Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Raising Chickens - Location And Methods � Part 1

Poultry can be made to do well almost anywhere, just as cattle are made profitable on many farms not especially adapted for dairying. Management and system of housing should be varied to suit the location. Some good paying poultry farms are on stiff, heavy clay land, where water collects in pools after rain. Others just as profitable are on rather thin, light soil. Still, it is generally agreed that a good, free, well drained loam has certain advantages. The soil dries quickly after a rain, snow melts more quickly, it warms rapidly in the sun, every shower purifies it by carrying down a part of the impurities. On wet, heavy soil the fowls should have very wide range or the ground becomes muddy and unwholesome. Yet such land is a rich storehouse of plant food and affords the best of grass and insect diet even when drouth checks all fresh growth on other land. Heavy land is best suited to the colony or free range systems. Some of the largest and most profitable farms have been thus located and conducted, and the fowls maintained in perfect health and vigor.

On rather poor land the fowls should also have wide range in order to find enough wild food. Good pasturage should be considered as important as for cattle.

Rocky land is seldom made the location of large farms for poultry culture, since frequent cultivation and cropping is a part of most systems. Money saved in buying rough or sandy land is soon lost many times over in decrease of net returns. If one may choose, let him buy good, clear, well drained loam, with a gradual southern slope and a forest protection at the north. But, as said before, most locations can be made satisfactory by suitable buildings and system of management.

The site of permanent buildings should be well drained naturally, but in a great majority of cases the conditions will be improved by at least heaping up with a horse scraper a little knoll of earth about the same in area as the house. Dryness is the great preventive of disease in poultry, and is even more important than warmth. A dry hen will stand a great deal of cold weather without much injury.

Foundation and Walls – It pays to have a stone foundation reaching down to frost line, or from one to three feet below the surface and rising about one foot above the, ground level. When covered with earth, a dry, dusty floor is ensured all winter, and rats are kept out even without a cement covering for the stone floor. Anything but a stone foundation is likely to take up more or less moisture, which will freeze and thaw, making the floor hard and cold, or muddy, neither state being suitable for scratching and for dust baths. Floors below ground are unsatisfactory in moist climates Dampness works in, spoils the scratching floor, stops laying and causes lameness, colds and bowel trouble. If the floor, however, has been raised by a rock filling, the outside of the building may be banked with earth to good advantage.

Tight Foundations – When small buildings are erected upon the farm, there is a temptation, in the interest of economy, to omit the tight stone foundation and put the building on posts. This leaves the building open beneath and permits the cold winds to reduce the temperature. A plan is shown in the cut, Figure i, which obviates this. The walls are boarded up and down, using matched cedar boards, and allowing these to extend to the ground, as shown. A little soil is then banked up against the lower end, which is grassed over quickly, making a tight foundation that will last many years. If the framing is made to use crosswise boarding, put on the latter as shown at right of Figure i, using a wide cedar board to extend from the sill down to the ground, and bank with a few inches of earth as before mentioned. The building can then be shingled or clapboarded.

In placing a house, let it face the south or as nearly so as possible. It is cooler in summer and warmer in winter than one facing either east or west. The sun in summer during the hottest part of the day is nearly directly overhead and does not shine in so strongly in a south window. In winter, when low in the heavens, the south window catches more of the sun’s rays.

A Poultry House Floor of cement may well be patterned after the plan shown at left of Figure 2. The foundation is of loose stones to give drainage. The stones above are cemented. A layer of small stones beneath the cement serves as drainage. The sills of the house are bedded in cement to keep out vermin. This plan gives an exceedingly warm house, and the cement floor will keep out all rats and poultry enemies. A cement floor is a cold affair in winter unless covered with plenty of dust and litter.

A Very Warm Wall designed by G. C. Watson of the Pennsylvania experiment station is double on all sides and practically air tight, with a two-inch air space between the walls. A section plan is shown at right of Figure 2. A two by three scantling set edgewise forms the plate, and to this the boards of the side walls are nailed. These boards may be of rough lumber if economy in building is desired. If so, the inner boarding should be nailed on first and covered with tarred building paper on the side that will come within the

hollow wall when the building is completed. This building paper is to be held in place with laths or strips of thin boards. If only small nails or tacks are used, the paper will tear around the nail heads when damp and will not stay in place.

The cracks between the boards of the outside boarding may be covered with inexpensive battens if they are nailed at frequent intervals with small nails. Ordinary building lath will answer this purpose admirably, and will last many years, although they are not so durable as heavier and more expensive strips. The tarred paper on the inside boarding and the battens on the outside make two walls, each impervious to wind, with an air space between them. Common building paper may be used or stout paper of any kind.

