Chicken Coops for Sale in Clubb, Missouri
Chicken Coops for Sale in Clubb, Missouri
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™
Share this:
Like this:
Chicken Coop Cheap in Clubb, Missouri
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Clubb Missouri" 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 Clubb Missouri chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Clubb, Missouri With the huge rise in chicken keeping there has been an equally huge increase in the range of poultry paraphernalia for sale. Chicken real estate is a proceedings in point. It's additionally a timeless instance of the excellent old bandwagon being got on as numerous would-be fowl housing professionals market an array of cottage asserting to be the excellent option to your chicken real estate needs. Often the cost looks attractive, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks desirable, hell also the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Definitely they understand a high quality chicken house when they see one? There are many inexpensive as well as horrible cages flooding the marketplace. I know this as I've checked a variety of them in the field, and also seen a ewe run straight via one when the feed pail appeared. The outcome was just a costly heap of fire wood and a little flock of bemused and now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Kits Ebay in Clubb, Missouri
Most of the time these mass produced designs are constructed of fast grown hardwood - come the initial decrease of rain they swell, leaving you either blockading a door that won't shut, or ripping the doorway furnishings off in a vain attempt to release the squawking citizens. The first warm day indicates the hardwood dries out and also cracks, the felt roofing system bubbles and also boils, and also come nightfall the chickens refuse to enter. This is not as a result of their dissatisfaction at the decline of their as soon as desirable residential property however because the hovel is now a sanctuary for, as well as possibly abounding, the fowl caretaker's bane, red mite. Add that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly suit four big chickens when that equipping thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also just what are you left with? A few hinges and also some kindling. A decent coop for thee to four birds need to cost you around ₤ 300 though this could depend on whether you elect for a cost-free standing house or one with a run connected. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a large space and the pop hole doorway is big enough for the type you keep, after that the major requirements of housing boil down to three points which will certainly define the number of birds your home will hold; perches, nest boxes as well as air flow. Many breeds of chicken will perch when they visit roost at night, this perch ought to preferably be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off edges so the foot sits comfortably on it. The perch must be more than the nest box entry as chickens will likewise naturally search for the acme to perch. A perch lower than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they generate one of the most poo) leading to stained eggs the following day. They shouldn't however be so high off the floor of your home that leg injuries can take place when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens need concerning 20cm of perch each (in little breeds this is undoubtedly less), plus if greater than one perch is set up in the house they need to be greater than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their next-door neighbors however are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Ideally the house must have a least one nest box for every three birds as well as these must be off the ground and also in the darkest area of your home. Your house should have ample ventilation: without it after that condensation will certainly build up every night, also in the chilliest of weather. Be aware, ventilation deals with the principle of warm air leaving through a high space attracting cooler air in from a reduced void - it's not a set of openings on other walls of your home and at the same level, this is exactly what's referred to as a draught. If you have a house with a run attached after that the points above are still real, but you should also think about the run dimension. The EU maximum lawful equipping density for a cost-free array bird is (and also allow's encounter it, one of the inspirations for keeping some hens in your home is potentially boosted or far better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m made even. Take a close check out a few of the deal homes - it could well be your house has the right perches, appropriate ventilation and also adequate 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 spend the day on? And so as the saying goes, "you obtain exactly what you pay for". You might believe you've grabbed a bargain, yet you and your group can rue the day you did. Acquisition the right house and it will certainly last for a few years, otherwise longer given the correct treatment. In the end your chicken as well as your poultry keeping encounter will be a lot the better for it.diy for sale
More Posts
Chicken Coops for Sale in Aurora, Missouri
Chicken Coops for Sale in Auxvasse, Missouri
Chicken Coops for Sale in Burfordville, Missouri
Chicken Coops for Sale in Bunker, Missouri
Chicken Coops for Sale in Bolckow, Missouri