Chicken Coops for Sale in Dequincy, Louisiana
Chicken Coops for Sale in Dequincy, Louisiana
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.
This post was shared at
Related Posts
Chicken Coop Reviews in Dequincy, Louisiana
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Dequincy Louisiana" 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 Dequincy Louisiana chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Dequincy, Louisiana With the significant boost in chicken maintaining there has been a similarly huge rise in the variety of chicken stuff on sale. Fowl housing is an instance in point. It's likewise a classic instance of the great old bandwagon being got on as numerous would-be chicken real estate specialists market a range of accommodation asserting to be the suitable solution to your chicken housing requirements. Commonly the price looks desirable, the house looks attractive, heck even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Surely they know a professional chicken house when they see one? There are many cheap and also horrible coops flooding the market. I know this as I've examined a number of them in the field, and also seen a ewe run straight with one when the feed bucket showed up. The outcome was just a costly pile of fire wood as well as a small group of bemused and currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop For 4 Chickens in Dequincy, Louisiana
Generally these mass produced designs are created of rapid grown up hardwood - come the first decline of rain they swell, leaving you either barricading a doorway that will not close, or tearing the doorway furniture off in a vain effort to release the squawking inhabitants. The first warm day means the hardwood dries and cracks, the felt roofing bubbles and also boils, and come nightfall the hens refuse to go in. This is not due to their frustration at the decrease of their once appealing commercial property however considering that the hovel is currently a place for, and possibly abounding, the fowl caretaker's bane, red mite. Add that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly match four big chickens when that stocking thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as exactly what are you left with? A couple of joints and also some kindling. A decent coop for thee to four birds should cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you elect for a free standing house or one with a run attached. Presuming you are ranging your birds in a huge room and also the pop hole door allows enough for the breed you keep, then the primary demands of real estate boil down to 3 points which will certainly define the variety of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes and ventilation. Most types of chicken will perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch should ideally be 5-8cm large with smoothed off edges so the foot rests easily on it. The perch must be above the nest box access as chickens will certainly also naturally try to find the highest point to perch. A perch lower than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they produce the most poo) leading to stained eggs the following day. They should not however be so high off the flooring of your home that leg injuries can take place when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens require about 20cm of perch each (in small types this is obviously much less), plus if greater than one perch is installed in your home they ought to be greater than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their neighbors however are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably the house should have a the very least one nest box for every single 3 birds as well as these need to be off the ground as well as in the darkest location of the house. Your house should have adequate air flow: without it then condensation will certainly build up every night, even in the coldest of climate. Understand, air flow works with the principle of warm air leaving through a high void attracting cooler air in from a reduced gap - it's not a collection of openings on other walls of your home as well as at the exact same degree, this is just 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 should also think about the run dimension. The EU optimum legal stocking thickness for a free array bird is (as well as let's encounter it, among the inspirations for maintaining some chickens in your home is potentially boosted or much better welfare) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m made even. Take a close check out several of the deal houses - it could well be your home has the appropriate perches, appropriate ventilation and ample nest boxes for a sensible number of birds, yet 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 obtain exactly what you spend for". You might assume you've grabbed a bargain, however you and also your group could possibly rue the day you did. Purchase the right house and also it will last for a few years, if not longer provided the right therapy. Ultimately your chicken as well as your chicken keeping encounter will certainly be much the far better for it.diy build
More Posts
Chicken Coops for Sale in Carville, Louisiana
Chicken Coops for Sale in Angie, Louisiana
Chicken Coops for Sale in Ashland, Louisiana
Chicken Coops for Sale in Bienville, Louisiana
Chicken Coops for Sale in Cottonport, Louisiana