Chicken Coops for Sale in Talisheek, Louisiana
Chicken Coops for Sale in Talisheek, 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 Near Me in Talisheek, Louisiana
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Talisheek 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 Talisheek Louisiana chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Talisheek, Louisiana With the substantial boost in poultry maintaining there has been an equally large rise in the variety of poultry stuff for sale. Fowl housing is a proceedings in point. It's additionally a classic example of the good old bandwagon being jumped on as different prospective chicken housing professionals market a range of cottage declaring to be the perfect option to your chicken real estate demands. Usually the price looks eye-catching, the house looks desirable, heck even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Surely they understand a professional chicken house when they see one? There are several affordable and also unpleasant coops flooding the market. I understand this as I've examined a variety of them in the field, and also seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed bucket showed up. The outcome was just a pricey heap of fire wood and a small group of bemused and also now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Guides in Talisheek, Louisiana
Usually these mass produced versions are constructed of rapid grown up lumber - come the first decrease of rainfall they swell, leaving you either blockading a door that will not shut, or ripping the doorway furnishings off in a vain attempt to release the squawking citizens. The very first warm and comfortable day suggests the wood dries and also cracks, the felt roof bubbles and boils, and also come nightfall the hens refuse to go in. This is not as a result of their frustration at the decrease of their when attractive property but due to the fact that the hovel is currently a place for, and most likely crawling with, the poultry caretaker's bane, red mite. Add the fact that it claimed on the blurb that it would match four big hens when that stocking thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as just what are you left with? A number of hinges and also some kindling. A decent coop for thee to 4 birds should cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you choose for a free standing house or one with a run connected. Thinking you are varying your birds in a large area and also the pop hole door allows enough for the breed you keep, then the primary requirements of real estate boil down to 3 points which will certainly specify the variety of birds your home will hold; perches, nest boxes and also air flow. A lot of types of chicken will perch when they visit roost at night, this perch should ideally be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off edges so the foot rests pleasantly on it. The perch should be higher than the nest box entry as chickens will additionally normally search for the acme to perch. A perch less than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is incidentally when they produce the most poo) bring about soiled eggs the list below day. They shouldn't nevertheless be so high off the floor of your house that leg injuries could take place when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens need concerning 20cm of perch each (in tiny breeds this is certainly less), plus if more than one perch is installed in your home they need to be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their next-door neighbors but are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Preferably your home should have a the very least one nest box for each three birds and also these must be off the ground and in the darkest area of your home. Your house should have ample ventilation: without it then condensation will build up every evening, also in the chilliest of climate. Understand, air flow deals with the principle of warm and comfortable air leaving with a high void drawing cooler air in from a reduced space - it's not a collection of openings on opposite walls of your house and at the exact same level, this is what's known as a draft. If you have a house with a run affixed then the points above are still real, yet you need to likewise take into consideration the run dimension. The EU maximum lawful stocking density for a cost-free array bird is (as well as allow's face it, among the inspirations for keeping some hens in your home is perhaps enhanced or far better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m squared. Take a close consider several of the deal residences - it could well be the house has the ideal perches, proper ventilation and also enough nest boxes for an affordable number of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? Therefore as the claiming goes, "you get what you spend for". You could believe you've got hold of a bargain, yet you and your flock could rue the day you did. Acquisition the appropriate house and it will last for a few years, otherwise longer offered the appropriate treatment. In the long run your poultry and also your chicken keeping encounter will be much the better for it.chicken coops
More Posts
Chicken Coops for Sale in Oberlin, Louisiana
Chicken Coops for Sale in Geismar, Louisiana
Chicken Coops for Sale in Hessmer, Louisiana
Chicken Coops for Sale in Dulac, Louisiana
Chicken Coops for Sale in Simmesport, Louisiana