Chicken Coops for Sale in Madison, Maine
Chicken Coops for Sale in Madison, Maine
Preparing Your Coop/Flock For Winter – Part 1: Roof Structure
Last week I posted a list of items that you may want to consider doing to make sure you and your flock are ready for the colder winter months. I’m going to try address one or two of these topics every Wednesday so that if you are going to work on them over the weekend you have time to plan.
Again I know it’s hard to even think of winter when the temperatures are in the 90’s in many parts of the country, but the cold weather will be on us before you know. Its much easier to take the time now to button up any issues, then trying to do it in the dead of winter. Many of you will not deal with snow and ice (lucky you!) but many of these topics effect all of us backyard chicken keepers and have a detrimental effect on the overall health of your coop…As I always say if what I post pertains to you and helps, great, if not just forget about it and move on…
Coop Roof Structure:
The roof of your coop is the first line of defense against the elements. A sound roof will not only prevent water penetration but will help in keeping your coop warm during the winter. As we all know heat rises (check our second floor of the house out in the summer!) and a solid roof can help trap some of this heat keeping the inside of the coop warmer. The important thing to remember is that you do not want to trap all of the heat by cutting off ventilation. Heat develops moisture and condensation so it’s important to have a balance. Ventilation is an important aspect of the coop, without it moisture builds, ammonia fumes become overpowering and your birds health will suffer. There is a huge difference between ventilation and a draft, we will be discussing “drafts” in a later post.
Having controllable ventilation at the peak of the roof structure will help to maintain a healthy coop. This can easily be accomplished with some screen covered holes on the side walls of the peak and using a piece of plywood to control how much of an opening you want. There are some much more elaborate systems out there but they all accomplish the same thing, controllable ventilation. If you don’t have ventilation at the peak you may want to consider it. There is a reason why so many homes have ventilation at the eves and peaks, it helps to control moisture in the home during the winter as well keeping the home cooler in the summer months.
Ensuring that your roof is leak free is also very important. That little leak you have been dealing with all summer may become a big issue during the winter when you get the “freeze/thaw effects”. During the day as snow and ice melt, water can leak into the the roof structure. At night this water freezes and expands resulting in a larger and larger leak as the days go by. There are many products out there that can help seal up these leaks but be careful some have toxic fumes that could be harmful to your flock. Sometimes just using a new shingle on asphalt roofs does the trick. Metal roofs typically leak at the seams or nail heads, a good quality sealer should handle these areas. Just remember most of the time the leak you see dripping on the underside of the roof came from a hole or crack above where you see the dripping. When water leaks in, gravity causes the water to run to the lowest point. It may take some investigation to find where the leak is actually coming from but a good starting point is to start above the spot you see the leak dripping.
If the wood on your coop roof is rotted it should be replaced. Rotted wood normally contains a large amount of moisture. The moisture in this wood adds moisture to the coop (remember, it’s a bad thing). “Freeze/Thaw” effects can take place on this rotted wood causing it to deteriorate even quicker. Snow loads can add significant weight to the top of the coop and a unstable structure runs the risk of collapse. I can only imagine how difficult it would be dealing with a roof collapse in the dead of winter! If the snow and ice get to heavy for the roof on your coop, you should remove it. When removing it be careful not to damage the roof shingles or other covering! Stand on a steady surface with both feet firmly planted on the ground or step when attempting to remove snow and ice.
A roof leak also adds unwanted moisture to you coop by letting water in and keeping the litter wet. The interior of a coop has enough moisture from bird droppings and the moisture a chicken itself gives off by breathing, you don’t need or want the added moisture from a leak. If the litter in the coop becomes wet from any source during the winter you should remove it and replace it with fresh as quickly as possible. Placing a bucket under the leak to catch the drip is not a good fix. When water drips into the bucket it can splash a fine mist a considerable distance. This mist keeps the litter wet and the air inside the coop too moist.
