What You Need to Know

These are basic chicken coop knowledge that you need to know before starting on any chicken coop plans.

Types. Depending on your preference or available space, you can either build a (1) confined housing, where the coop and the run are built together (2) open housing, which is ideal if you like to raise your chickens free range and (3) tractor type housing, which is a mobile type of chicken coop.

Parts. A chicken coop is usually made up of four walls, a roof, and a run. Inside is the roost and the nest boxes. There’s also the ventilation, doors for human access, and for mobile coops, a tractor that pulls them along.

Space Requirements. Generally, chickens need a lot of personal space. If you stack them too close to each other, they’ll eventually start pecking on each other. Also, a large space will give your chickens more exercise to keep them healthy.

The rule of thumb is to have 8 to 10 square feet of space per chicken. This number is calculated to include the space of the coop plus the run. If you live in colder regions, however, add a bit more to this number, since your chickens will be staying inside longer.

For the roosts or perches, allow for a vertical distance of 1 foot or a few inches for each row and about 8 inches or more of horizontal space per bird on each row.

Materials. Typically, chicken coops are made from wood, but you can build a coop from absolutely anything. Walls can be made from solid wood, plastic, wire mesh, or concrete depending on the weather conditions in your place, the space available, and your budget. The roof can be slanted (mostly recommended for places where it snows a lot, because then the snow will just slide down), flat (most urban chicken coops are modular in design to maximize space), or double as plant box (ideal for those that also have a complementary rooftop garden). While the run can be short, long, or detachable depending on how many chickens you have and the space available.

Extras. Beddings are what you place inside the coop such as straw, wood shavings, or sand. This will help you in managing and disposing your chickens’ waste. Deep bedding using straw is favored by those that also keep a garden. They use the straw beddings from the coop to use as fertilizer for their plants.

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What Does A Plymouth Rock Chicken Look Like?

Plymouth Rock potrett—smerikal (Flickr.com)

Plymouth Rock Hen Reporting—Carly Art (Flickr.com)

Plymouth Rock chickens come in eight different colors. The most popular is the barred (black and white), white, buff, partridge, silver penciled, blue, Columbian and black. Barring goes all the way down to the skin, but solid-colored Plymouth Rocks will have a yellow skin tone to match their yellow feet. The chickens are relatively large, with cocks weighing in at 7.5 – 9.5 pounds and hens at 6.6 – 7.5 pounds on average. They have long, broad backs with full breasts. Hens with deep, full abdomens are the best layers, producing four to six eggs per week.

Do Plymouth Rock Chickens Make Good Pets?

Both roosters and hens get along well with people and pets, which is one reason they’ve been so popular throughout the years. Plymouth Rocks are so friendly and docile they even make suitable pets for children. They make extremely smart and plucky additions to the farm. They bear confinement well and the hens can be quite broody, making excellent mothers. They are especially hardy in the winter as well.

Tips For Raising Plymouth Rock Chickens:

• Breeders will want to avoid underweight birds, high tails and narrow bodies.
• Keep newly hatched chicks fed, watered and free from drafts at 90-95 degrees.
• Birds raised for meat will generally mature early, between 8-12 weeks.
• You will need to clear the nests every day, as these hens tend to produce many eggs.

Lots of people have farm animals that they are responsible for. It isn’t always possible to keep an eye on them 24 hours a day so you ‘ll need help to keep your animals safe from predators. One of the best ways to do this is with outdoor digital web cameras. There are now cameras that come with night vision that can keep an eye on your chickens, ducks and other farm animals. You will be able to see if anything is disturbing them when they are at rest. Many predators that prey on farm animals like chickens and ducks, come out at night. When you have a camera that can see in the dark you will be ready to defend your animals.

There are several backyard web cameras available that will get the job done. Many have high ratings from other users. They have freely given their opinions and have chosen the following cameras as being one of the best. Some backyard web cameras are expensive but most are very reasonable. Most will have night vision and Wi-Fi. They are made to easily mount on barn walls or house walls.

Y-Cam Bullet

The Y-Cam Bullet carries high ratings from other users of this product. It weighs less than five pounds. It has a built in motion detector so any movement will start the camera. You have a choice of letting the camera run constantly or when it is triggered by movement. It has color and night vision and audio. If your animals are disturbed you will be able to get the audio disturbance from your camera.

Panasonic Wireless Network Camera and Pet Cam

Panasonic has an outdoor, backyard web camera too. It has two way voice communications, it is wireless and will record directly onto SD cards. It has a timed recording so you are in control of when the camera is running and taking video shots of your animals. It is weatherproof and designed for outdoor use.

Logitech WiLife Digital Video Security

Logitech has a great outdoor camera that gets high ratings. It is
priced to sell. You will get night vision and 130 degree wide angle lens so you can see more. It is also motion triggered so you don’t get unnecessary footage. It can be set up to feed directly onto your computer.

