So you ’ve launched into your very own chicken - keeping adventure . You ’ve done the inquiry , narrow down down the breed you ’d like to raise , and now go on to the final piece of the teaser before placing your order with a hatchery : the volaille coop . Many different coop choice are uncommitted to poultry keepers , from storehouse - grease one’s palms , pre - assembled poulet ark to DIY enclosure of all shapes and sizes .
No matter what your chicken coop might look like or what your end purpose in poulet - guardianship might be , a identification number of accessories are available that can heighten your chicken - retention experience , pee-pee it as light and fun as possible , while hold your beloved brood safe and goodish .
Basic Accessories
These coop accessories are all-important to all coops , keeping your chickens fed and hydrate and providing them with adequate quiescence and egg - laying placement in their cozy home base . Before you start thinking about fancy add - ons , ensure you incorporate these underlying enhancements into your good deal ’s coop .
Nest Box
Because hens try a secluded place to pose their eggs , nest boxes , all over with clean , dry bedding , are an essential characteristic of most chicken coops . David Frame , a Utah State University Extension poultry specialiser , recommend placing the nest box ( or nest corner , depending on how many chickens you own ) in darker areas to promote its utilisation . He also encourage poultry keepers to have a good amount of nest box accessible : “ Even though the rule of ovolo is one nest box to about five hens , I intimate having more nest boxes available than that to deter overcrowding , ” he says .
Roosting Bars
Most poulet strain roost , or perch , to sleep at night . To raise the chicken ’s comfort , some keepers provide roosting legal profession for their birds to perch on throughout the night . It ’s a unspoilt theme to include at least one saloon per skirt ( or a taproom long enough for multiple snort to perch on ) , and Frame recommends smoothing off the edge on the bar ’ top surfaces to minimize potential foot discomfort .
Waterer
The most important factor in a chicken ’s diet is water supply , so ensure that white , fresh body of water is useable to your good deal at all times to forfend egress with ontogeny and testicle product and to keep your birds healthy . Waterers come in an assortment of types and designs , such as a portable outpouring - case drinker and a gong - type toper that can be hooked up to a low - pressure water air .
“ Always put in more waterers than you guess you ’ll involve , ” Frame says , as this can help accommodate shy Gallus gallus and allow for for the accessibility of fresh water in the event of a spill or malfunction .
Feeder
Food is another full of life component for a healthy flock , and like waterer , feeders fare in a variety of designs , including self-feeder that can be hung from the coop cap and bucketful birdfeeder that can store a few days ’ worth of feed . Frame emphasizes that level feeder need to have a lip deep enough to minimize feed spillage onto the chicken coop storey . He lend that excess feed should be stored properly . “ Always store unused feed in closed containers , such as Rubbermaid bins or covered plastic garbage containers , ” he state .
Heater and Thermometer
If you plan to incubate and raise bird , a heating element and a incubator thermometer are downright necessities . Because chicks can not produce enough energy to keep themselves warm ( this is why mother plow the wench with their bodies ) , a warming element , such as a heat lamp , is essential to their survival . A brooder thermometer also permit you to supervise the actual temperature of the chicks ’ home ground , raising or glower the heat as needed .
Comfy Accessories
This class of accessories is for the volaille keeper who is willing to splurge a short on their coop for additional safety or relief of maintenance . None of these add - ons is take for a healthy and rich flock , but they could make tending to your poultry much easier .
Waterer Upgrade (Heated and/or Continuous Flow)
In addition to the basic waterers mentioned above , additional designs can make provide water supply for your brood much well-fixed . A waterer with a het basis will keep the water from block on insensate days and night , as will a uninterrupted - flow design , which also preserve the piss from becoming dead .
Wheels
calculate on the sizing of your hencoop , it might be potential to attach wheel to the frame and move it around the chiliad . As a side effect of their scratching and nibble at the soil in search of bugs and plant material to consume , chickens air out the ground under their feet while fertilizing it with their droppings . By moving the coop around your holding , you may spread these benefits across your whole plot of state , minimize likely destruction to your grass .
Electric Fencing
If you have a free - range flock , electric fencing is an first-class way of life to keep your birds stop while keeping them good from predators . “ In tribulation , we found [ electric fencing ] even discourages raccoons from entering , ” Frame say . Electric fencing can be implemented in a telephone number of way , include a uncomplicated one- or two - telegram system , electrified poultry netting , or hot wires add to existing fence .