How To Build A Chicken Coop

Monday, August 9, 2010

Poultry House Plans � 4 Steps You Must Follow

Having good poultry house plans to follow is one of the most important steps you need to know in order to have success with your building efforts. Many people overlook small steps that cost them a great deal of time and frustration.

There is a clearly defined building pathway that should be followed whenever you’re attempting to build a chicken coop, so by making sure you don’t overlook these, you’re going to put your best foot forward for building a chicken coop that stands the test of time.

Here are the big points your poultry house plans should cover.

Find A Good Space Of Land

Finding the right space to build your chicken coop on will be vitally important because it’s this that helps keep your coop maintaining itself over the years. You want a piece of land that has a slight elevation since this will also prevent the coop from becoming flooded later on if water starts accumulating during a heavy rainfall.

In some cases this may mean you need to do some landscaping, but typically it will all depend on the type of soil you have in the area you are and the overall surface flatness.

Choose and Appropriate Size and Type

Second, make sure you’re taking the time to choose a good size to build your chicken coop with. Poultry house plans need to be specific about exact measurements when it comes to this.

The last thing you want to do cram your chickens in too small of a space, so be sure you take the time to carefully get the precise measurements you need and draw a building plan out before you build.

Locate the Best Space For Your Windows

Third, keep in mind that the windows you’re building will have a very large influence on how healthy your chickens stay so that is also something that you must not overlook. Windows serve to not only light the chicken coop but also act as a ventilation source, so no poultry house plans would be complete without them.

Most chicken farmers will build two or three windows total, however figure out the best number in order to meet your own individual needs.

Add The Chicken Run and Fence

Finally, the fourth thing you must do to have success with your chicken house is build the chicken run and fence.

Your chickens need to get out and get exercise on a regular basis, so having the run available will allow them to do that. The fence is also a vital component for protecting your chickens from predators, so again, something that you cannot do without.

By making sure you follow these steps while using poultry house plans to guide you, you’ll get the best possible poultry house.

Check Out ====> How To Build A Chicken Coop

Friday, August 6, 2010

Building A Poultry Enclosure On A Budget

If you’re building a poultry house enclosure and are trying to stick with a firm budget, there are a variety of different things that you should keep in mind in order to have maximum success with this project.

Many chicken farmers spend far more money then they really have to trying to build their chicken coop and with a few simple adjustments they could have saved hundreds of dollars at least.

Here are the main points to know about building a poultry house enclosure on a budget.

Choose The Best Land Before Building

The first thing you should be doing before building a poultry house enclosure is taking a good look at the land you have available to build on. In most cases, you would be required to do some landscaping before building.

This is due to the fact that building a poultry house enclosure on ground that wasn’t firm and level would significantly decrease the stabilization, especially as time progressed, and that could in turn make it much more likely that rebuilding needs to take place.

If you choose to hire in help to do this landscaping, expect to pay big dollars because it can get quite pricey.

The second option is to just do it yourself, but even still, this will take time and could still cost you a small amount of money.

Therefore, the best option is to just survey the entire land you have available and locate the place where no landscaping will be necessary. You may need to look hard for this, but once you find it you’ll be happy you did.

Add Properly Placed Windows That Allow For Ventilation

The second thing you should take into account to help save yourself money is making sure you place the windows properly in the chicken coop. Windows are going to be the primary light source that the chickens have unless you plan to wire in electrical light – which is very expensive.

Also, windows will serve for ventilation purposes, which is another important aspect for helping your chickens maintain good health. By making sure the windows are stationed well and also allow for ventilation, you essentially kill two birds with one stone – and save yourself money in the process.

Build A Smaller Sized Poultry House

Finally, the third way to save money while building a poultry enclosure is to choose to build a smaller size. Obviously the smaller you build, the fewer building materials you will need, which is often where you incur the highest amount of costs.

Unless you’re planning on selling the eggs commercially, often two to three chickens will be plenty to give you more than enough eggs that you need each day, provided you are building the coop well.

There’s no need to build bigger unless you absolutely have to as this will not only increase your building costs from the start, but could also make them higher down the road as well with upkeep.

So be sure you keep these points in mind. By taking the right measures you can certainly decrease your building costs and still go about building a poultry house enclosure that’s perfectly suited for your chickens and your budget.

Check Out ====> How To Build A Chicken Coop

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Build a Chicken House � Chicken House Building Tips

By Shannon Clark

If you’re looking to build a chicken house, there are some important things that you must consider first before doing so. Many people just jump right into the building process and end up neglecting certain aspects which really cost them a lot of time and money in the long run.

