Chicken Coops for Sale in Blossom, Texas
Chicken Coops for Sale in Blossom, Texas
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.
This post was shared at
Related Posts
Baby Chick Care in Blossom, Texas
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Blossom Texas" 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 Blossom Texas chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Blossom, Texas With the substantial boost in poultry keeping there has been a just as big surge in the array of poultry stuff for sale. Poultry real estate is an instance in point. It's also a classic example of the great old bandwagon being jumped on as numerous prospective fowl real estate specialists peddle a range of lodging asserting to be the ideal remedy to your chicken housing demands. Frequently the cost looks attractive, the house looks desirable, heck even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look eye-catching. Definitely they know a high quality chicken house when they see one? There are lots of affordable and nasty coops flooding the marketplace. I know this as I've examined a variety of them in the field, and also seen a ewe run directly with one when the feed pail appeared. The outcome was only an expensive pile of firewood and a little group of bemused and also currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Roost Ideas in Blossom, Texas
Typically these mass produced versions are created of fast grown lumber - come the first drop of rainfall they swell, leaving you either barricading a door that will not shut, or ripping the doorway furniture off in a vain effort to launch the squawking occupants. The very first warm and comfortable day means the timber dries and cracks, the really felt roofing bubbles as well as boils, and come nightfall the chickens choose not to go in. This is not due to their disappointment at the decline of their when desirable building however because the hovel is now a place for, and also probably crawling with, the chicken caretaker's nemesis, red mite. Add the fact that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly suit 4 big chickens when that stocking thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as just what are you entrusted? A number of hinges and some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to 4 birds should cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this could rely on whether you choose for a totally free standing house or one with a run attached. Presuming you are varying your birds in a large space and the pop hole door allows enough for the breed you keep, then the primary demands of housing come down to 3 factors which will certainly specify the number of birds the house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes as well as ventilation. Many types of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch must ideally be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off sides so the foot sits conveniently on it. The perch ought to be higher than the nest box entry as chickens will certainly also naturally search for the highest point to perch. A perch less than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they create one of the most poo) resulting in stained eggs the list below day. They should not nonetheless be so high off the flooring of your house that leg injuries can happen when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens need regarding 20cm of perch each (in small breeds this is clearly much less), plus if greater than one perch is mounted in your house they ought to be greater than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their next-door neighbors but are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Preferably the house must have a the very least one nest box for every 3 birds and also these must be off the ground and in the darkest location of your house. The house must have ample air flow: without it then condensation will accumulate every night, even in the coldest of weather condition. Be aware, air flow works on the concept of warm and comfortable air leaving via a high gap drawing cooler air in from a lower space - it's not a collection of holes on other walls of your home as well as at the exact same degree, this is just what's referred to as a draught. If you have a house with a run affixed after that the points above are still real, yet you should additionally think about the run size. The EU optimum legal equipping thickness for a free range bird is (and let's face it, among the inspirations for keeping some hens in the house is possibly enhanced or far better welfare) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m squared. Take a close consider several of the deal residences - it could well be your home has the right perches, right ventilation and ample nest boxes for a sensible number of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to spend the day on? And so as the stating goes, "you get just what you pay for". You might assume you've grabbed a deal, yet you and also your group can rue the day you did. Purchase the best house and it will certainly last for a few decades, if not longer offered the appropriate treatment. In the end your chicken and your fowl keeping experience will be considerably the much better for it.coops coops
More Posts
Chicken Coops for Sale in Beaumont, Texas
Chicken Coops for Sale in Big Bend National Park, Texas
Chicken Coops for Sale in Ackerly, Texas
Chicken Coops for Sale in Big Lake, Texas
Chicken Coops for Sale in Avoca, Texas