Keeping Chickens: Essential Equipment

Keeping chickens on the farm or at home in an urban backyard can be as simple or as elaborate a setup as your budget and enthusiasm allows. There is really no great need to spend a lot of money on all the latest equipment but if you choose to do so, then it ceratainly wont do your chickens any harm.

From automatic drinkers and feeders to temperature controlled housing, there is a gadget to suit all situations. There is really no need to spend a small fortune on any of these items to get started in chicken keeping  but you will find as you go along that at least some of them will make life easier for the chicken keeper and in the long run will be beneficial to your flock.

Of course, before you consider any type of accessory you will need to provide your chickens with suitable housing in the form a well designed and well constructed chicken coop. There are lots of commercially available chicken coops and runs to suit all needs and budgets or if you are a DIY enthusiast you might prefer to build your own chicken coop. Whatever you you prefer, make sure that your coop is suitable for your needs and the amount of space availble. Spending a little extra time choosing or designing a coop at this stage will pay divedends in the long run and will ensure you get the best possible start in your new hobby of keeping chickens.

FEEDERS & DRINKERS

One you have your chickens accomodation sorted, some of the most basic items you might want to consider early on are automatic hoppers for feed and water. These are designed in such a way as to ensure that your chickens always have a fesh water supply and that meal and grain can be kept free from rodents and other pests yet always be available to the chickens.

Water can be provided in a low dish or pan but make sure it is stable enough that it doesnt get knocked over easily if the chickens perch on the edge as they are drinking. Plastic ones are fine but stainless steel are very hygenic and last a life time and also have a bit of weight which makes them more stable. The advantage of a water hopper is that you can ensure water is always available over prolonged periods and in hot climates, it doesnt evaporate during the course of the day just when the chcickens need it most. Make sure to place these in the shade where the water stays cool and doesnt become turbid in direct sunlight.

Meal and grain can also be provided in the same type of gravity fed hopper. These are usually made of galvanised steel and again, have the advantage of being able to keep a large supply of feed on hand at all times. This can be very useful if you are keeping a larger number of chickens as it keeps feeding visits to the coop to a minimum. The automatic grain feeders are also a great way of keeping uneaten food away from pests and rodents.