Are you looking to start keeping chickens as pets? Do you want to know how to build a poultry house with ease? Do you worry that you are not a DIY expert and think it might be too hard? Great! This article will explain why using chicken coop plans is a good idea and some things to take into consideration before you start building.
#1 Protection and Security
There is no doubt that if you leave the coop accessible, then predators will gain access and kill your animals. Instead of allowing this to happen, fitting the poultry house with secure materials that will deter these predators is ideal. The likes of mesh wire around all the openings would be useful.
#2 Ease of Cleaning
Cleaning out a coop is not the best chore in the world. Ensuring that it is easily accessible is something that backyard chicken coop plans should be able to help you with.
One method that a lot of people use is slanting the floor towards the door. This makes it easy to clean out and it will dry a lot faster that if the floor was flat.
#3 Plenty of Room
It is not a nice feeling to feel cramped, so ensuring that they have enough space is important. Backyard chicken coop plans help people understand how big a coop would be and exactly how much room they should allocate for each animal. If this is not followed, then it is likely that the chickens will begin to attack each other.
#4 Making it Durable
Making the poultry house last is essential so that you get good value for money. There are a few factors that need to be taken into consideration here. The coop needs to be warm in the winter (use insulation), yet it needs to be cool in the summer, so needs good ventilation. Also, raising it from the ground will ensure that it does not flood.
Tip Of The Day: Using backyard chicken coop plans will help ensure that the build goes smoothly.
Do not attempt to build a coop without as they will make your life so much easier!
When you’re building chicken houses, picking the right layout and design is important, and there are several things to consider when looking at the different chicken coop building plans.
The one area to pay attention to the most is where exactly will the coop be placed. If possible try to find an area as close to your home as possible, so that the wild animals won’t be as much of a threat to your hens.
Having enough room in the chicken coop is something you absolutely must have. Your hens need plenty of space. How much space you’ll need is going to be based on how many chickens you got. Generally allow 4 square feet per hen, to allow enough space for them not feel too crammed in, as it will cause a decrease in the egg production.
Make sure you also have enough room for chickens to roost, lay eggs, and have access to water and food at all times. You’ll need to equip your coop with a roost, a nesting box, a water container and a feeder to provide all the essentials for your chickens.
Let’s talk about what are you going to build your coop with. What materials will you use to build with? Well you can use pretty much anything, but if you want your coop to last for a long time, go with a higher quality material.
When choosing the location for your coop another consideration is having enough space for a chicken run, as your hens need to move.
You don’t need to have a perfect chicken coop, but good enough for your hens to feel comfortable and lay eggs.
Get more information about , on Sean’s personal blog, as well as how to choose the best for your needs.
If not correctly taken care of, dog bites can be one of the most hazardous of all animal bites. Thousands of people pass-away every year because of rabies from dog bites. Many victims of animal bites have the tendency to dismiss the seriousness of such wounds because they think that they are not dangerous and can be treated with simple hand washing the wound or by just taking antibiotics. What they are unaware of is, this type of bite can lead to life-threatening infections, disability, deformity or even death.
There are many ways to circumvent dog attacks. One way is to keep a safe distance between you and the dog. Another proven strategy is to never provoke a dog into attacking you. If you find yourself in a situation like this, it’s best to slowly retreat and walk away. However, there may come a time when no matter how careful you are, will encounter such a situation. This is where dog pepper spray comes in handy.
A dog pepper spray is an animal repellent designed to stop an attacking dog. It comes in a container that fits in your pocketbook, bag, or shoulder bag. You can also attach it to your belt or key chain for more expediency and have it handy to use. There are many benefits of using defense sprays. After it has been sprayed on the animal, the effects of dog pepper spray is instantaneous. Its effects last long enough for you to put some distance between you and the animal. The pepper spray will cause so much anguish and discomfort that the dog will change his focus from attacking you to recovering from the pain. If you are an animal lover, there is no need to worry as these chemicals do not cause permanent or severe injury to the canine. Because the effects are non-lethal, it will wear off in about 20 to 30 minutes. One more reason why such a repellent is popular is because it is lawfully permissible to use anywhere in the United States, as long as you are using it for self defense purposes. There may be restrictions in some cities or states, so always check your state’s ordinances concerning such sprays.
