Chicken Coops for Sale in Essington, Pennsylvania
Chicken Coops for Sale in Essington, Pennsylvania
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 House in Essington, Pennsylvania
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Essington Pennsylvania" 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 Essington Pennsylvania chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Essington, Pennsylvania With the big increase in chicken maintaining there has actually been an equally big rise in the array of fowl materiel on sale. Poultry real estate is a case in factor. It's also a timeless instance of the excellent old bandwagon being got on as different would-be poultry housing specialists pitch an array of lodging asserting to be the suitable remedy to your chicken real estate needs. Frequently the price looks eye-catching, your house looks attractive, hell even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Surely they recognize a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are several economical and horrible coops swamping the market. I understand this as I've tested a number of them in the field, and seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed bucket showed up. The outcome was just a costly heap of fire wood and a tiny group of bemused and also currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Boxes in Essington, Pennsylvania
Generally these mass produced versions are built of rapid grown up timber - come the first decrease of rainfall they swell, leaving you either fortifying a door that will not shut, or ripping the door furniture off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking occupants. The first cozy day indicates the hardwood dries and also splits, the felt roofing system bubbles as well as boils, as well as come nightfall the hens refuse to enter. This is not because of their disappointment at the decline of their once eye-catching residential property however since the hovel is now a place for, as well as most likely abounding, the chicken keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add on the fact that it stated on the blurb that it would fit four huge chickens when that equipping thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and exactly what are you entrusted? A few hinges as well as some kindling. A decent coop for thee to four birds ought to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this could depend upon whether you elect for a free standing house or one with a run affixed. Thinking you are ranging your birds in a huge space as well as the pop opening doorway allows sufficient for the type you keep, after that the primary needs of real estate come down to 3 points which will certainly define the variety of birds your home will hold; perches, nest boxes and ventilation. Many breeds of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch must preferably be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off edges so the foot sits easily on it. The perch must be more than the nest box entrance as chickens will likewise naturally try to find the highest point to perch. A perch lower than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they create the most poo) causing dirtied eggs the following day. They shouldn't nonetheless be so high off the floor of your home that leg injuries could possibly happen when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens require regarding 20cm of perch each (in little types this is certainly much less), plus if more than one perch is set up in the house they should be more than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their next-door neighbors but are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably your home needs to have a the very least one nest box for every three birds and these ought to be off the ground and in the darkest area of your home. Your house should have sufficient air flow: without it after that condensation will certainly build up every night, even in the coldest of climate. Know, air flow deals with the concept of warm air leaving with a high space attracting cooler air in from a reduced gap - it's not a set of openings on other wall surfaces of the house and also at the very same level, this is what's referred to as a draft. If you have a house with a run connected then the factors above are still real, but you need to also consider the run dimension. The EU optimum legal stocking thickness for a totally free array bird is (as well as allow's encounter it, one of the motivations for keeping some hens in your home is perhaps improved or better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m squared. Take a close look at several of the bargain houses - it could well be the house has the right perches, proper ventilation and also ample nest boxes for a reasonable variety of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to invest the day on? And so as the claiming goes, "you obtain exactly what you spend for". You may think you've got hold of a deal, however you and also your flock could rue the day you did. Acquisition the best house as well as it will last for a few decades, otherwise longer provided the proper therapy. Ultimately your chicken as well as your fowl maintaining encounter will certainly be a lot the far better for it.coop chick
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