Chicken Coops for Sale in Potterville, Michigan
Chicken Coops for Sale in Potterville, Michigan
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 Cheap in Potterville, Michigan
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Potterville 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 Potterville Michigan chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Potterville, Michigan With the significant boost in poultry maintaining there has been a similarly huge rise in the array of poultry materiel on sale. Poultry housing is a proceedings in factor. It's additionally a timeless instance of the good old bandwagon being jumped on as various would-be chicken housing specialists market a selection of holiday accommodation asserting to be the optimal remedy to your chicken housing requirements. Usually the rate looks attractive, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks attractive, heck even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look eye-catching. Surely they recognize a high quality chicken house when they see one? There are several inexpensive and also horrible cages flooding the marketplace. I understand this as I've examined a variety of them in the area, and also seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed bucket appeared. The result was just an expensive heap of fire wood and also a little group of bemused as well as currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Build in Potterville, Michigan
Most of the time these standardized versions are constructed of rapid grown up wood - come the very first decrease of rain they swell, leaving you either defending a doorway that won't shut, or tearing the door furnishings off in a vain attempt to release the squawking residents. The first cozy day means the timber dries as well as cracks, the really felt roof bubbles and boils, and also come nightfall the hens refuse to enter. This is not due to their disappointment at the decrease of their as soon as appealing residential property however considering that the hovel is currently a sanctuary for, and also probably abounding, the chicken keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add the fact that it said on the blurb that it would certainly suit four big hens when that stocking density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and what are you left with? A couple of joints and some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to four birds must cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this could depend upon whether you choose for a complimentary standing house or one with a run connected. Thinking you are ranging your birds in a big area and the pop hole door is big sufficient for the type you keep, after that the main requirements of real estate boil down to 3 points which will specify the variety of birds the house will hold; perches, nest boxes as well as ventilation. Many breeds of chicken will certainly perch when they go to roost during the night, this perch should preferably be 5-8cm broad with smoothed off edges so the foot sits conveniently on it. The perch should be more than the nest box access as chickens will certainly additionally normally look for the highest point to perch. A perch below that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they produce one of the most poo) bring about stained eggs the following day. They shouldn't nevertheless be so high off the floor of the house that leg injuries might occur when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens need concerning 20cm of perch each (in tiny types this is obviously less), plus if greater than one perch is mounted in your home they need to be greater than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their next-door neighbors but are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably your house must have a the very least one nest box for every 3 birds as well as these must be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of your house. The house must have appropriate air flow: without it after that condensation will accumulate every evening, even in the coldest of climate. Understand, air flow works with the concept of warm and comfortable air leaving with a high void drawing cooler air in from a lower void - it's not a set of holes on other walls of the house and also at the very same level, this is exactly what's referred to as a draught. If you have a house with a run connected then the factors above are still real, however you should also consider the run dimension. The EU maximum legal stocking thickness for a free array bird is (and let's face it, among the motivations for maintaining some chickens at home is possibly improved or far better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m squared. Take a close check out a few of the deal residences - it could well be the house has the ideal perches, correct ventilation and also enough nest boxes for a sensible number 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 stating goes, "you get what you spend for". You might believe you've grabbed a deal, however you and also your group can rue the day you did. Purchase the appropriate house and also it will certainly last for a few years, otherwise longer given the appropriate therapy. Ultimately your chicken as well as your poultry maintaining experience will be considerably the better for it.diy chick
More Posts
Chicken Coops for Sale in Petersburg, Michigan
Chicken Coops for Sale in Melvin, Michigan
Chicken Coops for Sale in Leslie, Michigan
Chicken Coops for Sale in Bark River, Michigan
Chicken Coops for Sale in Dodgeville, Michigan