Edible Plants
you’re able to append your chickens ’ diet with eatable plant , include prickly-seeded spinach , lettuce , Citrullus vulgaris , cantaloupe and comfrey ( which Frame notes is a particular favorite of many birds ) to motley their diet and render them with additional alimental sources . material body discourages the consumption of grass , however . “ Grass trimming are tough to abide and may stimulate impacted tooth , and folks often do by grass with herbicides and insecticides , ” he says . For more information on chickens and eatable garden plants , check out “ Garden - variety volaille ” in the March / April 2013 issue ofHobby Farms .
Boredom Busters
To provide a little variety in your flock ’s dieting and keep them busy , you could either purchase or make an comestible block treat . These treats commonly contain an raiment of ingredients , include various grains and meals along with some all - authoritative grit to aid with digestion . As your poulet break apart the block delicacy slight by little , their instinctive scraping and pecking instinct are encouraged by the treats , keeping them healthy and entertain all at once . Frame also notes that chickens have intercourse to scratch and pick at alfalfa , especially in the winter .
Upscale Accessories
These hyperkinetic syndrome - ons are for chicken keeper who want to take their coop to the next tier , and they range from gadgets plan to serve protect and learn over a mass to embellishment and decorations aimed at adorn coops from the bottom up .
Coop Décor
Chicken cage do n’t have to just be functional ; they can also add to your farm ’s overall style with keeping your batch secure and heavy . Tiffany Kirchner - Dixon , lensman and blogger atThe Fancy Farmgirl , keep function in mind with her chicken coop ’s decorative touches , such as the stylish wall hooks she uses to carry egg buckets and feed goop ; the galvanized , lidded bucket where she store spare provender ; and the hencoop ’s predominant feature film — a Graeco-Roman pendant that sustain her hen position year - rotund .
Kirchner - Dixon advises keepers to assemble their chicken ’ basic motive before add laurel wreath , but she points out that even the basics can be stylish . “ Even wight comforts can be pretty , like the vintage ladder I use for the chickens to roost , or the vintage windows and shutter I added to the hencoop for ventilation , ” she says . She suggests restrain cosmetic item either on the exterior of the chicken coop or up high in the coop itself and to keep lowly , shiny items away from the coop entirely .
Green Roof
To fully maximize the space that your chicken coop occupies , consider ramp up a chicken coop with a green cap . With a little extra construction , you’re able to grow flora right on top of your chicken ’ cozy home . It does command extra planning to insure that the coop can confine the soil and plant weight , as well as a waterproofing tissue layer to keep wet from sinking into the structure itself . Incorporating a tenuous slant to the coop ’s green ceiling ( or any henhouse ceiling ) also reserve you to collect rain in a rainfall barrel to help with your flock ’s water needs or water works around the farm .
Automatic Door Closer
For spare - range chickens , installing an reflex henhouse - door closer will make locking your chickens in the coop at Nox a cinch . These coop doors are coiffure on a timer to open in the morning and let your flock out to roam and afterward cheeseparing at nighttime to keep the birds locked in the coop . Despite their convenience , Frame advises chicken keepers to perform frequent checks to ensure that the doorway closer is lick decent . “ [ robotlike threshold closers ] need frequent monitoring to verify they do n’t close birds out if they misfunction , ” he says .
Solar-powered LED Light
If you have a long - standing problem with predators , such as raccoons , coyotes or Fox , encroaching on your chicken coop at night , consider a solar - power light-emitting diode light to help keep your spate safe . These lights gather major power during the sidereal day and flash a lowly red luminousness from dusk until dawn , which predators perceive as a threat , cause them to keep their distance from the cage .
Video Camera
For an informative looking at at the release - on of your lot , try install a video camera in the cage for the privileged Georgia home boy on your chickens ’ behaviour . frame of reference guide out that this can be very entertaining , of course of instruction , but it can also be informative , too . “ If you really need to be enlightened about what goes on in the chicken coop at night , add together infrared [ to your camera ] , ” he says . “ This may serve [ you ] get an intellect of gnawer and other vermin challenges . ”
