Indispensable Features?

[bruceha2000]

We put a nipple system in right before it got ungodly hot here and the water in the storage tank just slimed right up. We tried ACV, but no dice. The hubs is really wanting to use Oxine. This makes me really nervous since we will be eating the eggs (whenever they decide to start laying). What do you do to keep your nipple system clean?

Didn't have that problem. At least not with the chicken water. Sure did with the above ground pool while the pump was broken!!
My bucket is outside the coop but inside the barn so it doesn't get hit with a lot of sunlight. And we aren't as hot as Southern California.

Bruce

 

[aussiegal318]

I have loved all the great comments. I chuckle when I read the two extremes that ussually happen at your house; I can relate. My husband & contractor get together & decide what I need and then they totally over build it, of course, they have forgotten to take into consideration of what I have requested. My rule is to let them build whatever & then I remodel later. I have an 8' x 10' shed that was converted; 8' x 7' for the chickens and 8' x 3' for me. I have since divided my space in half, 4' x 3' storage and 4' x 3' as a small temp coop or brooder. I have several outlets (out of the way of the chickens) that I find I use and I did paint the floor of the shed so clean up is easy & the smell doesn't permiate the wood. But the one thing that has been a blessing is the radio. You see, I live in the country and my girls get to free range during the day. Early on I lost a couple to fox and even to a racoon, but once I read about turning on a raadio to a talk station, I haven't lost a single bird. My roos are getting a little lazy I think between the radio & my dogs (I have Aussies that go down regularly to check on the livestock (& bark at any large bird flying overhead).

 

[bairo]

Quote: Yes.. we eat some of our eggs. I did a lot of research on oxine before using it and as you know it is used quite extensively in commercial food operations as well as drinking water treatment in some municipalities. I also use it to mist my birds before any shows, mix the same drinking water mixture for incubator water, dunk the eggs in it before incubation, and fog the coop with it if I see any signs of runny noses, etc. 200x more effective than bleach and completely safe in it's unactivated form (when diluted properly) there is a list of carefully researched mixing ratios and more information on my coop page.

 

[elegant redneck]

Like the song, these are a few of my favorite things: Easy access storage for cleaning brushes, vinegar, mite dust, food supplements, etc., covered run, multisided ventilation, interior/exterior access laying boxes, house access from both ends to get to broody hens/chicks that prefer the floor, automatic door (which I DON'T have!) hanging waterers and food, removable roosts for cleaning. Enjoy!

 

[Green Lantern]

Thanks All. Lots of great ideas in here. I think my henhouse is just fine the way it is but need to improve the run area. What do most of you use to cover the run? My run area is about 60' x 100'. Is there an effective and affordable alternative to bird netting? And maybe something that can at least keep part of the run dry?

 

[chickwhispers]

Great question, great replies! I'm new also since April this year. My must haves and couldn't live without so far have been:
...a shelf/table space just below elbow height for comfort, for checking and working on girls
(I'm down to 6 after starting out with 16 - 5 cockerals, 3 chicks didn't make it, 1 pullet got sick & had to cull last week and gave 1 BCM pullet (with 1 BCM cockeral) to a good friend)
...lime paint to help keep bad bugs/mites away and it seems to have helped.
...sick bay
...Metal varmint proof containers! one for feed and one for scratch.
... Extra grit for those inside days
...chicken first aid kit - Vetricyn, vet wrap(pullet had a broken leg), Vet Rx, Hydrogen Peroxide (another pullet got attacked by mother in law's visiting dog!Tough girl though made it through but has no breast on one side!), cotton balls, cotton swabs, medicine dropper, baby aspirin, sterille gauze and a bottle of purified water.
...covered storage container for extra straw and pine shavings.
...last but not least....Electricity! Lights! Timers!
Also...Still working on Fort Knox like run!

Next year I want to try a nipple water system! Bruce's directions seem fairly easy! Thanks!
I love BYC!

 

[gg706]

I apologize if I am posting out of context. I did not have time to read all the posts to really follow the story. Just wanted to post that I built my coop with wire mesh under the roosts. With the intention that the poop wuld go through the mesh and onto the ground. I want to warn anyone who is thinking about doing this...the poop does NOT go through the wire it sticks to it and dries hard like cement to the wire and is impossible to clean without using the hose and alot of water. I remodeled my coop to eliminate the wire floor.

 

[123jenny123]

a lady uses a baby monitor , then she can her rustlers or foxes when her girls yelp

 

[colburg]

I apologize if I am posting out of context. I did not have time to read all the posts to really follow the story. Just wanted to post that I built my coop with wire mesh under the roosts. With the intention that the poop wuld go through the mesh and onto the ground. I want to warn anyone who is thinking about doing this...the poop does NOT go through the wire it sticks to it and dries hard like cement to the wire and is impossible to clean without using the hose and alot of water. I remodeled my coop to eliminate the wire floor.

What size of wire did you use?

 

[bairo]

I think it has been mentioned....but I forgot to say that I would be completely lost if I had not run electric to the coop. My coop is 110 feet from the house and it was a pain in the rear...but it was worth every bit of the hassle. I have an inside light, a couple plug ins and motion lights front and back. This has allowed me to build a brooder in part of the coop, and I cant tell you how many times I needed to make a modification with power tools and used the plug ins.