Chicken Coops for Sale in Welch, Oklahoma
Chicken Coops for Sale in Welch, Oklahoma
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 Large in Welch, Oklahoma
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Welch 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 Welch Oklahoma chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Welch, Oklahoma With the big increase in poultry keeping there has actually been a similarly big surge in the range of chicken stuff for sale. Chicken housing is an instance in factor. It's additionally a timeless example of the great old bandwagon being got on as various would-be poultry real estate experts pitch a range of holiday accommodation claiming to be the optimal remedy to your chicken real estate requirements. Typically the price looks desirable, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks appealing, hell also the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Certainly they understand a quality chicken house when they see one? There are many cheap and also nasty coops flooding the marketplace. I recognize this as I've checked a number of them in the area, and also seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed pail appeared. The result was just an expensive heap of fire wood and also a tiny group of bemused as well as currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop And Run For Sale in Welch, Oklahoma
Usually these standardized models are created of fast grown up hardwood - come the first decrease of rain they swell, leaving you either fortifying a door that will not close, or ripping the door furnishings off in a vain effort to release the squawking inhabitants. The very first cozy day implies the timber dries out and also cracks, the felt roof covering bubbles and boils, and also come nightfall the chickens choose not to enter. This is not as a result of their frustration at the decrease of their when desirable commercial property yet due to the fact that the hovel is currently a place for, and also probably abounding, the fowl caretaker's bane, red mite. Add on that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly fit four big chickens when that stocking thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and exactly what are you left with? A couple of joints and some kindling. A good coop for thee to four birds need to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can rely on whether you choose for a totally free standing house or one with a run connected. Presuming you are varying your birds in a big area as well as the pop hole door is big enough for the type you maintain, after that the primary demands of housing boil down to 3 factors which will certainly define the number of birds your home will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and air flow. A lot of types of chicken will perch when they go to roost at night, this perch should preferably be 5-8cm large with smoothed off edges so the foot rests comfortably on it. The perch ought to be higher than the nest box entry as chickens will likewise normally seek the acme to perch. A perch lower than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they create one of the most poo) resulting in soiled eggs the list below day. They shouldn't nevertheless be so high off the flooring of your home that leg injuries could possibly occur when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens require about 20cm of perch each (in little types this is undoubtedly less), plus if more than one perch is set up in the house they must be more than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their neighbors yet are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Ideally your home must have a the very least one nest box for every three birds and these need to be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of the house. The house needs to have sufficient ventilation: without it after that condensation will build up every night, also in the chilliest of climate. Understand, air flow works on the concept of warm air leaving through a high void attracting cooler air in from a reduced space - it's not a collection of openings on other walls of the house and also at the very same degree, this is what's known as a draught. If you have a house with a run affixed then the points above are still real, yet you should also take into consideration the run dimension. The EU maximum lawful equipping density for a totally free variety bird is (and allow's encounter it, among the inspirations for maintaining some chickens at home is potentially boosted or far better welfare) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m settled. Take a close take a look at a few of the bargain homes - it could well be your home has the ideal perches, right air flow and also ample nest boxes for a practical variety of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? Therefore as the stating goes, "you get just what you pay for". You might assume you've got hold of a deal, yet you and your flock could rue the day you did. Acquisition the best house as well as it will last for a couple of years, if not longer provided the appropriate treatment. In the long run your fowl and also your chicken maintaining experience will certainly be much the far better for it.chicken for sale
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