Chicken Coops for Sale in Harborton, Virginia
Chicken Coops for Sale in Harborton, Virginia
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.
Baby Chick Facts in Harborton, Virginia
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Harborton Virginia" 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 Harborton Virginia chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Harborton, Virginia With the big rise in poultry maintaining there has actually been a similarly huge rise in the variety of poultry stuff on sale. Poultry real estate is a case in factor. It's also a classic instance of the excellent old bandwagon being got on as different potential fowl housing professionals peddle an array of cottage declaring to be the optimal option to your chicken housing demands. Commonly the rate looks attractive, the house looks desirable, heck even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look desirable. Undoubtedly they recognize a professional chicken house when they see one? There are numerous inexpensive and also nasty coops flooding the market. I understand this as I've checked a number of them in the area, as well as seen a ewe run straight with one when the feed container showed up. The result was just an expensive pile of firewood and also a tiny group of bemused and currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Easy in Harborton, Virginia
Most of the time these mass produced models are built of quick grown up wood - come the initial drop of rainfall they swell, leaving you either defending a door that will not close, or ripping the doorway furniture off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking inhabitants. The very first cozy day implies the timber dries out and fractures, the felt roofing system bubbles and also boils, and also come nightfall the chickens refuse to enter. This is not because of their disappointment at the decrease of their once eye-catching property yet considering that the hovel is now a place for, and possibly crawling with, the chicken keeper's bane, red mite. Add that it stated on the blurb that it would certainly suit four big hens when that stocking density was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as exactly what are you entrusted? A number of joints as well as some kindling. A good coop for thee to 4 birds should cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this could rely on whether you choose for a totally free standing house or one with a run connected. Assuming you are varying your birds in a big space and also the pop hole doorway allows enough for the breed you keep, after that the main requirements of real estate come down to 3 factors which will certainly specify the variety of birds the house will hold; perches, nest boxes as well as ventilation. Many types of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost in the evening, this perch needs to preferably be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off sides so the foot rests conveniently on it. The perch must be higher than the nest box entrance as chickens will also naturally seek the acme to perch. A perch lower than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they produce the most poo) resulting in dirtied eggs the following day. They shouldn't however be so high off the flooring of the house that leg injuries might take place when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens require regarding 20cm of perch each (in tiny types this is certainly less), plus if more than one perch is mounted in your house they ought to be greater than 30cm apart. They will certainly hunker up with their neighbors however are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Ideally your house should have a least one nest box for each 3 birds and these must be off the ground and also in the darkest location of the house. Your house ought to have appropriate ventilation: without it after that condensation will certainly develop every night, also in the chilliest of weather. Realize, air flow works with the concept of warm air leaving via a high space attracting cooler air in from a reduced void - it's not a collection of holes on opposite walls of the house as well as at the same degree, this is exactly what's called a draft. If you have a house with a run attached then the points above are still real, however you should additionally think about the run size. The EU optimum lawful equipping density for a complimentary range bird is (as well as let's encounter it, among the inspirations for keeping some hens in the house is possibly enhanced or better well-being) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird per 4m settled. Take a close look at some of the bargain homes - it could well be your house has the best perches, right air flow and ample nest boxes for a reasonable variety of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized item of ground to spend the day on? And so as the stating goes, "you get what you pay for". You may think you've got a bargain, yet you and also your flock might rue the day you did. Purchase the ideal house as well as it will certainly last for a few decades, otherwise longer offered the appropriate therapy. In the end your poultry and your poultry keeping experience will certainly be considerably the better for it.diy chick
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