Chicken Coops for Sale in Lincoln, Michigan
Chicken Coops for Sale in Lincoln, Michigan
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 Blueprints in Lincoln, Michigan
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Lincoln Michigan" 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 Lincoln Michigan chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Lincoln, Michigan With the huge boost in chicken keeping there has been a similarly huge increase in the range of chicken stuff on sale. Fowl housing is a situation in point. It's also a timeless instance of the excellent old bandwagon being got on as numerous prospective fowl real estate specialists market a range of lodging asserting to be the ideal solution to your chicken housing demands. Often the rate looks desirable, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks eye-catching, hell even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Undoubtedly they understand a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are lots of low-cost and also unpleasant cages swamping the marketplace. I know this as I've checked a variety of them in the field, and seen a ewe run directly via one when the feed container showed up. The outcome was just an expensive stack of firewood and a little flock of bemused and currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Run Ideas in Lincoln, Michigan
Typically these standardized versions are constructed of rapid grown up wood - come the initial drop of rainfall they swell, leaving you either barricading a doorway that will not close, or ripping the doorway furnishings off in a vain effort to launch the squawking occupants. The initial warm and comfortable day means the timber dries out as well as splits, the felt roof covering bubbles and boils, and also come nightfall the chickens choose not to go in. This is not as a result of their dissatisfaction at the decline of their as soon as eye-catching building but since the hovel is currently a sanctuary for, as well as probably abounding, the fowl keeper's bane, red mite. Add the fact that it claimed on the blurb that it would suit four huge hens when that equipping thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also what are you entrusted? A few hinges as well as some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to four birds should cost you around ₤ 300 though this could depend on whether you elect for a totally free standing house or one with a run affixed. Presuming you are ranging your birds in a huge area and also the pop hole door is big sufficient for the breed you maintain, after that the primary requirements of housing boil down to 3 factors which will specify the number of birds your home will hold; perches, nest boxes and air flow. Many breeds of chicken will certainly perch when they go to roost during the night, this perch needs to ideally be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off edges so the foot sits conveniently on it. The perch needs to be higher than the nest box entry as chickens will likewise naturally look for the acme to perch. A perch less than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they produce the most poo) bring about soiled eggs the list below day. They shouldn't nonetheless be so high off the floor of your home that leg injuries could occur when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens need about 20cm of perch each (in small types this is clearly less), plus if greater than one perch is mounted in your house they ought to be greater than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their next-door neighbors but are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably your house ought to have a the very least one nest box for every 3 birds and these should be off the ground and in the darkest location of your home. Your house must have adequate air flow: without it then condensation will certainly build up every night, also in the coldest of weather. Be aware, air flow deals with the concept of warm air leaving via a high void attracting cooler air in from a lower gap - it's not a collection of openings on contrary wall surfaces of your house and also at the very same degree, this is what's referred to as a draught. If you have a house with a run attached then the factors above are still true, yet you need to additionally think about the run size. The EU optimum legal equipping density for a free variety bird is (and also allow's encounter it, one of the motivations for maintaining some chickens in your home is potentially boosted or far better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m settled. Take a close check out several of the deal residences - it could well be your home has the appropriate perches, right air flow as well as ample nest boxes for a sensible variety of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized piece of ground to spend the day on? Therefore as the claiming goes, "you get what you pay for". You may assume you've got hold of a deal, however you and also your flock might rue the day you did. Purchase the ideal house as well as it will certainly last for a few decades, otherwise longer given the correct treatment. Eventually your fowl and your poultry keeping encounter will certainly be considerably the much better for it.plan build
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