Chicken Coops for Sale in Wolfcreek, West Virginia
Chicken Coops for Sale in Wolfcreek, West 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.
Chicken Coop Designs in Wolfcreek, West Virginia
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Wolfcreek 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 Wolfcreek West Virginia chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Wolfcreek, West Virginia With the huge increase in poultry keeping there has actually been a just as big increase in the array of chicken stuff for sale. Fowl housing is a proceedings in point. It's likewise a timeless instance of the good old bandwagon being jumped on as various potential poultry real estate professionals pitch a range of accommodation claiming to be the ideal option to your chicken housing requirements. Usually the rate looks appealing, your house looks desirable, heck also the clean-cut household standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Undoubtedly they recognize a professional chicken house when they see one? There are many affordable as well as awful coops flooding the market. I recognize this as I've checked a variety of them in the field, and seen a ewe run directly through one when the feed pail showed up. The outcome was nothing but an expensive heap of fire wood as well as a little group of bemused and also now homeless bantams.
Baby Chicks For Sale in Wolfcreek, West Virginia
Generally these mass produced versions are created of rapid grown up lumber - come the very first drop of rain they swell, leaving you either defending a doorway that won't close, or ripping the door furnishings off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking residents. The initial cozy day suggests the hardwood dries out and splits, the really felt roofing bubbles and also boils, and come nightfall the chickens refuse to go in. This is not as a result of their dissatisfaction at the decline of their as soon as attractive building yet considering that the hovel is now a haven for, and also most likely crawling with, the chicken caretaker's bane, red mite. Add that it said on the blurb that it would certainly match four huge chickens when that equipping density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and exactly what are you entrusted? A number of joints as well as some kindling. A good coop for thee to four birds need to cost you around ₤ 300 though this can depend on whether you elect for a totally free standing house or one with a run affixed. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a large area and the pop opening doorway is big sufficient for the type you maintain, after that the major needs of real estate come down to three factors which will certainly specify the variety of birds the house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and also ventilation. Many breeds of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost during the night, this perch ought to preferably be 5-8cm wide with smoothed off edges so the foot rests comfortably on it. The perch needs to be more than the nest box entrance as chickens will also normally search for the acme to perch. A perch less than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they create one of the most poo) causing stained eggs the following day. They should not nonetheless be so high off the floor of your house that leg injuries can happen when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens require concerning 20cm of perch each (in small types this is obviously less), plus if greater than one perch is set up in your house they should be greater than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their next-door neighbors but are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Ideally your house ought to have a the very least one nest box for each three birds as well as these must be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of your house. The house ought to have adequate air flow: without it then condensation will certainly develop every night, also in the coldest of weather. Understand, ventilation works with the principle of warm air leaving with a high void drawing cooler air in from a lower gap - it's not a collection of holes on other wall surfaces of your home and also at the very same level, this is what's called a draught. If you have a house with a run attached then the points above are still real, yet you need to additionally take into consideration the run dimension. The EU maximum legal equipping thickness for a cost-free variety bird is (and allow's encounter it, among the inspirations for maintaining some hens in your home is potentially improved or better welfare) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m made even. Take a close check out some of the bargain homes - it could well be your home has the ideal perches, right ventilation and sufficient nest boxes for a reasonable variety of birds, but will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to spend the day on? And so as the saying goes, "you obtain what you spend for". You could assume you've got a bargain, yet you as well as your group might rue the day you did. Purchase the best house as well as it will last for a few years, if not longer given the proper therapy. Eventually your chicken and your chicken keeping experience will certainly be a lot the better for it.chick chickens
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