By keeping the following building tips in mind, you will be sure you’re making all the right decisions when it comes time to building your chicken coop.

Here’s what you need to know.

Tip# 1: Always Factor In Chicken Number

The first thing to keep in mind as you go about building a chicken house is how many chickens you plan to have. You are going to need a much larger chicken house if you want to raise 10 or more birds compared to if you only want two to three.

Making sure that the size of chicken coop you choose is correct is vital otherwise your chickens are not going ot lay eggs properly.

Tip# 2: Think About Your Climate

Next up, in order to build the right type of chicken house you need to think about your climate. How much rain do you get? What type of temperatures do you typically experience?

All of these will factor in when it comes time to decide what type of materials you want to use while building..

Tip# 3: Do You Want A Mobile Chicken Coop?

Third, consider whether you want to have a mobile chicken coop. Many individuals like being able to move their chicken house around with them, either for cleaning purposes or just because they want to watch their chickens when they are inside the home.

Mobile designs typically work best when you have a lower number of chickens due to the fact larger houses are much harder to transport around.

Tip# 4: What Is Your Price Range?

Finally, the fourth tip to keep in mind is cost. When you build a chicken house there are many different things you can do to keep your costs low if you are on a limited budget. In some cases, if you know some quick and easy tricks you might even be able to build a chicken coop for free. It’s all about understanding what types of materials can be used and then factoring in the cost of building and purchasing those materials if necessary.

So, keep these chicken house building tips in mind. If you do some reading first before getting started, you will definitely cut your total costs down.

Here is more information on how you can build a chicken house on a budget.

To read my review of ‘Building A Chicken Coop’, please click HERE:

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shannon_Clark http://EzineArticles.com/?Build-a-Chicken-House—Chicken-House-Building-Tips&id=2162501

Check Out ====> How To Build A Chicken Coop

Monday, August 2, 2010

Keeping Chickens Warm In Winter

If you are worried about your chickens freezing during the winter, keep in mind that you only have to take minor precautions to keep them warm. Remember, chickens normally acclimatize themselves to cold weather. In fact, their physical constitution is more tolerant to cold than to heat. The body warmth they get from simply huddling together during cold weather can go a long way into keeping them warm for most of the winter. However, it doesn't mean that it's safe to neglect the environmental conditions that determine the well-being of your poultry during the cold months.

Heat conduction plays a critical role in the wintering of your poultry. Placing a bed of sawdust or bundles of straw in the coop helps in keeping them warm just in case huddling together is not good enough to handle the cool temperature. Setting up a heat lamp in a secure place also helps in providing direct heat just in case a particular chicken has poor tolerance for extremely low temperatures. Just make sure that the heat lamp is at a safe distance to prevent your chickens from getting too close (chickens like to perch, so make sure the heat lamp is at an elevated area that they can't reach).

A coop that is dry and free of draft (but still ventilated) is very essential to maintaining reasonable heat within the shelter. One thing to avoid is barring the door since chickens love to go outside and exercise every once in a while, even during winter. Make it a point to clear the coop's surroundings of snow in order for your chickens to have the luxury to venture outside whenever they feel the urge to do so.

Proper feeding is very important during a chicken's winter days. Corn is a good supplementary diet since it provides internal warmth. And of course, water needs to be provided daily just like in summer days. I highly recommend using a hard horse rubber dish for the fact that it's relatively easier to remove the ice without breaking the dish.

Providing roosts is also vital in avoiding your chickens' toes from freezing. A roost made out of wood is always better than metal or plastic because wood doesn't conduct cold. The roost should also be wide enough so that the chickens' feathers can cover the toes and be able to provide warmth into them.

Combs and wattles on chickens can be a big problem since extreme coldness can cause frostbites. Rubbing Vasoline regularly can be a big help to alleviate this particular problem. You can also resort to "dubbing", which is the process of removing these extra appendages, in the means to fully remove the possibilities of frostbites and the complications that go with it.

Remember that the rules change if you are brooding chicks. They should be kept entirely safe from drafts by placing a solid wall around them. Maintain a heat lamp over them the same way you do with full-grown chickens. If you can't establish an airtight habitat for them, it is best to avoid the notion of raising them in the winter.

Incredible Chickens! The Complete Guide To Raising Chickens At Home!

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Raising Chicken Tips: Producing High Quality Chicken Eggs

The effort to produce high quality food sources and quality farm products has been a major focus in all sectors of the food industry. For the average man working in the poultry industry, the changes, complexities, and practices in producing high quality chicken eggs and meat could be stressful if not bewildering, but what happens in the farm determines directly the quality of the products that the poultry produce.

