Chicken Coops for Sale in Vanderbilt, Michigan
Chicken Coops for Sale in Vanderbilt, 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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Baby Chick Varieties in Vanderbilt, Michigan
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Vanderbilt 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 Vanderbilt Michigan chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Vanderbilt, Michigan With the massive boost in chicken maintaining there has been a just as big rise in the array of poultry paraphernalia on sale. Fowl housing is a case in factor. It's likewise a classic instance of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as various would-be poultry real estate specialists peddle a range of holiday accommodation claiming to be the excellent solution to your chicken housing requirements. Typically the rate looks appealing, the house looks desirable, heck even the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look eye-catching. Certainly they understand a high quality chicken house when they see one? There are numerous low-cost as well as horrible coops flooding the market. I know this as I've tested a number of them in the area, as well as seen a ewe run straight via one when the feed pail showed up. The outcome was just an expensive pile of fire wood and a tiny flock of bemused and also currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Necessities in Vanderbilt, Michigan
Generally these standardized models are built of rapid grown wood - come the initial decline of rainfall they swell, leaving you either barricading a doorway that will not shut, or tearing the door furniture off in a vain effort to launch the squawking citizens. The first cozy day suggests the hardwood dries out and splits, the felt roof covering bubbles and boils, as well as come nightfall the hens choose not to go in. This is not because of their frustration at the decrease of their as soon as appealing commercial property however since the hovel is now a sanctuary for, and most likely abounding, the poultry caretaker's bane, red mite. Add that it claimed on the blurb that it would certainly suit 4 huge hens when that stocking density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as what are you entrusted? A couple of joints and some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to four birds ought to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this could depend on whether you choose for a complimentary standing house or one with a run connected. Thinking you are varying your birds in a large area as well as the pop hole door allows enough for the breed you keep, then the major requirements of real estate come down to 3 factors which will certainly specify the number of birds the house will hold; perches, nest boxes and air flow. The majority of types of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch needs to ideally be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off sides so the foot rests easily on it. The perch ought to be higher than the nest box entry as chickens will also normally seek the acme to perch. A perch less than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they produce one of the most poo) resulting in soiled eggs the following day. They should not nevertheless be so high off the flooring of your home that leg injuries can happen when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens need about 20cm of perch each (in tiny types this is clearly less), plus if greater than one perch is set up in your house they must be more 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. Ideally your home needs to have a least one nest box for each three birds as well as these ought to be off the ground as well as in the darkest location of your home. Your house must have ample ventilation: without it after that condensation will certainly develop every night, also in the coldest of weather condition. Know, air flow deals with the concept of warm air leaving through a high gap drawing cooler air in from a reduced void - it's not a set of holes on contrary walls of the house and also at the same level, this is what's referred to as a draft. If you have a house with a run connected then the points above are still real, however you need to also think about the run size. The EU maximum legal equipping thickness for a free variety bird is (and let's encounter it, one of the inspirations for maintaining some chickens at home is potentially improved or better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m made even. Take a close check out several of the bargain houses - it could well be your home has the right perches, correct air flow as well as ample nest boxes for an affordable variety of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to invest the day on? Therefore as the claiming goes, "you obtain just what you pay for". You might assume you've grabbed a bargain, however you and your flock could rue the day you did. Purchase the appropriate house and also it will last for a couple of decades, if not longer offered the right therapy. Ultimately your chicken and your poultry maintaining experience will be considerably the better for it.build chick
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