What is the difference between human pepper spray and dog pepper spray? The pepper resins in dog pepper spray are not as strong as the ones in the human edition. The amount of pepper resin present in this type dog repellent is typically less than half of the pepper resin in human spray. In case of a crisis, you could use human grade pepper spray to stop a dog attack but not a dog grade pepper spray on attacking villains because it will be ineffective.
Even dog lovers may find themselves in a situation where they will need to defend themselves against an attacking canine. Animals can be very unpredictable, it is wise to never underestimate a dog’s capacity to cause you injury. Carrying dog pepper spray is one effectual and humane way to defend yourself and loved ones from an attacking dog.
To learn more about and other visit www.a1selfdefenseproducts.com.
Dog’s ears are breeding grounds for all types of bacteria and fungus. Did you know that there might just be a whole colony of mites living in your pup’s ear right now? This is because they absolutely thrive in areas where it is moist, warm and dark. So, you need to do everything possible to clean your dog’s ears.
But before you clean it, you need to know how to inspect it. A healthy outer ear of the dog should look light pink in color, should be clean and should not emit any foul odor.
Look for any excess of dark wax buildup in the ear. A little bit of dirt and wax is fine. But if there is excess amount of wax buildup, it could indicate the presence of ear mites.
If your dog has been scratching his ears way too much, then check the inside and the outside of his ear. Look for nicks, cuts, scabs, infection or mites.
If the above signs show the presence of an infection or ear mites, then the right thing to do is to take your pet to an veterinarian who will normally prescribe the right treatment for it.
But if see no signs of mites or any infection, you should begin with cleaning the ears. You should usually only try to clean the visible part of the ear. So, just remove any wax or dirt that you see on the outer ear. Just take a soft cloth or cotton ball and dip it into a cleaning solution just meant for a dog’s ears. The ear canal should not be usually cleaned.
You can ask your vet if you should clean deeper into the ear. There are solutions that the vet may prescribe for this purpose. These are gently squirted or dropped into the ear canal. However, most vets suggest that if the dog has had no history of ear problems, then doing this will only lead to problems. If you do want to clean the canal, then clean it first and then only proceed towards the outer ear.
After the cleaning, the dog’s ears should be allowed to dry out completely. If your dog has long ears, all you need to do is just pin the ears together over the head for sometime. This is important for preventing any infections from occurring in the ear canal.
Read added expert articles from the author dealing with the , within the home page.
Dogs are known for their ability to eat just about anything their owners give to them- but that doesn’t mean that the food you give them can’t hurt them. There are some types of foods that can harm your canine either immediately or over the course of several days or weeks.
Onion of any kind can do serious damage to a dog. Onion has the potential to cause anemia in dogs, and should be avoided at all costs. Even products derived from onion, such as onion salt or onion powder, can still cause damage to the dog. It is so serious that even cooking a steak with onion would mean that giving the dog a cut of the steak is out of the question, for fear of health concerns of anemia.
Xylitol is an artificial sweetener that can also harm your dog. You find xylitol in most types of gum, as it is an artificial sweetener. It is also the main ingredient in alternative sugar substitutes. The sweetener can cause liver failure if eaten in moderate quantities, so it’s best to avoid your dog eating it even in small amounts.
Dairy products and dogs do not mix very well. There are some dogs that are able to “stomach” dairy products, but not every dog has the proper digestive system to take care of the enzymes in most dairy products. This includes milk, sour cream, cheese, and products derived from any of these products. If you notice your dog has diarrhea, it’s possible the problem is with dairy.
Two things to always stay away from would include caffeine, and a special emphasis on chocolate as it contains caffeine. Caffeine will speed up the system of the dog and lead to major heart problems that often result in death. Because it is so serious, caffeine in any shape or form should never be given to a dog. Caffeine can also cause the dog to become hyperactive, which given the circumstances, will be fatal to the dog.
