What are the MUST HAVE items for backyard chicken enthusiasts?

[KristiPotts]

Hey y'all -

I'm coming to the eggsperts for answers!!!!

While in the beginning stages of coop building and stocking needed items on hand, I'm curious to know what are your choice "must have" items or products.... things you simply cannot do without and why?

Go!

 

[21hens-incharge]

WOW that list could get LONGGGGG. lol

For me....

1. Walk in chicken coop. So much easier to clean and no fetching a sick hen or eggs out from under a raised coop.

2. Shade cloth. I know they need shade and thought of roofing the run but the cost was prohibiting it for me. I also like that I can take it down when needed to make sure the entire run gets some good solid sunshine from time to time. Helps keep the odors down.

3. A good solid chicken run with at least wire over the top. Gotta keep them safe since everything wants to eat them.

I guess that is all MY MUST haves. I am sure the chickens would add to the list if they could type.

 

[Folly's place]

The largest walk-in coop and run possible, because 'chicken math' happens! Lots of ventilation, shade, and predator protection for the flock. A good book about raising and keeping fowl. Wish books; Henderson's breed chart, feathersite, the Cackle and MurrayMcMurray catalogs. Mary

 

[sueiris]

I too was going to ask this question. Looks like we're going to build an 8 x 12 foot walk in coop. I'd like to divide it into two smaller coops, i.e. with two access doors, and two separate runs. I'm wondering if we should do removal drop boards or not, and was wondering about nesting boxes. Saw some with slide out plastic kitty litter looking trays that looked easy to clean. How much do backyarders like to have nests that are accessible to the outdoors? Was thinking of a 3 foot door so I could get a wheelbarrow into. Saw a few small windows on Craigs list that I think I'll order and put hardware cloth over them on the outside. Any other suggestions for best practices? Also wondering about floor covering - noticed some spoke about this on another thread, but not sure what is favorite with least toxicity.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I think painting the floor works well. I used porch and floor paint from Home Depot and it is holding up very nicely. I had linoleum in my other coops and found that the mice used the edges where I took it up the wall as great cover like a super highway where the chickens could not get to them.

Droppings boards work well BUT I always had to fish eggs out from the far back corner under them. The chickens also would NOT use the floor space under them during the day except to hide eggs in the corner.

I use the plastic dish pans for my nest boxes and the girls really like them. I like that they are very easy to clean and get out of the frame to lift a broody hen off in order to collect eggs with less pecking.

My nest box set up and a pic of my 8x14 coop in case it can give inspiration.


The boards across the front are to keep the dish pans from sliding or getting tipped over. They DO use the 2x2 that is across the front to stand on before entering the box.


My coop is designed so I can split it in 2 sections easily. The windows I built out of salvaged smoked lexan and 1x3's with screws through the layers to hold them together.
The lexan is cut so it fits slightly within the window frame allowing me to fully close the windows if needed. (there are 11 windows total)

 

[Mahlzeit]

I too was going to ask this question. Looks like we're going to build an 8 x 12 foot walk in coop. I'd like to divide it into two smaller coops, i.e. with two access doors, and two separate runs. I'm wondering if we should do removal drop boards or not, and was wondering about nesting boxes. Saw some with slide out plastic kitty litter looking trays that looked easy to clean. How much do backyarders like to have nests that are accessible to the outdoors? Was thinking of a 3 foot door so I could get a wheelbarrow into. Saw a few small windows on Craigs list that I think I'll order and put hardware cloth over them on the outside. Any other suggestions for best practices? Also wondering about floor covering - noticed some spoke about this on another thread, but not sure what is favorite with least toxicity.

I have removable poop boards but for the most party i won't be removing them. I put my roosts on hinges and the fold up and i have a 2 x 6 in joist hangers that i can remove and just scoop the poop off the poop boards. I have linoleum on the floor of the coop and also on the poop board. It works great.





I also made outside accessible nest boxes. Something I have wanted for a long long time. Sometimes I am running late and I don't have to worry about running in the coop and getting poop on my good shoes, I can just open the door from the outside get the eggs and go. It's a huge plus.

 

[Toddrick]

Wow, I definitely want a walk-in coop now!

The things I get the most utility out of are water related. First, a rain barrel is awesome, so I can walk five feet to fill up waterers. Next a heated waterer for winter, and a trough heater that goes in the rain barrel. I'd like to setup a PVC system that went straight from the rain barrel to my waterer, however keeping it from freezing in the winter is a challenge. EDIT: I guess you could do the PVC line easy in Georgia!

My newest favorite thing of all is the automatic coop door. I don't have to lock my chickens up every night, nor secure the run completely.

One thing I would advise, that for some reason no one ever seems to do, is to cover all hardware cloth with screen to keep bugs out.

 

[nickdlny]

Hey y'all -

I'm coming to the eggsperts for answers!!!!

While in the beginning stages of coop building and stocking needed items on hand, I'm curious to know what are your choice "must have" items or products....  things you simply cannot do without and why?

Go!

I built my coop in April, and the one thing that I absolutely could not have gone without was some knowledge [and plywood]. Make sure that you know what it is you're trying to accomplish with your coop and build it to do that. For me, that meant digging a 10' by 10' hole to set my coop down in--I use a deep litter method and the dirt floor to my coop is a foot below the ground--that made good sense both for dealing with a year's worth of chicken poo and bedding and for protecting my flock.

I'm not suggesting that you should do what I did, just know what it is you want to accomplish before you start building.

 

[JanetS]

Having a safe and secure coop and run. This will save you a lot of heartache. We didn't know we would have such serious bobcat issues.
Using 1/2" hardware cloth has saved our chickens many times. Notice the bobcats are out during the day.

 

[sueiris]

Has anyone put nesting boxes under drop/poop boards? I'm also wondering how high I can put drop boards, or how low nests - i have Wyandotte bantams, but that could possibly change down the road........what about Rhino Linings epoxy for the floor? Saw a post about that, or maybe that is overkill and just paint the floor? Mixed feelings about vinyl now - good point, 21hens-incharge - about the mice using the edges........like your poop boards Mahlzeit!