The VideoSecu Bullet Outdoor Camera will give you great security. It is weatherproof so it is perfect for outdoor use. You will get great night or day vision. It will automatically switch from daylight vision to night vision when the lighting drops low enough.

Nite Guard Solar Predator

Nite Guard Solar uses sunlight or daylight to charge. No batteries are ever needed. It will continue to activate during long periods of cloudiness. Th....

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You can know what is happening to your animals or garden at all times. Is there a culprit stealing from your garden? Are your animals being harassed at night?You can find out what the culprit is with backyard web cameras. There is no reason that you have to accept losses to your chicken population or to your gardens. If your ducks are coming up missing you can discover what the predator is and eradicate it. Take action by installing backyard web cameras today. You will be happy with the results. Check for top rated cameras. Read reviews and you will be able to get a great product.

Nite Guard Solar Predator

Nite Guard Solar uses sunlight or daylight to charge. No batteries are ever needed. It will continue to activate during long periods of cloudiness. Th....

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Fast Ant Facts

Ants are the number one pest problem in the country. Ant control can be difficult, but there are some things you should know about how ants’ behavior can lead to big headaches for you and your home:

• Entry: Ants can enter through even the tiniest cracks, seeking water and sweet or greasy food substances in the kitchen pantry or storeroom areas.
• Scent trails: Ants leave an invisibnle chemical trail which contains pheromones for others to follow once they locate the food source.
• Nest locations: They can nest about anywhere in and around your house; in lawns, walls, stumps, even under foundations.
• Colony size: Can number up to 300,000 to 500,000 and whole colonies can uproot and relocate quickly when threatened.
• Colony Lifetime: A colony can live a relatively long lifetime. Worker ants may live seven years and the queen may live as long as 15 years.
• Do-it-yourself ineffectiveness: Most do-it-yourself ant control approaches only kill the ants you see. Some truly effective treatments can penetrate and destroy nests to help prevent these pests from returning. Also, home remedies don’t account for the fact that different kinds of ant infestations require different treatments. Fast facts are from Orkin Ant Control

What To Watch For

Fire Ants

All ants make mounds. Some are bigger than others. One of the main ants to watch for are Fire Ants. They form very large mounds and swarm whenever the mound is disturbed.

The main danger from fire ants is their tendency to swarm, cover their victim and bite all at once. Reaction to an ant bite can range from a simple bump that itches or a day or so to death. So care must be taken to properly identify and eliminate their mounds.

How To Treat Ant Bites

Not counting homeopathic methods there are two main ways to treat ant bites. General allergy medications such as Benedryl and topical creams to relieve he swelling and itching. Of course when in doubt get professional help from your doctor.

AfterBite Chigger and Ant Insect Bite Treatment
	AfterBite Chigger and Ant is a powerful itch and sting treatment that provides immediate relief. Specially formulated gel contains baking soda and tea tree oil to soothe the skin, alleviate inflammation and stop the itch and pain from nasty chiggers, fire ants, bees, wasps and more.
Mitigator Insect Sting & Bite Treatment Scrub
	Mitigator Eliminates Pain & Itching Fast! Neutralizes Toxins Can Prevent Blistering and Scarring No Harsh Chemicals or Odor Don’t Scratch! Scrub with Mitigator!
Tender After Bite The Itch Eraser
	AfterBiteThe # 1 selling insect bite treatment for more than 25 years! After Bite stops the itching and swelling from insect bites and stings. After Bite’s formula works to neutralize the bite area so that itching is reduced and the bite area heals more quickly.

The term chinch bug can refer to a few different North American insects:

• Blissus insularis – the southern chinch bug
• Blissus leucopterus – the true chinch bug
• Nysius raphanus – the false chinch bug

All three species are in the order Hemiptera, making them true bugs.

How To Identify A Chinch Bug

A Chinch bug is about the size of a lady bug when they are full grown.An adult’s body colors varies in color from dark red to brown with white wings and red legs. Young nymphs are usually bright red and are about half the size of the adult. Chinch Bugs have a distinct feature of a white band found on the nymph’s abdomen. Usually the band will be covered with wings and changes the color to black when the nymph reaches adulthood.