A dog needs a well balanced diet. Sometimes you shouldn’t focus so much on what you can’t feed your dog, and instead stick to the basics. Keep the protein, fat, and carbohydrates levels proportional to what your dog needs. Every dog is different, and some breeds need more nutrition than others. A dog handbook is sure to help you out.
Closing Comments
Patience in learning what your dog can handle is key. Always research the food you are giving your dog before actually feeding the dog. It’s always best to stay safe rather than have a dog with severe health problems. Dogs are a man’s best friend, and should be treated as such.
I couldn’t believe it- I, the committed cat person, who had thought of every possible reason never to own a dog, who hated the smell and the jumping and the licking and the mucky mess of them- I was rescuing a dog. There I was, speeding along the highway, following my friend Jody who had *my* new dog on his scooter. I’d slept on it for two days and finally decided that I would take the little mutt in. I examined the specimen on Jody’s scooter. She was shivering, a fur covered bag of bones, her nose jutted into the wind and for some reason she was constantly licking the air. Lick Lick lick. With each flick of her little pink tongue I thought to myself, “What the heck am I doing?”
She had been abandoned outside a convenience store. I had passed her a million times since the first time I saw her, two weeks before. I’d taken her food and water, and finally decided that I just couldn’t let her die. But how would I do it? I hate responsibility and being tied down. I loved having a cat- all I had to do was put a bunch of food and water down for her, and a litter box, and she was good to go. What was I going to do with this dog?
Over the next several weeks, Dresden (my mutts named after a German city that’s been fire bombed) seemed to prove every fear that I had about adopting a dog. She peed on the floor. She chewed things up. She slept all day while I was gone, then when I got home exhausted, she had enough energy to power Manhattan. She kept me up all night whining and wanting to play. She cried terribly when I tried to leave, and would always try to bolt out the door when I left for work. I liked her, or at least I felt guilty for not liking her, which is almost like liking her, right?
Cut to two months later- I’m walking Dresden on the beach, and can’t let her off the leash because she’s in heat. What do I see ahead? ANOTHER DRESDEN! Except this Dresden is male.
Now let me tell you- my dog is weird looking. To see what must have been her twin is a strange coincidence, unless someone went up and down the coast abandoning puppies. Which is probably what happened. Let’s just say that male Dresden took a fancy to female Dresden, who was in heat and attracting every dog within a 30 mile radius. I ran home, and this little male dog, though limping and terribly skinny (more of a skeleton than a dog) followed us the whole way. I put Dresden inside, and took out a bowl of food for the male dog- a dog-lover trying to help a stray? No, my plan was to lure him back to the beach and while he was distracted by the food- RUN!
I did it. Three times. It didn’t work.
Finally it was time for me to go to work. Male Dresden was outside, howling at female Dresden, who was inside whining. I left. When I came home, male Dresden was inside the gate, laying on a makeshift bed, a bowl of food next to him. My landlord had taken him in thinking he was my dog! Aggggh! And fed him! Now he would never leave!
Every time I left the house, I had to fight off the amorous male Dresden who was trying to you know what the female Dresden (who is now happily spayed).
I took the little sucker in. Named him Romulus, after the mythical founder of Rome who was suckled by a wolf.
And a miracle happened. Shoes stopped being torn to shreds. When I arrived home, Dresden and Romulus greeted me with that special canine welcome frenzy, then they curled up together and.went to sleep. They had been playing all day. They had no need to keep me up all night. When I left for work, they both smiled wagging— oh good, finally she’s gone, let the games begin! When I took them to the beach, I didn’t have to throw sticks or run with them- they ran circles around each other, and were awfully cute doing it.
Two dogs are better than one! I’m a cat person. If you asked me if you should adopt a dog, I’d say no. But if you asked me if you should adopt two dogs, I’d say hell yes.
We are trying to help put dogs in need if you are interested in then be sure to check out the website to see how you can help. all need homes.
With the popularity of raw food for both dogs and cats, not surprisingly we have now a number of options to make it easier for us pet lovers to feed our cats and dogs a nutritious species appropriate diet. Or at least they should be species appropriate… many manufacturers will lump cats and dogs together when in fact cats have very specific requirements that may not be met when purchasing a commercial raw food.
