Chicken Coops for Sale in Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Chicken Coops for Sale in Latrobe, 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 Large in Latrobe, Pennsylvania
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Latrobe 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 Latrobe Pennsylvania chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Latrobe, Pennsylvania With the significant increase in chicken keeping there has been an equally large rise in the range of chicken materiel on sale. Fowl housing is an instance in point. It's additionally a classic instance of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as different would-be chicken real estate professionals peddle an array of cottage claiming to be the suitable solution to your chicken housing demands. Usually the rate looks attractive, the house looks attractive, heck even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Undoubtedly they know a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are many low-cost and horrible cages flooding the market. I recognize this as I've tested a number of them in the area, and also seen a ewe run directly via one when the feed container showed up. The result was nothing but a costly pile of firewood as well as a little group of bemused and also now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coops For Sale in Latrobe, Pennsylvania
More often than not these standardized versions are constructed of fast grown up wood - come the very first drop of rainfall they swell, leaving you either barricading a doorway that will not close, or tearing the door furnishings off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking occupants. The initial warm and comfortable day suggests the hardwood dries and also cracks, the really felt roofing bubbles and also boils, as well as come nightfall the hens refuse to go in. This is not as a result of their frustration at the decline of their once appealing home but since the hovel is now a haven for, and also probably crawling with, the chicken caretaker's bane, red mite. Add on that it said on the blurb that it would certainly match four huge hens when that equipping thickness was based on 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 need to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this could depend on whether you elect for a totally free standing house or one with a run connected. Presuming you are varying your birds in a large area and the pop opening door is big enough for the breed you maintain, then the main demands of real estate come down to 3 factors which will specify the variety of birds the house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and air flow. The majority of breeds of chicken will perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch needs to ideally be 5-8cm large with smoothed off edges so the foot rests comfortably on it. The perch should be higher than the nest box access as chickens will also normally seek 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 generate one of the most poo) resulting in soiled eggs the following day. They should not nonetheless be so high off the flooring of your house that leg injuries can occur when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens need regarding 20cm of perch each (in small types this is obviously much less), plus if more than one perch is set up in your house they ought to be more than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their neighbors yet are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably the house must have a the very least one nest box for every 3 birds and also these ought to be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of your house. Your home ought to have appropriate ventilation: without it after that condensation will certainly build up every night, even in the chilliest of climate. Realize, ventilation deals with the concept of cozy air leaving with a high space drawing cooler air in from a reduced gap - it's not a set of holes on opposite wall surfaces of your house and at the exact same level, this is just what's called a draught. If you have a house with a run connected after that the factors above are still true, but you must additionally think about the run size. The EU optimum lawful equipping thickness for a cost-free array bird is (and also allow's encounter it, among the motivations for maintaining some hens at home is perhaps enhanced or much better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m squared. Take a close consider several of the deal homes - it could well be your home has the appropriate perches, proper air flow and sufficient nest boxes for an affordable number of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? Therefore as the stating goes, "you obtain exactly what you spend for". You may think you've got a bargain, yet you and your flock can rue the day you did. Purchase the best house and it will certainly last for a few decades, if not longer provided the right therapy. Eventually your chicken and also your fowl maintaining experience will certainly be considerably the better for it.diy for sale
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