In egg production, the main focus of safety is to prevent salmonella contamination. It is also the ensuring that the chicks and pullets are not harboring the bacteria. One effective way at preventing this from happening is insuring that the feeds used are free from pathogens. Regular vaccinations are conducted to assure that the flocks are healthy and the observance of proper sanitation, eggs washing and refrigeration is observed from the farm to the market.

Producing high quality chicken eggs is straightforward. It only requires keeping healthy hens that are free from infection. The things to do:

• Reduce stress in the chicken house. Chickens that are not over stressed are more resistant to infections. For this the chickens must not be disturbed, if that cannot be avoided, prevent disturbances to the least possible. Chickens are naturally evasive to contact from those that it is not familiar with, even unfamiliar human scent.

• Except for scheduled management and maintenance, the supply of water and feed must not be interrupted. Even when the chicken can do with yesterday's water, the water supply nonetheless should be as clean and uncontaminated as possible.

• Maintain ample spaces for hens. A layer would need 4 to 5 square feet in moving space. When hens are crowded, irritations between hens occur that leads to pecking and fighting disturbing egg production.

• Make sure that the chicken house is secured from other animals and unauthorized personnel. Contact with poultry must be minimized.

• Do not feed broken eggs to the chicken. Doing so will develop the habit and will start them pecking at eggs. Instead, clean the chicken house of all residues of the eggs and dispose of it immediately.

• Keep a clean chicken house. Cobwebs, dust, dirt, and broken eggs harbor bacteria. This includes good housekeeping in all aspects of egg production like, egg packers, conveyors, elevators, and egg belts.

• All eggs must be collected promptly. Collecting eggs twice each day works well for most farms. For bigger farms the collection must be done often.

• Eggs must be handled carefully to prevent cracks, washed, and refrigerated soon afterwards.

• It often happens that pesticides are to be used to aid sanitation and cleaning. That being the case, only use pesticides that are approved for egg production. Likewise, use chemicals only when necessary.

The above-mentioned guidelines are sufficient practices in producing high quality chicken eggs. For further assurance, a common test it to place the eggs between a light and the eye. The yolk of high quality eggs appears translucent. Those that appear cloudy are already stale and may no longer be fit for consumption.

Incredible Chickens! The Complete Guide To Raising Chickens At Home!

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Raising Chickens: What Chickens Need to Survive and Thrive

Ancestrally, chicken are jungle birds. They are survivors living in trees and are good at adapting to outdoor conditions. Taking good care of chickens then is easy provided that the chicken raiser give them what they need to survive and thrive. The needs of chickens are few and simple.

Housing

• The first among the basics for raising chickens is a housing that is clean and secured from predators. Chickens are a good prey for foxes to badgers and for cats to rats. The chicken house then should be secured that every possible entry point of predators are closed and barred.

• Build a chicken house that is elevated from the ground. This will keep them away from damp and diseases. While chickens are sturdy birds, they are prawn to bacteria and diseases, many of which come from the damp ground.

• The chicken house should also be made of materials sturdy enough to withstand different weather conditions and it should have ample ventilation.

Space

• Provide enough space for chickens. Chicken could be irritable creatures when the mood strikes them and that could be just about anything. When they are, quarrels will start. When blood is drawn, the blood will strike the fancy of other chickens in the henhouse will start pecking at the bloodied chicken sometimes to death. A chicken house is already cramped when there is less than three square feet of space per chicken.

• Likewise, the nest box should not be designed to accommodate more than four chickens. Two chickens per nest box are good.

• Chicken runs should be secured and fenced around with the base of the fence buried at least 10" into the ground while the height should be at least five feet.

Food and Water

• Chickens could live on yesterday's water but when the water has droppings it has to be cleaned. A steady supply of clean water is essential if the chickens are to be healthy. Vitamins and minerals could also be introduced into the water to boost the chicken's immunity from diseases.

• There are two basic types, the corn, and the pellets. Corn feed is mixed with other seeds and the seed mixed to the corn does not differ much from one manufacturer to the other. The other type is pellets. Pellets have three categories. First is the starter mash or layer mash, the second is the crumbled pellets that are recommended for feeding the pullets and the third is the pellets. There is no difference in composition and nutrients present. The difference only lies in the manner of fineness and coarseness of the feed.

• Chicken eats most food and it is good to let them roam around for variety. Chickens should also be fed grits, as they would need this for digestion to prevent having a sour crop.

These are the basics that the chicken will need to survive and thrive. There are other minor issues like disease prevention, selecting the breed, laws and regulations, but for chicken keeping, these are the things that come first.

Answers To Raising Chickens - A Complete Guide To Keeping Chickens