Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
use without any difficulties as long as we don't store the hay
bails in the coop.
Second, any windows should be made out of Plexiglas rather
than real glass and preferably located high enough on a wall
that the chickens can't get to it easily. That way they won't be
tempted to fly into it and break their necks.
Third, even the smallest omnivores, like mice and rats, can
cause serious problems in a bird coop, so it is important to
construct the coop in a fashion that will exclude even the
smallest predators. I learned this lesson the hard way back
when I was 12 years old and a rat got into our chicken coop
and managed to kill three adolescent birds. The easiest way to
achieve this is to build the coop on pilings.
Finally, nests should be provided. These are most easily built
onto the walls in such a way that the birds can get into them
easily via the roosts and they are up away from the floor.
Ducks, being more secretive, prefer a covered nesting box on
the floor. Nests should be filled with straw, wood shavings, or
peat and kept clean. The farmer should provide half as many
nests as there are birds.
