What are the MUST HAVE items for backyard chicken enthusiasts?

[Ballerina Bird]

1. x2 on a run you can walk into and that is as large as you can make it -- you will be among them, and doing cleanup on the ground around them and stuff, more than you think;
2. one part of the run that is always covered, so they have a place to go either when it rains (some of them don't like to get wet) or when it is very hot and they need significant shade;
3. I really like my auto-door, which is an Ador;
4. a buried predator barrier (I would say at least 6" deep; others with more experience should correct me and provide more specifics if necessary) to prevent digging;
5. I like the pet food bins that Target sells; they have a 25-lb one with wheels that snaps shut airtight. It is big enough to hold more than a 25-lb bag of feed, and it keeps everything neat and keeps bugs out (I keep these bins inside the house, though -- if you keep your feed outside you will probably want something metal that seals. I imagine rodents might chew through the plastic on the Target bins);
6. x2 on the horizontal nipple waterers that aart mentioned. They are also called spring loaded, if that helps to find them, and you can buy packs of them on ebay. You need to start your chicks on them early so that they learn how to use them, but they are great for avoiding leaks.
7. if you have very hot summers, I recommend a mister in the run. I have an Orbit one -- it's a long tube with nozzles in it, and I have it strung along the hardware cloth on the roof of the run, so the nozzles poke through the holes in the wire and spray mist on the chickens -- and it works well.

 

[NapaChicknGal]

what kind of "dishpan"?

 

[PapaChaz]

the asolute most important MUST HAVE for a backyard chicken enthusiast?


CHICKENS!

In all seriousness, having done this for a while and having at a time in the past, built a coop and run I couldn't walk in, is a walk in coop and run. No way I'll ever have it so short I can't comfortably get into when necessary. I'm not crawling around in chicken poo to collect that occasional egg, get a sick/hurt bird or clean again.

I also did the poop tray with sand and PDZ, a kitty litter scoop an old coffee can and about 5 minutes a couple of times a week and it's easy to keep clean. I did build in the ability to cage off a brooder/quarantine cage under my poop board. I also gave it it's own pop door, with the capacity to quickly fence off part of the run if needed for additions to the flock or injured/sick birds.

 

[lovemy6hens]

* BackYardChickens.com - An essential!
* The book "Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens" by Gail Damerow
* A well-stocked first aid kit exclusively for the chickens
* Find a veterinarian who will treat chickens before you need the vet

 

[morsekathan]

Top Three:
Automatic Door! My chickens free range (the real free range, like all over my backyard) and I lost so many chickens because I didn't remember to shut the door at night! I suppose if your chickens are always in a completely predator-proof cage, this isn't as important! I have a Pullet-it-shut door and I would recommend the photo-sensor so that you don't have to keep setting the timers as the light changes.

Sand flooring. Cleaning up my coop takes 5 minutes with a kitty litter scooper.

People Door - makes cleaning the coop really easy!

What isn't necessary is a lot of nest boxes. I have two for my 5 hens and they only really need one. They like to share - or something. They actually wait in line to use the one box or squeeze in with the laying hen. I have never figured this out. And from time to time, they switch which one they use so it doesn't have to do with the box location.

 

[2mnypets]

