Have An Idea Or Tip To Share? Let Us Hear It.

I always fill their waterer when it gets below the half way point. . . I was letting it get lower with the intention of checking it later in the day. Life gets in the way and twice I found it empty. Sooooo, now I don't let it get less than half full.
19 birds can drink a lot of water on a hot day!!

 

The biggest thing for me is to grab and pet each one as I let them out each morning. Now two of them are tame enough that they come to me when ever I walk out and see them. It is so nice and enjoyable to have them run to me to see if I have food and let me pet them.

In making the coop, make it easy to access the areas that you need. If it is big enough to get into then it will be funner because it's easier to play with them and clean the coop.

 

HA! This one is easy. I was really tired of getting up at o'dark hundred to open the coop. Didn't mind the evening though.

Enough of my complaining and DH and I bought an automatic door opener! LOVE it! Highly recommend it to ANYONE within my shouting voice! LOL

I did a lot of looking around. Saw complete door systems that were really cool, but we didn't need the WHOLE thing. I had some scrap metal for a door and some wood for the slider part.

Bought the motor at Discount Automation. (Cheapest I could find). Had it in a week. http://www.discounthomeautomation.com/Add-A-Motor-Chicken-Coop-Motor-AAD20

Hubby installed it in MINUTES on a Saturday morning. Needless to say I was out there SUnday morning to be sure it worked. AND IT DID!

We've had it about 6 months now, and I love it. Best $90 bucks I ever spent (besides my girls of course)

E/

 

My chicken run is a 7'X7' dog pen. I am in and out several times a day. After the umpteenth time of using a twig to scrape the poo out of the grooves in my sneakers, I hit upon the idea of galoshes. I slip a plastic grocery bag over each sneaker and tie a loose knot, then just toss them when they are torn or dirty! Cheap and easy!

 

Get many different breeds. I mean a BIG diversity. You don't have to have a lot of chickens, but get something different. Then you'll REALLY have some unique, spunky, sweet, crazy, or amazing personalities in there. It also makes for good yard art.

Free Range them. If you live in a city, at least give them greens once a week. Otherwise, really, your chickens are eating the same boring thing day after day, and not livin' the life. Also, free range, even if it is an enclosed pasture, can be a real treat when you go out there and have all the girls/boys come up for either food or just to be around you.

 

I use cheap small tarps under my roost, they hang easily and easily removed to hose off, Saves on bedding for sure becoz everything is caught on tarp.

 

Quote:
DITTO! DITTO! DITTO!

 

Quote:Agree 100%. My Chicks are 4 weeks old and I make it a point to pet and hold each one every day. Now they run to the gate when they see me coming. My Buff Orpington is always the first to jump up on my lap when I sit in the run with them. I have 9 hens and they all try to get on my lap when I spend time with them. That is how I find pleasure in my babies. Feeding, watering and poop scooping isn't the fun part. Loving them is!

 

I agree on holding and petting them, and I also hand feed treats. It really makes them tame.