A well ventilated, leak free, structurally sound roof on your coop is a extremely important part in maintaining the overall health of your coop. This is not an area that you want to just “make do” and cut corners. There are many materials that you can use for a roof. Some, like scrap metal roofing or end cut pieces of tar paper and shingles can be found at a local building site (ask first, you don’t want the end up in jail!) or a recycling center. I would avoid using a tarp, although these are good in an emergency should you find a leak. And never use pressure treated wood which can give off toxic fumes in a enclosed area like a coop. If your roof membrane is water tight there is no need for pressure treated plywood or lumber as a deck surface.
By addressing the coops roof now you can prevent dealing with the effects of a wet environment in the dead cold of the winter months…Hope this helps….
FrankThe Chicken Fountain™
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Chicken Coop Plans For 20 Chickens in Madison, Maine
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Madison Maine" 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 Madison Maine chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Madison, Maine With the significant increase in poultry maintaining there has actually been a just as huge surge in the variety of chicken paraphernalia on sale. Fowl real estate is a case in factor. It's additionally a traditional example of the excellent old bandwagon being jumped on as different prospective chicken housing experts peddle a selection of cottage asserting to be the optimal option to your chicken housing demands. Typically the price looks appealing, your house looks attractive, hell even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Definitely they recognize a quality chicken house when they see one? There are many inexpensive as well as horrible cages swamping the marketplace. I recognize this as I've examined a number of them in the area, as well as seen a ewe run straight with one when the feed container appeared. The result was just an expensive heap of fire wood and a tiny flock of bemused and now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Ideas Diy in Madison, Maine
Generally these mass produced models are built of fast grown wood - come the initial decline of rainfall they swell, leaving you either fortifying a door that will not close, or ripping the door furniture off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking citizens. The initial cozy day implies the timber dries as well as splits, the felt roofing bubbles and also boils, as well as come nightfall the hens refuse to go in. This is not due to their dissatisfaction at the decrease of their as soon as eye-catching building however due to the fact that the hovel is currently a sanctuary for, and possibly crawling with, the fowl caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add the fact that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly suit four huge chickens when that stocking thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and exactly what are you entrusted? A couple of joints as well as some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to four birds ought to cost you around ₤ 300 though this can depend upon whether you elect for a cost-free standing house or one with a run attached. Thinking you are ranging your birds in a huge room and also the pop opening doorway is big sufficient for the breed you keep, after that the major needs of real estate boil down to 3 factors which will specify the variety of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes as well as air flow. Many types of chicken will perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch should ideally be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off edges so the foot sits pleasantly on it. The perch ought to be more than the nest box access as chickens will also naturally search for the acme to perch. A perch lower than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they generate one of the most poo) bring about dirtied eggs the following day. They should not nonetheless be so high off the flooring of your house that leg injuries might take place when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens need about 20cm of perch each (in small types this is undoubtedly much less), plus if more than one perch is set up in your house they need to be greater 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 your home should have a the very least one nest box for every three birds as well as these should be off the ground and in the darkest area of your home. Your house needs to have sufficient air flow: without it then condensation will build up every night, even in the coldest of weather condition. Be aware, air flow works with the principle of cozy air leaving via a high space drawing cooler air in from a lower space - it's not a set of openings on other wall surfaces of your house as well as at the exact same level, this is just what's referred to as a draft. If you have a house with a run connected then the points above are still true, but you must likewise consider the run size. The EU optimum lawful stocking thickness for a complimentary variety bird is (as well as allow's face it, among the motivations for maintaining some chickens in the house is potentially enhanced or better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m settled. Take a close look at a few of the deal houses - it could well be your house has the appropriate perches, right air flow and also adequate nest boxes for a practical variety of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? And so as the saying goes, "you get exactly what you spend for". You may think you've got hold of a bargain, however you as well as your flock might rue the day you did. Acquisition the appropriate house and it will last for a few decades, otherwise longer offered the appropriate therapy. In the end your poultry and your poultry keeping experience will certainly be much the better for it.plans chickens
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