Chicken Coops for Sale in Okemah, Oklahoma
Chicken Coops for Sale in Okemah, 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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Baby Chickens For Sale in Okemah, Oklahoma
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Okemah 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 Okemah Oklahoma chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Okemah, Oklahoma With the substantial increase in chicken keeping there has actually been a just as big rise in the array of fowl stuff for sale. Fowl housing is a situation in factor. It's additionally a classic instance of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as various prospective poultry real estate experts peddle a range of cottage asserting to be the optimal option to your chicken real estate demands. Typically the rate looks eye-catching, your house looks attractive, hell also the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Definitely they understand a quality chicken house when they see one? There are several affordable and also nasty coops swamping the marketplace. I recognize this as I've tested a number of them in the field, as well as seen a ewe run straight with one when the feed container showed up. The result was only a costly heap of firewood and a tiny group of bemused and now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Ideas in Okemah, Oklahoma
More often than not these mass produced designs are created of rapid grown up timber - come the initial decrease of rainfall they swell, leaving you either barricading a doorway that won't shut, or ripping the doorway furnishings off in a vain effort to launch the squawking residents. The first cozy day implies the timber dries and also splits, the felt roofing system bubbles and boils, and come nightfall the hens refuse to enter. This is not due to their dissatisfaction at the decrease of their once attractive apartment yet considering that the hovel is currently a haven for, and most likely abounding, the chicken keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add the fact that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly fit 4 big hens when that stocking thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also just what are you left with? A number of hinges as well as some kindling. A decent coop for thee to 4 birds need to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this could rely on whether you choose for a free standing house or one with a run affixed. Presuming you are ranging your birds in a large area and also the pop hole door is big sufficient for the type you keep, after that the major needs of real estate come down to three points which will certainly specify the number of birds the house will hold; perches, nest boxes and ventilation. The majority of types of chicken will perch when they go to roost in the evening, this perch should preferably be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off edges so the foot rests conveniently on it. The perch needs to be above the nest box entry as chickens will also naturally search for the highest point to perch. A perch less than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they produce one of the most poo) bring about stained eggs the list below day. They should not however be so high off the flooring of the house that leg injuries could possibly happen when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens need concerning 20cm of perch each (in tiny breeds this is undoubtedly much less), plus if more than one perch is set up in your home they ought to be more than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their next-door neighbors however are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Preferably the house needs to have a the very least one nest box for every three birds and also these need to be off the ground and in the darkest area of your house. The house should have sufficient ventilation: without it after that condensation will certainly accumulate every night, also in the chilliest of weather. Understand, air flow works with the principle of cozy air leaving via a high space drawing cooler air in from a lower gap - it's not a collection of holes on opposite walls of the house as well as at the very same level, this is what's called a draft. If you have a house with a run affixed then the factors above are still real, however you must likewise think about the run size. The EU optimum lawful stocking density for a free array bird is (and also let's face it, among the inspirations for maintaining some hens at home is possibly enhanced or far better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m squared. Take a close check out several of the deal houses - it could well be your house has the right perches, proper ventilation and adequate nest boxes for a reasonable number of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized piece of ground to invest the day on? Therefore as the stating goes, "you obtain just what you spend for". You could believe you've got hold of a bargain, yet you and also your group could rue the day you did. Purchase the best house and it will certainly last for a couple of years, otherwise longer given the appropriate therapy. Eventually your fowl as well as your poultry maintaining encounter will certainly be considerably the much better for it.chickens coop
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