Chicken Coops for Sale in Saint James, Minnesota
Chicken Coops for Sale in Saint James, Minnesota
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 On Trailer in Saint James, Minnesota
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Saint James Minnesota" 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 Saint James Minnesota chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Saint James, Minnesota With the substantial increase in chicken keeping there has been a similarly huge surge in the array of chicken stuff for sale. Fowl real estate is a case in factor. It's additionally a traditional instance of the excellent old bandwagon being jumped on as various potential chicken real estate professionals pitch a range of lodging declaring to be the excellent remedy to your chicken housing requirements. Commonly the price looks attractive, your house looks desirable, hell even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Definitely they know a high quality chicken house when they see one? There are lots of economical and unpleasant cages swamping the market. I understand this as I've examined a number of them in the area, and also seen a ewe run straight with one when the feed pail appeared. The result was just a pricey pile of firewood and also a small flock of bemused and also now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Ideas in Saint James, Minnesota
More often than not these standardized designs are constructed of rapid grown wood - come the very first decrease of rainfall they swell, leaving you either blockading a door that won't close, or tearing the door furniture off in a vain attempt to release the squawking occupants. The initial warm day indicates the lumber dries and also splits, the felt roofing bubbles and also boils, and also come nightfall the hens refuse to enter. This is not due to their frustration at the decrease of their as soon as desirable commercial property but due to the fact that the hovel is currently a place for, as well as most likely crawling with, the poultry caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add on that it said on the blurb that it would suit four big hens when that stocking thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and what are you entrusted? A few joints and also some kindling. A decent coop for thee to four birds must cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you choose for a free standing house or one with a run connected. Thinking you are ranging your birds in a big area and also the pop opening doorway is big sufficient for the breed you keep, then the main requirements of housing come down to 3 points which will certainly specify the variety of birds your home will hold; perches, nest boxes as well as ventilation. The majority of types of chicken will perch when they go to roost at night, this perch should preferably be 5-8cm large with smoothed off sides so the foot rests conveniently on it. The perch ought to be above the nest box entry as chickens will certainly likewise normally search for the acme to perch. A perch below that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they create one of the most poo) causing stained eggs the following day. They shouldn't however be so high off the flooring of the house that leg injuries can take place when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens require concerning 20cm of perch each (in tiny breeds this is certainly less), plus if greater than one perch is mounted in the house they ought to be more than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their next-door neighbors yet are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Preferably your home must have a the very least one nest box for every single 3 birds and also these need to be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of your home. The house needs to have appropriate air flow: without it then condensation will accumulate every evening, also in the chilliest of weather condition. Understand, ventilation works with the principle of warm air leaving through a high void drawing cooler air in from a reduced space - it's not a set of holes on opposite walls of your home and also at the same level, this is exactly what's called a draught. If you have a house with a run attached after that the factors above are still real, however you should additionally think about the run size. The EU maximum legal equipping density for a free variety bird is (and also let's face it, among the inspirations for keeping some hens in your home is potentially improved or much better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m made even. Take a close look at a few of the bargain houses - it could well be your house has the best perches, proper ventilation and sufficient nest boxes for a practical 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 claiming goes, "you get just what you spend for". You may think you've got hold of a deal, but you and also your flock could possibly rue the day you did. Purchase the appropriate house and it will last for a few decades, if not longer offered the proper therapy. Ultimately your fowl as well as your fowl keeping experience will be a lot the better for it.build chickens
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