky
Typically these standardized versions are created of fast grown lumber - come the initial decline of rain they swell, leaving you either blockading a doorway that won't shut, or tearing the doorway furnishings off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking occupants. The very first warm and comfortable day indicates the lumber dries out and fractures, the really felt roof covering bubbles as well as boils, and come nightfall the hens choose not to go in. This is not because of their frustration at the decline of their when desirable residential property but since the hovel is currently a place for, and most likely crawling with, the fowl caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add that it stated on the blurb that it would match four large hens when that equipping thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as what are you left with? A few hinges and also some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to four birds must cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can depend on whether you elect for a free standing house or one with a run connected. Presuming you are ranging your birds in a big area and the pop opening door allows sufficient for the breed you keep, then the major needs of real estate boil down to three factors which will certainly specify the variety of birds the house will hold; perches, nest boxes as well as air flow. A lot of breeds of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch must ideally be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off sides so the foot rests easily on it. The perch needs to be higher than the nest box entry as chickens will additionally normally try to find the acme to perch. A perch lower than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is incidentally when they create the most poo) resulting in dirtied eggs the list below day. They should not nonetheless be so high off the floor of your home that leg injuries could possibly take place when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens need about 20cm of perch each (in tiny breeds this is obviously much less), plus if more than one perch is mounted in your home they must be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their next-door neighbors however are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably the house ought to have a least one nest box for every single three birds and also these need to be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of your house. The house must have sufficient air flow: without it then condensation will certainly develop every evening, also in the coldest of weather. Know, air flow works with the principle of warm and comfortable air leaving via a high space attracting cooler air in from a reduced gap - it's not a set of holes on opposite walls of your house and at the exact same level, this is what's called a draft. If you have a house with a run attached after that the factors above are still real, yet you must additionally take into consideration the run size. The EU maximum legal stocking density for a cost-free variety bird is (and allow's face it, one of the inspirations for keeping some hens in the house is perhaps enhanced or better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m made even. Take a close take a look at some of the bargain houses - it could well be your house has the appropriate perches, right ventilation and sufficient nest boxes for a sensible number of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to invest the day on? Therefore as the claiming goes, "you get what you pay for". You might assume you've grabbed a bargain, however you and also your group can rue the day you did. Purchase the right house and also it will last for a few decades, otherwise longer provided the appropriate treatment. In the long run your fowl and also your chicken maintaining encounter will certainly be much the far better for it.diy plan
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