Ingenuity in the Coop - Retrofits

[RcoM]

I wanted to start a thread sharing all the good ideas people have which use simple items to improve their coops or brooder boxes in various ways for various reasons.

For example, I just read about a guy whose brooder box is in a cart! Great idea! Wheel in or out at any time.

I myself used stick on Velcro to add curtains to the steel coop nest boxes and A4 display stands with black paper as nest box dividers.

Last night I was looking to block under the door of an old unused coop for a new broody so that mice didn't eat her eggs. I thought and thought and ended up cutting a pool noodle which squished in nicely. Bait now sits out in front as a deterrent too.

An old printers blanket makes a great insulating rubber roof blanket too.

Milk crates are great stand alone perches or ladders.

Bricks do a lot for me-elevating food, steadying various items, pinning removable shade cloth down.

So whatever you innovated or thought of as a solution, or tried and loved, please share!

Below are the nest box dividers and Velcro repositionable curtains.

 

[Debbie292d]

Great idea!

My tips are merely how we recently dealt with having so many chicks of different ages and ran out of feeders and waterers.

This summer, I hatched over 500 silkies, and though we sold most, I kept a couple here and there, and as of last week, I added about another two dozen, with 3 or 4 of them one age, then the next age was a week older, and so on.

They all already knew how to use vertical nipple bottles from being in the brooder, so we rounded up a few more bottles and gave them those in the outdoor pens.

Plastic peanut butter lids make great mash servers for the little ones.

There are actually two nipple bottles in this pen. This will work until winter. Then we use an aquarium heater plugged into a Thermo Cube, and put in an ice cream pail of water. Other areas we have the electric nipple buckets.



For the feeders, I found I'd saved a couple old vinegar and bleach jugs in the basement. I cut a opening in the side, then wired the handle to the fence so they couldn't tip it over. Vinegar bottles work better because they're see-through, and you can tell when feed is getting low.


Those jugs and plastic coffee cans make great feeders for ducks too. They both are attached to the wall of the coop so they stay put.

 

[RcoM]

Great idea!

My tips are merely how we recently dealt with having so many chicks of different ages and ran out of feeders and waterers.

This summer, I hatched over 500 silkies, and though we sold most, I kept a couple here and there, and as of last week, I added about another two dozen, with 3 or 4 of them one age, then the next age was a week older, and so on.

They all already knew how to use vertical nipple bottles from being in the brooder, so we rounded up a few more bottles and gave them those in the outdoor pens.

Plastic peanut butter lids make great mash servers for the little ones.
View attachment 4233504
There are actually two nipple bottles in this pen. This will work until winter. Then we use an aquarium heater plugged into a Thermo Cube, and put in an ice cream pail of water. Other areas we have the electric nipple buckets.
View attachment 4233513


For the feeders, I found I'd saved a couple old vinegar and bleach jugs in the basement. I cut a opening in the side, then wired the handle to the fence so they couldn't tip it over. Vinegar bottles work better because they're see-through, and you can tell when feed is getting low.

View attachment 4233507

Those jugs and plastic coffee cans make great feeders for ducks too. They both are attached to the wall of the coop so they stay put.
View attachment 4233508

Thank you Debbie- Silkie mum!
I do the same as you with waterers more or less. Guinea pig water bottles for chicks helps them transition to nipple waterers when older.,
However, the old vinegar bottle trick is awesome!! I
Never have been able to solve the no tip, no mess and right height issue, I'll definitely give it a go! Many on eggs at the moment. And by the way, your silkies are gorgeous!!!