Chicken Coops for Sale in Crandall, Texas
Chicken Coops for Sale in Crandall, Texas
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 Near Me in Crandall, Texas
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Crandall 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 Crandall Texas chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Crandall, Texas With the big boost in poultry maintaining there has actually been an equally large rise in the variety of chicken stuff on sale. Chicken real estate is an instance in factor. It's also a classic instance of the excellent old bandwagon being got on as various potential chicken housing experts peddle a selection of accommodation claiming to be the optimal remedy to your chicken housing needs. Frequently the price looks appealing, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks desirable, hell also the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look eye-catching. Certainly they understand a quality chicken house when they see one? There are several economical and also horrible coops flooding the marketplace. I know this as I've checked a number of them in the area, and also seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed bucket showed up. The result was only an expensive pile of firewood and a little group of bemused and also currently homeless bantams.
Baby Chicken in Crandall, Texas
More often than not these standardized models are built of fast grown up hardwood - come the initial decline of rainfall they swell, leaving you either barricading a door that won't shut, or tearing the door furnishings off in a vain effort to launch the squawking citizens. The first warm and comfortable day suggests the lumber dries as well as cracks, the really felt roof covering bubbles as well as boils, as well as come nightfall the hens choose not to go in. This is not as a result of their frustration at the decline of their as soon as eye-catching home yet since the hovel is currently a place for, as well as most likely crawling with, the poultry keeper's bane, red mite. Add on the fact that it claimed on the blurb that it would match 4 big hens when that equipping density was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also what are you entrusted? A number of hinges and also some kindling. A decent coop for thee to 4 birds must cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this could depend on whether you choose for a free standing house or one with a run connected. Thinking you are ranging your birds in a huge room and also the pop hole doorway allows sufficient for the type you keep, then the main requirements of real estate come down to three factors which will specify the variety of birds your home will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and also ventilation. The majority of breeds of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost in the evening, this perch ought to preferably be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off sides so the foot rests comfortably on it. The perch should be above the nest box entry as chickens will likewise naturally look for the acme to perch. A perch below that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they create one of the most poo) leading to stained eggs the list below day. They shouldn't however be so high off the flooring of the house that leg injuries might happen when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens require regarding 20cm of perch each (in little breeds this is clearly much less), plus if more than one perch is installed in the house they need to be greater than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their next-door neighbors yet are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Preferably the house must have a least one nest box for every single three birds as well as these need to be off the ground and also in the darkest location of your home. Your house ought to have adequate ventilation: without it then condensation will certainly accumulate every night, also in the coldest of weather condition. Know, air flow works with the concept of warm air leaving through a high gap attracting cooler air in from a reduced gap - it's not a collection of holes on other wall surfaces of your home and at the same degree, this is what's referred to as a draft. If you have a house with a run affixed after that the points above are still real, yet you need to likewise think about the run size. The EU optimum legal equipping thickness for a complimentary array bird is (as well as let's face it, one of the inspirations for maintaining some chickens in your home is perhaps improved or much better welfare) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m squared. Take a close consider a few of the deal homes - it could well be your house has the appropriate perches, appropriate air flow and ample nest boxes for an affordable number of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? And so as the stating goes, "you obtain just what you spend for". You could assume you've got a bargain, yet you and your group can rue the day you did. Purchase the ideal house and it will last for a few years, otherwise longer provided the appropriate treatment. In the long run your chicken and your poultry maintaining experience will be much the far better for it.plans build
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