Therefore, when purchasing raw food for your kitty, (and we applaud you for doing that!) You do need to look out for a few things:
1.Calcium/Phosphorus ratio. Felines have quite a narrow range of the calcium to phosphorus content of their diet. The best range for cats is 1.2 – 1.4:1 Calcium is found in bone and phosphorous is found in muscle meat and organs. Not only will Various types of meat have various levels of phosphorous, but thigh meat will have different amounts than breast meat.It is essential that the raw food you buy follow the above mentioned ratio. If the information is not readily available on the manufacturers web site, nor on the package, (which is all too common) you will need to email or call them. Make sure you get a definitive answer with the exact numbers including how they arrived to them. An imbalance of Calcium and Phosphorous can cause a serious problems. Then we have the:
2.Amount of Vegetable matter. Adding some vegetables to a feline diet is OK as long as it is a small percentage. 3-5% is OK. The food you feed should contain max 10% veggies. The percentage may not be available and you may need to contact the manufacturer. Garlic and onions can cause anemia in cats and should never be used. Tomatoes can exacerbate arthritis and most vegetables will raise the urinary pH which can cause urinary tract issues. Herbs should never be used long term and are frequently added to raw prepared diets.
3.Organ meats. Does the food contain organ meats and at what proportion? Feline diets should contain approximately 10% organ meats. Organs provide important vitamins and other nutrients vital for the cat.
4.Taurine. Taurine is an essential amino acid. Cats are unable to synthesize Taurine, therefore it needs to be provided in the food. In the wild cats naturally consume meats and prey high in Taurine. Mice are naturally very high in Taurine. A cat eating plenty of mice would be assured of their Taurine requirement. But what cat eats fresh mice regularly? While all meats contain Taurine to some degree, handling and freezing the meat diminishes the amount. Some meats, like rabbit have a dangeroulsy low amount of Taurine while chicken hearts have a high amount. Why keep track of all that when it is so easy to add some taurine yourself? Not only is taurine inexpensive it takes a second to add some to the food at the time of feeding. We recommend about 1000 mg per pound of meat. In the early days of commercial pet food, thousands of cats died before the pet food companies discovered that they have to add taurine. Taurine deficiencies can cause blindness and heart disease which can be fatal.
Feel free to contact manufacturers if information is not available on their websites or on the food package. If the food does not meat the standards, then find a food that does.
can help you save on your pet care bills! and other great deals on our website. We find the deals so you don’t have to.
How are you able to tell if you are hypersensitive to the pets in your home? There are a multitude of different causes and sometimes, it’s hard to discern which allergen might be the culprit to your allergies. It might take quite a bit of trial and error to find out, but here are several things to look out for.
Normally for pet allergy sufferers, they start sneezing badly once they’re nearby any cats or dogs, or when exposed to pet hairs left around the house – this is the first sign. Other common symptoms to look out for are also blocked noses or runny ones, not too much different from a cold really. It is easy to tell the difference between the two though as once you get away from the allergen, the symptoms will subside just as quickly as it came.
Other reactions that are common are sore eyes. If you experience these symptoms, wash your eyes immediately with water and refrain from rubbing as that will only make things worse. The dander from animals can cause mild to serious allergic reactions in many people.
What exactly is dander? The majority of animals constantly shed skin, just as we do and they’re microscopic in size. The allergic reactions arise when we inhale these tiny particles of animal skin.
If one of your family members owns a dog, you might want to ask him or her to retrain the pet and not allow it to climb on the household furniture. Also, make sure you clean the house regularly as well as steam clean the carpets on a regular basis to reduce the severity of allergic reactions.
If you own a dog, you would have noticed that it scratches itself quite frequently. When this happens, it makes it very easy for the dog allergens to get distributed into the air around your home. For a minority of cases, even saliva from a dog could trigger a skin rash.
If you already have a pet and you really don’t want to give it away, consider installing an air cleaner in your home to reduce airborne contaminants such as pet dander.
