Chicken Coops for Sale in Philipp, Mississippi
Chicken Coops for Sale in Philipp, Mississippi
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 Yard Ideas in Philipp, Mississippi
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Philipp Mississippi" 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 Philipp Mississippi chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Philipp, Mississippi With the significant increase in poultry keeping there has actually been a just as big rise in the range of fowl materiel on sale. Poultry real estate is an instance in factor. It's likewise a timeless example of the excellent old bandwagon being got on as numerous would-be fowl real estate experts market a variety of cottage claiming to be the suitable remedy to your chicken real estate demands. Frequently the rate looks desirable, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks appealing, heck even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Undoubtedly they know a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are several affordable as well as nasty coops flooding the market. I recognize this as I've examined a number of them in the field, and also seen a ewe run directly via one when the feed pail appeared. The result was only a costly pile of fire wood as well as a little flock of bemused as well as currently homeless bantams.
Baby Chicks Hatching in Philipp, Mississippi
Generally these mass produced versions are constructed of fast grown hardwood - come the first drop of rainfall they swell, leaving you either defending a door that will not close, or tearing the doorway furniture off in a vain effort to release the squawking occupants. The very first warm and comfortable day means the lumber dries out and splits, the really felt roof covering bubbles and boils, and also come nightfall the hens refuse to go in. This is not due to their frustration at the decline of their when attractive residential property however due to the fact that the hovel is currently a haven for, and also probably crawling with, the poultry caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add on the fact that it claimed on the blurb that it would fit 4 large chickens when that equipping density was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and just what are you entrusted? A couple of joints and also some kindling. A decent coop for thee to four birds should cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this can depend on whether you elect for a cost-free standing house or one with a run connected. Presuming you are ranging your birds in a huge space and the pop hole doorway is big enough for the breed you keep, then the main needs of housing come down to three points which will certainly specify the number of birds your house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes as well as air flow. Most types of chicken will certainly perch when they go to roost at night, this perch should preferably be 5-8cm large with smoothed off edges so the foot rests pleasantly on it. The perch needs to be above the nest box access as chickens will certainly also normally search for the highest point to perch. A perch below that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they create the most poo) bring about dirtied eggs the following day. They shouldn't however be so high off the floor of your home that leg injuries could possibly take place when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens require about 20cm of perch each (in small types this is clearly much less), plus if greater than one perch is mounted in your home they should be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly 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 the house must have a least one nest box for every single 3 birds and also these should be off the ground and in the darkest area of the house. Your home must have appropriate ventilation: without it then condensation will certainly develop every evening, also in the chilliest of weather. Understand, air flow deals with the principle of warm air leaving via a high space drawing cooler air in from a lower space - it's not a collection of holes on other walls of the house as well as at the same degree, this is just what's called a draft. If you have a house with a run connected after that the points above are still true, but you should likewise consider the run size. The EU maximum lawful stocking thickness for a complimentary range bird is (as well as allow's encounter it, one of the motivations for maintaining some hens at home is possibly enhanced or much better welfare) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m squared. Take a close consider some of the deal residences - it could well be your house has the best perches, right air flow and ample nest boxes for a practical number of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? Therefore as the claiming goes, "you get what you spend for". You could think you've grabbed a deal, yet you as well as your group can rue the day you did. Acquisition the appropriate house and it will last for a few years, otherwise longer provided the right therapy. Eventually your chicken as well as your chicken keeping experience will certainly be a lot the better for it.coop chick
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