Chicken Coops for Sale in Mccomb, Ohio
Chicken Coops for Sale in Mccomb, Ohio
Sand Litter Bed In The Chicken Coop: An Experiment
We’ve been managing our chicken coop through a . This hybrid system has worked extremely well in . Briefly, how that system works is, the chickens roost over the sand, which acts like kitty litter to dry out their overnight poop, and in the morning the poop is raked to the lower area, where it composts-in-place with lots of straw and other high-carbon bedding.
Last year, fed up with the very real problems involved when you combine chickens and vegetable gardening, we decided to stop attempting to free-range our birds and instead fenced in a large, outdoor area adjacent to the coop. We confined the hens to this area (the ducks, less destructive, still get to free range) and this solved many of our chickens-scratching up-my-seedlings problems.
Too Much Of A Good Thing?
However, this confined run area led to another problem. This is a good problem, a problem I cannot believe I have, but it’s a problem nonetheless. In order to accommodate our flock in this confined area, we piled on the straw and woodchips in both the coop’s lower area, and the outdoor run.
This has led to, basically, more compost than I can use. Yeah, I have too much compost. Crazy, right? I didn’t know there was such thing as too much compost.
When I hauled out all the deep litter and piled it up, it looked like this.
And it’s not just dealing with storing Mount Compost Heap up there. The bedding was building up so deeply in both the coop and the run that we started to have problems just opening the door to the coop. The chickens weren’t super effective at scratching down to the lowest levels, and I’m embarrassed to say that some anaerobic ickiness was starting to take place in the deeper levels of the bedding.
Something needed to change.
Trying something new.
Is Sand A Solution?
In order to manage these drawbacks, we are experimenting with a sand bed in the run area of the coop. The fenced outdoor chicken area will still be managed as a deep litter system, with arborists woodchips and straw added as needed for carbon.
But inside the coop itself, I’m trying sand.
I had help raking out the new sand.
I see several potential upsides to a sand bed, and a few downsides as well.
Pros:
- Sand bed is lower profile, so we’re able to open the door without hassle.
- Seems drier in winter due to superior drainage.
- Spilled chicken food is less likely to get “lost” in the bedding. I’ve observed chickens pecking at the food that falls on the sand. Less food waste = less feed expense.
- Sand adds natural grit to a chicken’s diet and sharpens nails
- Probably less expensive in the long-term, since sand doesn’t require frequent additions or “top-ups” like a deep litter system.
- May allow for indoor dust-bathing. I have not observed my hens using the sand to dust bathe, but I’ve read that they will.
- May cut down on opportunities for Coccidiosis in chickens by providing an inhospitable environment for the protozoa.
- Easy collection of poop allows for a more dedicated manure-composting system, which might be of use to people looking at black soldier fly farming (hem hem, me) or related endeavors.
When the hens spill feed, they can pick it up now.
Cons:
- Cold. The sand does not add to the warmth of the coop like the composting bedding. The sand feels noticeably colder to me when I touch it, and I’m not even walking around barefoot like my chooks. Cold is a drawback here in January. However, to chicken keepers in hot weather climates, perhaps a non-heat generating litter option would be a benefit?
- Requires more regular dedicated maintenance. We’re already in the daily habit of scooping the poop from the sand covered upper coop area, so this doesn’t add a huge amount of work to that chore, but it’s definitely not the kind of job you can ignore for several
weeksdays. - Does not break down into compost. Unless your chickens already make more compost than you can use, less compost is a bad thing.
- The ducks don’t seem happy about the sand, but then ducks don’t like change, so I don’t read too much into this yet.
- Duck poop doesn’t scoop well. The front runner of Reasons I May Go Back To Deep Litter is wet duck poop on sand. Ewww.
- The poop has to go somewhere. In the prior system we just scrapped the upper poop onto the composting bedding. Now the upper and lower poop have to go somewhere. At the moment we’re scraping the poop out the door into the outdoor run area, but this experiment of sand-bedding the indoor run has triggered a re-evaluation of all my manure and compost management practices. So, simple change.
As of now, I have more questions than answers. I’ll let you know how the sand bed works out going forward.
Chicken Coop Ideas Diy in Mccomb, Ohio
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Mccomb Ohio" 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 Mccomb Ohio chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Mccomb, Ohio With the big increase in chicken maintaining there has been a just as huge increase in the variety of poultry stuff on sale. Chicken real estate is a case in factor. It's additionally a traditional instance of the great old bandwagon being got on as different potential poultry housing professionals pitch a selection of lodging declaring to be the suitable remedy to your chicken housing needs. Frequently the price looks desirable, your house looks eye-catching, heck also 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 lots of economical and also horrible cages flooding the market. I understand this as I've checked a number of them in the area, and also seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed bucket showed up. The outcome was only a costly heap of fire wood and also a little group of bemused and currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Yard Ideas in Mccomb, Ohio
Typically these standardized versions are created of quick grown hardwood - come the initial decrease of rainfall they swell, leaving you either barricading a door that will not shut, or tearing the doorway furniture off in a vain effort to launch the squawking residents. The first warm day indicates the lumber dries out and also fractures, 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 when attractive home but since the hovel is now a sanctuary for, and most likely abounding, the poultry keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add on that it stated on the blurb that it would match 4 large hens when that equipping density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also exactly what are you entrusted? A couple of joints and also some kindling. A decent coop for thee to four birds must cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this can depend on whether you elect for a free standing house or one with a run attached. Assuming you are varying your birds in a large space and also the pop hole doorway allows sufficient for the type you keep, then the major demands of real estate come down to 3 points which will define the number of birds the house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and ventilation. The majority of types of chicken will certainly perch when they go to roost in the evening, this perch needs to ideally be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off edges so the foot sits pleasantly on it. The perch must be higher than the nest box access as chickens will certainly additionally normally search for the highest point to perch. A perch lower than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is incidentally when they create one of the most poo) causing soiled eggs the list below day. They should not however be so high off the flooring of the house that leg injuries can happen when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens need about 20cm of perch each (in tiny breeds this is clearly less), plus if greater than one perch is mounted in the house they ought to be greater than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their next-door neighbors however are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably your house needs to have a least one nest box for every 3 birds and these should be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of your home. Your home must have sufficient ventilation: without it after that condensation will certainly build up every evening, even in the coldest of climate. Understand, ventilation deals with the principle of warm and comfortable air leaving through a high gap drawing cooler air in from a lower gap - it's not a collection of openings on contrary wall surfaces of your house and also at the very same level, this is exactly what's known as a draft. If you have a house with a run attached after that the points above are still true, however you need to also consider the run dimension. The EU maximum legal equipping density for a free range bird is (and also allow's encounter it, among the inspirations for keeping some chickens at home is possibly enhanced or far better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m squared. Take a close look at a few of the deal residences - it could well be your home has the best perches, appropriate air flow and sufficient nest boxes for a practical variety of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything greater 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 assume you've grabbed a bargain, but you as well as your group can rue the day you did. Purchase the ideal house as well as it will certainly last for a few years, if not longer offered the correct treatment. In the long run your chicken and your chicken keeping encounter will certainly be considerably the better for it.for sale chickens
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