How To Get Rid Of Chinch Bugs

Here are some products that can help control grubs. All the links go to Amazon.com Yes they are affiliate links. We have to pay bills too.
Green Light 24050 Chinch Bug Killer with Arena
	Chinch bug killer with arena kills pyrethroid resistant chinch bugs kills bugs before they cause damage to turfgrass when applied in spring and summer and stops damaging levels of chinch bugs when applied. Also controls mole crickets, nuisance ants and other listed insects.
Sunniland Corporation Chinch Bug Granule Lawn & Garden Insect/Disease Control
	Sunniland, 20 LB, Chinch Bug Granules, Controls Chinch Bugs, Sod Webworms, Ants, Mole Crickets & Other Lawn Insects.
Ortho Bug-B-Gon Max Insect Killer for Lawns
	Ortho Bug-B-Gon Lawn and insect killer granules. Kills on contact. Season long insect control. Kills more than 100 types of insects including ants, fleas, ticks, cutworms, mole crickets, chinch bugs, and many others. Can be used around ornamentals, shrubs, vegetable garden. One application keeps killing lawn bugs for an entire season (3 months).

This article is part of our series on How To Control Lawn Insects. Another section of our site you might enjoy is Backyard Gardens.

 Here are some other website resources

How to Treat for Chinch Bugs Sunniland Corporation How to get rid of chinch bugs Chinch Bug Identification Chinch bugs are common throughout the Gulf States and into Georgia and North Carolina but they may also be found anywhere St. Augustine grass is grown.…

It’s NO Cinch to Get Rid of Chinch Bugs If you are a Southerner nothing causes you quite as much pleasure as a barefoot walk across your beautiful soft green St. Augustine lawn. Chinch Bugs are a huge nuisance and can cause brown dead spots with veritable ease. In this article.…

Grubs are the larva form of other insect pest. Grubs themselves can cause lawn damage and controlling them as larva may help control the adult forms of the insect.

What Problems Do Grubs Cause?

• They eat the roots and stems of small and young plants which can cause disease and kill the plants.
• An often over looked problem that grubs cause is they attract other pests. Many animals eat grubs and that can damage your lawn as well. One of the biggest problems is that Moles like to eat grubs and they can cause more damage than the grubs call.

How Do You Get Rid Of Or Control Grubs?

Here are some products that can help control grubs. All the links go to Amazon.com. Yes they’re affiliate links. We have to pay bills too.
Bayer Season Long Grub Control
	Bayer Advanced 12-lb, season long grub control with Turf Revitalizer. Improved formula, treats up to 5,000 sq ft. Patented 2-in-1 formula kills Grubs all season long PLUS promotes strong roots and thicker turf. Contains Merit®.
Bayer 24 Hour Grub Control Dylox Granules
	24 Hour Grub Killer with Dylox *Nothing kills grubs quicker. *Ideal for stopping serious grub infestations. *Quickly works its way into the grub “kill zone.” *Does not linger in the soil like diazinon or dursban. *Kills mole crickets, sod webworms and cutworms.
32OZ Bayer Spray Grub Control
	1 application of this Bayer Spray Grub Control kills grubs all season long. Apply anytime spring through late summer. Also kills mole crickets and European crane fly larvae. 32 oz. ready to use bottle. Just connect to a hose and spray. Treats 5000 sq. ft. Active: Imidacloprid (Merit).

This article is part of our series on How To Control Lawn Insects. Another section of our site you might enjoy is Backyard Gardens.

Here are some other website resources

How to get Rid of Grubs Before you can start getting rid of grubs you must understand what they are and their mode of operation. Grubs are the larvae of Japanese beetles. They feed on the roots of your lawn leaving brown dead grass patches in the infected area.

Florida Vegetable Gardening How to Get Rid of Lawn Grubs Lawn grubs also known as curl grubs are white-C-shaped grub with a brown or black head. They are the larvae of various lawn beetles and live beneath the soil surface. Commonly referred to as white curl grubs they feed on the roots of the.…

How to Save Time and Money Just by Watching the Grass Grow TIME TIME. How to Save Time and Money Just by Watching the Grass Grow. TIME. These steps include keeping a sharp blade on your mower otherwise the grass will be frayed and won’t grow well and getting rid of grubs they feed on grass roots If Consumer Reports doesn’t address all of your lawn issues chances are This Old and more.…

Once the frost kills our last pepper plant and a blanket of white snow coats the ground, many of us long for the taste of a delicious, plump, fresh tomato from our own gardens. Nothing beats it! Given the rising price of food, a family can really save money by growing their own produce as well. The good news is that with minimal investment, you can be growing food indoors all winter long. This is part of our Back to Basics and Community Gardens series.

What You’ll Need To Grow Food Indoors During The Winter:

• An area near a window (to allow for natural sunlight)
• A flat surface or shelf (to put your pots on)
• Pots or containers (to put your plants in)
• Clear plastic (to keep dirt off the floor)
• Reflective white paint or mylar (to put on the walls or the area around the plant)
• High intensity grow lights (for those days when the sun is just not shining)
• Seeds (of herbs and vegetables that are easy to grow indoors)
• Potting soil
• Watering can

Best Foods To Grow Indoors:

Equipment To Help You Get Started:

Many beginners find it’s easier to start with a kit such as the AeroGarden, the Topsy-Turvy, an Indoor Seedling Greenhouse, Organic Mushroom Kits, or the SunLite Tabletop Garden.

