Chicken Coops for Sale in Bethany, Oklahoma
Chicken Coops for Sale in Bethany, Oklahoma
Cleaning the Chicken Coop; Fall Chores
Pallets leaned against Coop act as a wind break in Winter.
One of the chores I like to save for beautiful Fall weather is cleaning out the coop. I know that before I got chickens, I really wanted to see other people’s coops and how exactly they did things. So here is a look at my coop and the regular maintenance I have to do to keep my girls happy.
My coop is basically a chicken tractor made permanent. See how I built my chicken coop . It is only good to protect my egg laying divas during the night. I have to get up in the morning to let them out. Trust me they let me know if I am late. Late is after 8 am, so it is not like they start wailing at 5 o’clock in the morning or anything. They have a kind of wail that they only make when they want out. It is the strangest sound, kind of like a long drawn out moooooom , where are youuuuuuu? You have to hear it to understand.
Shoveling out the “raised bed” that my coop rests on.
To clean out my coop I have get someone to help me lift the coop off of the raised bed it is resting on. I have handles on either end, but it is too heavy for me to lift by myself. Thankfully my strong boys help me. Shoveling out all the old bedding and putting in new wood shavings is not too hard of a task, considering you only have to do it about 3 times per year. I empty out the nest boxes and add new hay to freshen things up. I heard for the first time the other day that it is a good idea to add crushed dried herbs to the nest boxes to make them more appealing to your hens. I tried crushed basil this time. Yes, hens are a constant source of amusement. They always want to lay eggs where everyone else is laying. I just have 2 nest boxes for my 10 hens. I call them nest boxes but they are a little unconventional. One is an old basket, the other is an old drawer. This time of year as we transition into winter the light wanes as the days grow shorter. You will notice your egg production reducing quite a bit. This is why commercial growers put a light on their chickens 24 hours a day; to keep their egg production up. Here at the homestead we try to work with nature instead of against it. That means more kale, less eggs. This is also the time that the rabbits really start producing well. While one thing lessens another takes it’s place. This probably wouldn’t work up north but I lean pallets against the coop to provide a wind break. A lot of people ask me if I need to provide a heat source for my girls when temps fall below freezing. The answer is no. It is important to make sure their water is unfrozen. Other than that chickens really do better in the Winter here than the heat of the Summer.
My hens checking out the new fresh nest box.
After the coop is all cleaned out it is time to add new wood chips. I get what is called a “Country Boy” which is farmer speak for a big packed bag of wood shavings. I get mine from my local feed store in Garland. When I first started chickens I used Fall leaves gathered from the curb. I like the shavings better because the compost turns out better, but oak leaves work out well as chicken bedding too. It is hard to see in the picture but the bottom of the coop against the ground is wire screen(yard cloth) to keep digging critters out.
My hens get very curious about all the changes taking place and come to check it all out. I put the old bedding into a bin and drag it to my compost. Thankfully I don’t have to go too far. I keep my compost in my chicken yard so that my hens can stir my compost and so that they can get the minerals they need to keep their egg shells hard. I put the cracked egg shells in the compost where my hens can gobble them up therefore getting the calcium they need to keep their egg shells firm. I also put other left over kitchen scraps in the compost for them to enjoy. Speaking of compost, a lot of people ask me about mine. Let me just say that trying to heat up a compost pile without manure of some sort is NOT easy. To heat up a compost pile without manure add fresh grass clippings. However right about the time fall leaves are readily abundant, grass clippings are NOT readily available. If you have read my posts at all you are probably sensing a theme; get an animal or a source of manure for your garden. Chickens or rabbits, even worms; your garden will thank you with beautiful veggies.
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Chicken Coop Amazon in Bethany, Oklahoma
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Bethany Oklahoma" 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 Bethany Oklahoma chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Bethany, Oklahoma With the huge boost in chicken maintaining there has been a just as huge increase in the array of chicken paraphernalia on sale. Poultry real estate is a case in point. It's likewise a classic example of the excellent old bandwagon being jumped on as different prospective fowl housing professionals pitch a range of cottage claiming to be the suitable remedy to your chicken real estate demands. Frequently the cost looks appealing, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks eye-catching, hell even the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Certainly they know a high quality chicken house when they see one? There are numerous cheap and also nasty coops flooding the market. I recognize this as I've checked a variety of them in the field, as well as seen a ewe run straight via one when the feed pail showed up. The result was just an expensive heap of firewood as well as a little group of bemused as well as now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Construction in Bethany, Oklahoma
Generally these standardized designs are constructed of fast grown up hardwood - come the initial decrease of rainfall they swell, leaving you either barricading a door that will not close, or ripping the doorway furnishings off in a vain attempt to release the squawking citizens. The first cozy day suggests the lumber dries out and fractures, the felt roofing bubbles and also boils, as well as come nightfall the hens refuse to enter. This is not due to their frustration at the decrease of their as soon as appealing home but since the hovel is now a haven for, and possibly abounding, the fowl caretaker's bane, red mite. Add on the fact that it claimed on the blurb that it would match 4 big hens when that stocking density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also exactly what are you left with? A couple of joints and some kindling. A decent coop for thee to 4 birds must cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this could rely on whether you elect for a cost-free standing house or one with a run connected. Thinking you are varying your birds in a huge space as well as the pop opening door is big sufficient for the breed you keep, then the major requirements of housing come down to three factors which will certainly specify the variety of birds your house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and also ventilation. The majority of types of chicken will perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch ought to preferably be 5-8cm large with smoothed off sides so the foot rests easily on it. The perch needs to be more than the nest box entry as chickens will certainly also naturally search for the highest point to perch. A perch less 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 shouldn't nevertheless be so high off the floor of the house that leg injuries can occur when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens need concerning 20cm of perch each (in tiny types this is certainly less), plus if greater than one perch is set up in the house they should be greater than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their neighbors but are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably your home ought to have a least one nest box for every 3 birds as well as these need to be off the ground and also in the darkest area of your house. The house needs to have appropriate ventilation: without it then condensation will certainly develop every night, even in the coldest of weather. Be aware, air flow works with the principle of warm air leaving with a high void drawing cooler air in from a reduced void - it's not a collection of openings on contrary walls of your home as well as at the very same degree, this is exactly what's called a draft. If you have a house with a run connected after that the factors above are still true, however you ought to additionally take into consideration the run dimension. The EU maximum legal equipping density for a totally free variety bird is (and let's face it, among the motivations for maintaining some chickens in the house is potentially boosted or much better welfare) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m made even. Take a close look at a few of the deal residences - it could well be the house has the appropriate perches, correct air flow and also ample nest boxes for a sensible number of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to spend the day on? And so as the saying goes, "you get just what you pay for". You could assume you've grabbed a bargain, however you and also your flock could possibly rue the day you did. Purchase the ideal house and also it will certainly last for a couple of decades, otherwise longer provided the right therapy. Eventually your chicken as well as your poultry maintaining encounter will certainly be a lot the much better for it.chicken diy
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