Chicken Coops for Sale in Lisbon, Louisiana
Chicken Coops for Sale in Lisbon, Louisiana
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 For Sale Near Me in Lisbon, Louisiana
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Lisbon 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 Lisbon Louisiana chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Lisbon, Louisiana With the substantial rise in poultry maintaining there has been an equally large rise in the range of chicken paraphernalia for sale. Fowl real estate is a case in factor. It's additionally a classic instance of the good old bandwagon being jumped on as different potential chicken housing experts market a selection of cottage asserting to be the perfect solution to your chicken real estate requirements. Frequently the price looks appealing, your house looks attractive, hell even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Surely they recognize a professional chicken house when they see one? There are several inexpensive and also awful cages flooding the market. I understand this as I've examined a number of them in the field, as well as seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed pail appeared. The outcome was just a costly stack of fire wood as well as a small group of bemused as well as currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Run in Lisbon, Louisiana
Most of the time these standardized designs are constructed of fast grown up wood - come the first drop of rain they swell, leaving you either barricading a door that will not close, or tearing the door furniture off in a vain effort to launch the squawking inhabitants. The very first cozy day means the timber dries out and cracks, the really felt roofing system bubbles and boils, and come nightfall the chickens refuse to go in. This is not because of their frustration at the decrease of their as soon as desirable apartment however due to the fact that the hovel is now a place for, as well as possibly crawling with, the fowl keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add on the fact that it claimed on the blurb that it would certainly fit 4 big hens when that equipping density was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as just what are you entrusted? A couple of joints and some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to four birds should cost you around ₤ 300 though this can depend upon whether you choose for a totally free standing house or one with a run affixed. Presuming you are varying your birds in a large room and the pop opening doorway allows enough for the type you keep, then the main needs of real estate boil down to three factors which will certainly specify the number of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes and also air flow. Most breeds of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch should preferably be 5-8cm large with smoothed off sides so the foot sits pleasantly on it. The perch must be more than the nest box entry as chickens will likewise normally seek the acme to perch. A perch below that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they produce the most poo) bring about dirtied eggs the list below day. They shouldn't however be so high off the floor of your house that leg injuries can take place when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens need regarding 20cm of perch each (in little breeds this is clearly less), plus if greater than one perch is installed in your house they need to be more than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their neighbors yet are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Preferably the house should have a the very least one nest box for every single three birds and also these should be off the ground and in the darkest area of the house. The house ought to have appropriate ventilation: without it then condensation will certainly develop every evening, also in the chilliest of climate. Know, air flow works with the principle of warm air leaving with a high gap attracting cooler air in from a reduced gap - it's not a collection of openings on other walls of the house and at the same level, this is just what's referred to as a draught. If you have a house with a run affixed then the points above are still true, yet you should likewise think about the run size. The EU maximum legal equipping density for a free range bird is (and also allow's face it, one of the inspirations for keeping some hens at home is perhaps boosted or much better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m made even. Take a close look at a few of the bargain houses - it could well be your house has the ideal perches, correct ventilation and enough nest boxes for a reasonable number of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to spend the day on? And so as the stating goes, "you obtain exactly what you spend for". You could believe you've grabbed a bargain, however you and also your flock could possibly rue the day you did. Purchase the appropriate house and also it will certainly last for a few decades, if not longer offered the right therapy. In the long run your poultry and your fowl maintaining experience will certainly be much the much better for it.chicken for sale
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