Chicken Coops for Sale in Fraziers Bottom, West Virginia
Chicken Coops for Sale in Fraziers Bottom, West Virginia
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 With Run in Fraziers Bottom, West Virginia
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Fraziers Bottom West 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 Fraziers Bottom West Virginia chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Fraziers Bottom, West Virginia With the substantial rise in poultry keeping there has been an equally huge surge in the variety of poultry paraphernalia on sale. Chicken real estate is a case in factor. It's likewise a timeless example of the good old bandwagon being jumped on as numerous would-be chicken real estate specialists market a selection of holiday accommodation declaring to be the optimal remedy to your chicken real estate demands. Typically the price looks eye-catching, your diy-chicken-coop-planshome looks eye-catching, heck also the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look eye-catching. Certainly they recognize a quality chicken house when they see one? There are numerous cheap and also horrible cages swamping the market. I know this as I've examined a variety of them in the area, and seen a ewe run straight via one when the feed container showed up. The result was just an expensive stack of firewood as well as a tiny flock of bemused and also currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Setup in Fraziers Bottom, West Virginia
Typically these mass produced versions are created of fast grown lumber - come the first drop of rainfall they swell, leaving you either defending a doorway that will not close, or ripping the doorway furniture off in a vain effort to release the squawking inhabitants. The very first warm and comfortable day implies the hardwood dries out and also splits, the really felt roofing bubbles as well as boils, as well as come nightfall the hens refuse to go in. This is not due to their dissatisfaction at the decrease of their when eye-catching apartment however considering that the hovel is now a sanctuary for, and probably crawling with, the poultry caretaker's bane, red mite. Add the fact that it claimed on the blurb that it would match 4 big hens when that equipping density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and just what are you left with? A few hinges and some kindling. A good coop for thee to four birds must cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this could rely on whether you elect for a totally free standing house or one with a run affixed. Assuming you are varying your birds in a huge area and also the pop hole doorway allows enough for the type you keep, after that the major needs of real estate boil down to 3 factors which will specify the variety of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes and also air flow. The majority of types of chicken will perch when they visit roost at night, this perch needs to ideally be 5-8cm broad with smoothed off edges so the foot rests easily on it. The perch must be above the nest box entry as chickens will certainly likewise naturally search for the highest point to perch. A perch less than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they generate one of the most poo) leading to dirtied eggs the list below day. They shouldn't nonetheless be so high off the flooring of your home that leg injuries can happen when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens require regarding 20cm of perch each (in tiny types this is undoubtedly much less), plus if more than one perch is installed in the house they must be more than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their neighbors however are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably your house needs to have a the very least one nest box for every single 3 birds and also these should be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of the house. The house needs to have adequate air flow: without it then condensation will certainly accumulate every night, even in the chilliest of weather condition. Know, air flow works with the concept of warm and comfortable air leaving through a high void drawing cooler air in from a reduced void - it's not a collection of holes on contrary walls of the house and also at the exact same level, this is what's called a draft. If you have a house with a run attached after that the factors above are still true, yet you should also think about the run dimension. The EU maximum legal stocking density for a complimentary variety bird is (and also let's face it, among the inspirations for maintaining some hens at home is possibly enhanced or far better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m made even. Take a close look at some of the bargain homes - it could well be your house has the appropriate perches, appropriate air flow and sufficient nest boxes for a sensible 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 saying goes, "you get just what you spend for". You may believe you've grabbed a deal, yet you and also your group might rue the day you did. Purchase the ideal house as well as it will certainly last for a couple of decades, otherwise longer offered the proper therapy. Eventually your poultry as well as your chicken maintaining encounter will certainly be a lot the better for it.chick for sale
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