Tips For Indoor Gardens:

1. Remember that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, so plan your window accordingly.
2. Plants that need a lot of sun do best in a window facing north / northeast.
3. Plants that are part-sun or shade may thrive better with a scrim over the window.
4. Water plants from the bottom up by standing them in a dish with water (to ensure the roots get wet).
5. Keep the room temperature at least 60 degrees and mist the plants with water if your air is dry.
6. Apply fertilizer every 2-4 weeks for most plants (except for peppers, which don’t like fertilizer).
7. Use ice cubes embedded in the soil to water your plants regularly at a steady rate.
8. Make sure you buy a fresh batch of seeds each year, as older seeds don’t sprout as well.
9. Insulate your pot with a folded newspaper “blanket” or bubble wrap held in place with a rubber band.
10. Use luke-warm water for your plants, as icy water in the middle of winter may distress them.

Additional Resources:

Planet Natural

Vegan Organic Network

Gardening Indoors with Soil & Hydroponics

1. 
   Roosts- naturally chickens roost with their feathers fluffed at night, this is a means they use to keep warm. When they roost next to each other they share their body heat thus keeping warm. During the winter you should encourage roosting by adding the roosting space up to eight inches per chicken. Make the roosts more comfortable and if possible, increase the number of roosts in the chicken coop.
   

   Chicken Coop Roosts

2. Light- daylight controls the pineal gland which in turn influences chicken’s laying. To ensure maximum production, they require up to 16 hours of light daily during the summer there is more than enough light from the sun. This is absent during the winter, due to short day-light. To ensure continued eggs production, strategically add one or two 60 watts incandescent-light bulbs in the chicken coop. set the light on timer to reduce the hassle of switching it on/off.
3. Heated Water- during the winter it gets very cold especially during the night which might lead to the chicken’s drinking water freezing, thus depriving the chickens their water supply. To prevent this from happening purchase heater bases from local chicken feeds stores. Fit the heater bases below the galvanized-metal chicken waterers, this will keep the water warm and not frozen.
   

   Heated Plastic Poultry Fountain

4. Insulation-
   add some insulation on the ceiling and the walls to conserve heat and keep cold away.

5. Ventilation- If you had installed a cooler for the summer, to keep away the heat, during the winter do not take it off because it will do the same during the winter. The winter is characterized by brittle and dry air; the cooler will remove stale air from the coop keep the air fresh and ventilate the winter chicken coop.
6. Deep litter- another low maintenance means of keeping the chicken warm, is by using deep liters. This ensures the chickens will be warm all through the winter, since when the manure and litter compost
   

   The Small-Scale Poultry Flock: An All-Natural Approach to Raising Chickens

   slowly they release heat back into the chicken coop. Begin with a coop with approximately four inches litter consisting mainly wood shavings or/and hay, during the early falls or summer. Then add enough litter to ensure that the chicken coop is clean and dry all through the summer. When winter comes, the litter will have grown up to 10 inches deeper. This litter will have compost well and will release heat. Scratching of the litter, by the chickens, will keep the litter turned and aerated, so throw grains on the litter for them to eat. Once in a while you can turn them using a pitch fork.
7. Other good resources about keeping chickens warm.

Article: Geoffrey Migiro

From our series on Chicken Basics

The floor should have dirt and if possible gravel since they have warmth and are comfortable. Wood can also work for floor but concrete should be avoided at all costs.

Materials need to be laid on the floor mostly during the coldest months of the year for hygiene and health so that goats can have comfort. The materials should be changed frequently to minimize bacteria and parasites

Goats’ shelter need to have sufficient height and width that is suitable for their comfort and a favorable outdoor area. Mostly shelters are from 10 to 15 square feet. The back and front of the shelter should both have doors. There should be good free flow of air and natural lighting. There should be no congestion. Many of the principles about How To Keep The Chickens Warm During The Winter  and building a good Chicken Coops apply.

Dry climate will be favorable and a good drainage area facing away from the prevailing wind if open will work out better. The shelter should also be well fenced to keep predators at bay. The shelter  should be raised by about 1 to 1.5 meters from the ground.

The structure should be large enough to accommodate more of the species since young ones in different ages and sexes need to be weaned in different sheltering areas. Or dairy breeds, you will need enough space to perform milking and for breeding you need kidding pens and the size depending on the number of goats you have kid or milk.

There should be sufficient space for you to store the feeds and other equipment you use to take care of the goats.
Water accessibility should be easy to make the shelter friendlier.

More info about shelter for goats.

Article: Ndara Shadrack