The best types are ones that get installed into an existing cooling or heating system and they efficiently clear the air of your entire house so it will continue to remain free of dander.
If ever you are looking to get a fix for allergy symptoms and also to cleanse the air in your household, here is a lot more specifics for together with other reliable brands of .
Furniture, shoes, toys and tennis balls are all prime targets for the little puppy that you’ve just brought home. When this happens, you might be inclined to discipline your dog but avoid doing this.
You might be regretting ever bringing the adorable little pup home just about now, seeing that anything within paw’s reach just gets chewed to bits. This is normal and all puppies will go through this stage. There’s not much else to be done except keeping anything that’s easily chewable out reach.
Because your puppy’s teeth is growing, it needs a different type of food than normal. Puppies with teething issues will most likely not want to eat anything too solid (just imagine you had your wisdom teeth pulled out), so you will need to purchase formulated food until it’s no longer required.
Puppies do need to gnaw at something to ease help ease their teething sensitivity, so make sure you give your pup ample items to chew on.
Whatever you give your dog to chew, make sure the objects do not have any loose bits that might come off and choke your puppy. Also avoid any old toys that might have poisonous chemicals present in the paint or material. Good toys for chewing can be rubber balls or rubber bones – these are perfectly safe.
Keep dangerous items such as sharp objects and wires around your house away from your dog. Remember that your puppy won’t know what is deadly and what’s not and will tend to chew on anything in sight, so be careful.
To prevent any serious harm to your dog, you can either get a pet fence installed to set boundaries within your home, or you can apply some rubbing alcohol to the electrical cables. One bite and your puppy will find the taste too horrid to proceed any further.
You will have to take responsibility and pay close attention to the puppy over the next few months until the teething period is over. That includes not letting it run about outside your home. Always be there to supervise or invest in a dog run to keep your pet safe.
Get the most recent pet accessories examples at our website. The latest articles published concern dog gear such as a and also .
categories: dog teething,puppy,dog,pets,family,help,advise
Many folks who have been owned by cat would chuckle uncontrollably at the thought of putting a leash on it, just like a dog, and taking it for a walk around the neighborhood. Cats have their own opinion about things, and the idea of tying your cat to a piece of string and making her follow you may be one that is hard to believe.
Despite all this, there are cat owners who have successfully trained their cats to walk outdoors while wearing a lead or a leash, much like dogs who wear a leash to go out for a daily walk with their owners. It may sound absurd, but in some cats it can be done.
Getting your cat to accept the leash or harness may take some doing on your part. Going in baby steps will reward you. Rub the harness with catnip. Let kitty sleep with the harness before you put it on. Patience will pay off.
When you first take your cat out she may get scared. Especially if your cat has never been outside before. Start with some quiet places where there are interesting things to sniff. Make the first few times short, quiet and bring lots of treats.
Remember, this is all new to your cat and can be quite frightening. Taking it slow will pay off.
Don’t buy a leash that is designed for a small dog, but instead look into purchasing a leash or lead that is specifically designed with a cat in mind. These leads wrap around your cat, giving you control of the cat and keeping the cat from choking itself in a frantic attempt to get away.
You might want to practice on the lead at home a few times, although most cats will not like this at all. Don’t let this deter you from trying it outside, because for some cats the fact that they are outside is enough to make them tolerate the leash or lead. The cat might get so wrapped up in exploring the great outdoors that it doesn’t really notice the lead very much anymore, and this is the ideal situation.
While persistence and patience pays off in making your cat get used to not only a leash and harness, but also going outside, if it is obvious that your cat is not getting less stressed and is indeed suffering, then maybe you are better off finding some other way for your cat to enjoy the outdoors.
You can keep trying, but there are just some cats who won’t adjust to something like this. If, on the other hand, you notice that your cat seems just a little more at ease every time you go out with the leash or lead, then keep trying.
You may be surprised that before long your cat will absolutely adore her outside adventures ans will get all excited any time you go anywhere near her leash… just like a ,,, er,,,dog
To read more health oriented written by by Virginia Sutherland, such as and just click on the links.
