Cha Cha Changes!
Welcome back to Fluent in Fowl Language! Hopefully, you’ve noticed the changes on our newly revamped website…what? You haven’t visited yet? Get your eyes over to indivfarmsupply.com We’ve changed the layout and made it a LOT more user-friendly! Everything I do is for you!
Enough about that, it’s fall y’all, as those signs in the stores are reminding us. Pumpkin shaped Reese’s on the shelves tells us it’s time for some of our favorite fall activities. Yup, buttoning up the coop for winter.
· Even though it is cold outside, you still need to allow ventilation. Instead of one air exchange per minute (like in the summer when it is hot) you can reduce it to one air exchange every 15 minutes (also known as four times an hour). To calculate your ventilation needs, you need to figure out your CFM. Who remembers what that means from my previous blogs? CFM = Cubic feet per meter. For instance, if your chicken coop is 40’W x 12’H x 60’ Long that means your building is 28,800 cubic feet. In the summer you will need to move that much air every minute. In the winter (hint: divide by 4) you need to move 7200 cubic feet of air every minute. This will help keep your bedding dry and the ammonia from building up. If you don’t have electricity in your coop, you can still allow for ventilation with an air inlet* Just make sure that they are installed in the gable ends and high enough that your chickens don’t get a draft. If you are using an exhaust fan to move air you MUST also have an air inlet.
· If you have curtain sided buildings, close them up and repair any damage (from rodents nesting or from your overzealous teen using a weed whacker all summer…if the holes are small enough, they can be repaired with Curtain Repair Tape (pro hint, use a cloth dipped in rubbing alcohol to clean the area around the hole then put the tape on BOTH sides of the curtain so it sticks to itself through the hole to give your tape repair the best chance of lasting through the season!) In the winter, you can crack the top open to allow for natural ventilation without having the air blowing directly on your birds.
· If you use evaporative cooling foggers during the summer, make sure to use an air compressor to make sure all the water is out of the lines.
· Finally, make sure that your animals have clean water daily. If you are using nipples, make sure that the water doesn’t freeze in the line. Open the flush valve so the water can drip out and is constantly moving through the water line (connect a hose so you don’t have ice building up).
T This fall, let your chickens carve your jack o'lanterns for you. Simply take a potato peeler and peel away a little of the pumpkin in the eyes, nose and mouth areas and let your chickens create!! Send me your chickens' pumpkins on Facebook, Instagram or shoot me an email online@indiv.com
