Chicken Coops for Sale in Grantsville, Utah
Chicken Coops for Sale in Grantsville, Utah
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 Run Plans in Grantsville, Utah
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Grantsville Utah" 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 Grantsville Utah chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Grantsville, Utah With the huge increase in poultry keeping there has actually been an equally large rise in the variety of poultry paraphernalia for sale. Chicken housing is an instance in point. It's also a classic example of the good old bandwagon being got on as numerous potential poultry housing professionals market an array of cottage asserting to be the excellent solution to your chicken housing demands. Typically the rate looks appealing, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks appealing, heck also the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Certainly they know a quality chicken house when they see one? There are numerous cheap and unpleasant coops swamping the market. I know this as I've examined a number of them in the area, and also seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed container appeared. The outcome was nothing but an expensive pile of firewood and also a tiny flock of bemused and also now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop And Run in Grantsville, Utah
Generally these standardized models are constructed of fast grown wood - come the very first drop of rain they swell, leaving you either blockading a doorway that won't shut, or ripping the doorway furnishings off in a vain effort to release the squawking inhabitants. The initial warm day suggests the hardwood dries out as well as cracks, the really felt roof covering bubbles as well as boils, as well as come nightfall the hens refuse to go in. This is not because of their disappointment at the decline of their once eye-catching apartment however because the hovel is now a haven for, and also probably abounding, the poultry keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add the fact that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly match 4 huge chickens 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 hinges and some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to four birds must cost you around ₤ 300 though this can depend on whether you choose for a free standing house or one with a run affixed. Presuming you are ranging your birds in a large room and the pop hole doorway allows enough for the type you keep, then the main requirements of housing boil down to 3 points which will certainly define the number of birds the house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes as well as air flow. Many types of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch should ideally be 5-8cm broad with smoothed off edges so the foot rests conveniently on it. The perch ought to be more than the nest box entry as chickens will also naturally try to find the highest point to perch. A perch lower than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they create the most poo) causing stained eggs the following day. They should not however be so high off the floor of your house that leg injuries can occur when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens need regarding 20cm of perch each (in small breeds this is undoubtedly much less), plus if greater than one perch is installed in your home they must be more than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their next-door neighbors yet are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Ideally your house must have a the very least one nest box for every 3 birds and these should be off the ground and in the darkest location of your home. Your home ought to have adequate ventilation: without it then condensation will certainly build up every evening, also in the chilliest of weather. Understand, air flow works with the principle of cozy air leaving with a high void drawing cooler air in from a reduced gap - it's not a set of openings on opposite wall surfaces of your house and at the exact same degree, this is just what's referred to as a draft. If you have a house with a run affixed then the factors above are still true, but you need to likewise think about the run size. The EU maximum legal equipping density for a cost-free array bird is (and also allow's face it, one of the motivations for maintaining some chickens in the house is possibly improved or far better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m made even. Take a close check out a few of the deal residences - it could well be your home has the best perches, correct ventilation as well as adequate nest boxes for an affordable variety of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? And so as the stating goes, "you obtain what you spend for". You might assume you've got hold of a bargain, yet you as well as your group might rue the day you did. Acquisition the appropriate house as well as it will last for a few years, if not longer given the right treatment. In the end your chicken and also your poultry keeping experience will certainly be much the far better for it.coops chicken
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