1. A bigger coop (and completely enclosed run) than you originally envisioned due to chicken math.
2. Ventilation is a must for good air and circulation.
3. In-coop area or place to section off new, sick or broody hens.
4. Dedicated water supply...whether it be a separate hose, water spout, water line or rain barrel. It just makes life easier and healthier.
5. Dedicated electrical line for coop (could just be a good quality outdoor extension cord, but you will need it).
6. First aid kit solely for chickens or any other feathered friend you have. Here is a link to a thread I started on medications and such. People added to it so it should have some solid info for you. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-chickens-ducks-and-other-birds#post_12328692
7. Lighting and placement of possible items like heating or cooling equipment.
8. Solid predator proofing....read all you can. Digging below the ground surface will save you a lot of headache and heartache.
9. A place to sit inside the coop as well as in the run where you can interact and watch your feathered friends play chicken football with that coveted tomato you gave them.
10. Good watering system whether it be nipples or traditional waterers. You will always need more than you think.
11. A good feeding system. I have the traditional feeders, a 5 gallon bucket with two PVC elbows coming out of them as well as a row of PVC feeders with elbows along the coop wall. A variety is good because you will always have that one chicken that goes to the beat of his/her own drum.
12. External access to nest boxes.
13. Human door to access the coop and one for the enclosed run.
14. Window screen material over the hardware cloth to cut down on the amount of flies and other insects in the coop. It's more for your benefit than the chickens. I have horribly mean sweat bees the size of wasps down here in Mississippi. They hurt like the dickens when you get stung.
15. Chicken swings (AKA - roosts with ropes). My chickens and turkeys LOVE them!
16. Tarps or another item to cover part of the run so they have some shade during the hot months.
17. A 5 gallon bucket with water in it during the hot months so you can dip a chicken or turkey in when they get over heated.
18. Misters on either a spray nozzle or actual mister to turn on during hot days.
19. A timer so you can plug things like lights, fans, or water defrosters into them. It's the simple things that save you so much time.
20. A good water defrosting system for those who live in areas where freezing is standard during the cold or winter months.


THE BIGGEST FOR ME WAS READING AND ASKING A TON OF QUESTIONS. Everyone started at ground zero at one time. Learn what you can and pay it forward. What works for one might not work for the next but that's ok.

 

[hfrazier]

I think maybe this should be a list of 'what not to bother with'....such as the upside down waterer's that tend to leak more than they hold water....

Its hard to know about your nesting boxes until you know your flock. Mine did not appreciate small nesting boxes...they like a bottom drawer of an old dresser with the drawer above it removed to give them plenty of head room. However, my frequent flyers love to go up high and love a wood box with no cover on top of the dresser. My silkie's love anything that is tight and covered and hidden and scary and hard to get to.

Chickens don't always lay where you want...but they also don't poop where you want either so keep all roosts away from nests and don't put anything on top of nests that they could perch on because they will inevitably perch and poop!

The fun part is creating. I had a finicky flock and used a small wooden child's chair (see my profile pic) for my silkie to nest under. The dresser is what they prefer most to lay in (of course it has stairs for the little ones to get in)...I tried an old fishing basket on it's side and while I thought it looked like the perfect nest, everyone else thought it looked like the perfect bed.

Point being, get creative....Food and Water are necessities and a good chicken book for emergencies. Olive oil has saved me before (dropper full if they have something lodged)....cold water bath for an over heated chicken...and a homemade sling in a dog crate for an injured leg. . . and some blood stop powder in case!

Good luck!

( I agree, bigger is better...with options to block a section or two off if the need arose....we also have two runs....that I can open and shut and that coincide with the blocked off portions inside)

 

[amenfarm]

I agree with most everything posted. Be aware the humidity must be below 75% for use of misters, chickens cool off by opening wings so air can flow--not working if feathers are soaking wet, they also stand in water and dunking combs.
Books and reading resources- someone mention the guide to raising chickens by Gail damerow. I'll add the chicken health handbook by Gail damerow and merck vet guide also. I find 3 other authors or resources to fact check before using any advice: in books or on line.

 

[Ballerina Bird]

I agree with most everything posted. Be aware the humidity must be below 75% for use of misters, chickens cool off by opening wings so air can flow--not working if feathers are soaking wet, they also stand in water and dunking combs.
Books and reading resources- someone mention the guide to raising chickens by Gail damerow. I'll add the chicken health handbook by Gail damerow and merck vet guide also. I find 3 other authors or resources to fact check before using any advice: in books or on line.

Oh, yes, that is a good point about humidity and misters; thanks for clarifying. I am in the middle of the CA drought so I tend to forget about the possibility of too much water!

 

[dvcrztb]

1/4 inch hardwre cloth attached with washers and screws to the framing of your run and sand for the floor. I have the hardware cloth under the sand.
This makes it predator proof. If you opt for corrugated poly roofing, don't get the clear as it makes it too hot inside.
in the winter when temperatures get below 40, you need to wrap the run in contractors poly sheeting.
it stops the wind, which is more dangerous for the chickens than the low temps.