Chicken Coops for Sale in Pecan Gap, Texas
Chicken Coops for Sale in Pecan Gap, 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 Designs in Pecan Gap, Texas
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Pecan Gap 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 Pecan Gap Texas chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Pecan Gap, Texas With the huge rise in poultry maintaining there has been a just as big increase in the variety of poultry stuff on sale. Chicken real estate is a case in factor. It's likewise a traditional example of the good old bandwagon being jumped on as different prospective fowl housing professionals peddle a selection of holiday accommodation declaring to be the optimal solution to your chicken real estate needs. Usually the rate looks eye-catching, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks appealing, heck also the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Definitely they recognize a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are many economical as well as awful cages swamping the marketplace. I know this as I've tested a variety of them in the area, as well as seen a ewe run directly with one when the feed pail appeared. The outcome was just a pricey pile of fire wood and also a tiny group of bemused as well as now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop You Can Walk In in Pecan Gap, Texas
Most of the time these mass produced versions are constructed of fast grown up wood - come the very first decline of rain they swell, leaving you either barricading a doorway that won't shut, or ripping the door furnishings off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking occupants. The first warm and comfortable day implies the lumber dries out and also fractures, the felt roofing bubbles and boils, and also come nightfall the chickens choose not to go in. This is not due to their disappointment at the decline of their as soon as desirable home but considering that the hovel is currently a place for, and most likely crawling with, the fowl keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add that it said on the blurb that it would fit four big hens when that stocking density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and what are you left with? A few hinges and some kindling. A good coop for thee to four birds should cost you around ₤ 300 though this can depend upon whether you elect for a cost-free standing house or one with a run connected. Assuming you are varying your birds in a huge area and also the pop opening doorway is big sufficient for the breed you maintain, after that the primary demands of real estate come down to three factors which will certainly specify the number of birds your home will hold; perches, nest boxes and ventilation. The majority of breeds of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost at night, this perch should preferably be 5-8cm large with smoothed off edges so the foot rests comfortably on it. The perch should be above the nest box entrance as chickens will certainly also normally look for the highest point to perch. A perch less than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they produce one of the most poo) causing soiled eggs the following day. They should not however be so high off the floor of your house that leg injuries could take place when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens need regarding 20cm of perch each (in small types this is undoubtedly less), plus if greater than one perch is set up in your home they ought to be more than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their neighbors but are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Preferably your home needs to have a the very least one nest box for every single 3 birds and also these must be off the ground and also in the darkest location of your house. The house should have appropriate ventilation: without it then condensation will develop every evening, even in the coldest of weather condition. Realize, ventilation works with the concept of cozy air leaving via a high void drawing cooler air in from a reduced space - it's not a set of openings on other wall surfaces of your home as well as at the exact same degree, this is exactly what's called a draught. If you have a house with a run attached then the points above are still true, yet you should also take into consideration the run dimension. The EU optimum lawful equipping thickness for a complimentary array bird is (as well as let's encounter it, one of the motivations for keeping some hens in your home is perhaps improved or far better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m squared. Take a close take a look at several of the deal residences - it could well be your home has the appropriate perches, correct ventilation as well as ample nest boxes for an affordable number 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 what you pay for". You may believe you've got hold of a deal, yet you and also your group could rue the day you did. Purchase the ideal house and also it will last for a few decades, otherwise longer given the appropriate treatment. Eventually your poultry and also your poultry maintaining encounter will certainly be much the much better for it.for sale plan
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