Post Your Nifty Tips and Tricks You've Learned Along the Way that Makes Chicken Keeping Easier

[SpicyDisaster]

Automatic coop door
Having the ability to sleep in an extra hour before chores without feeling guilty about chickens being let out is golden. We put our auto door in a month ago and I can't believe I waited so long. No more morning and night remembering, I get two brain cells back to use for other things, and the chickens get more time out in the run than relying on me.

 

[chickfused]

Sprinkle sand on all horizontal surfaces in the coop, particularly the roost board (if you don't have a roost poop catching board, install one - world of difference.) Then it's incredibly easy to keep clean with a 12" mud scraper. Scrape it into a pile, sift through a mud shovel off the edge of the board, and then sprinkle a new layer of sand on with the same mud scraper. (Assumes you have a sand floor in your coop.) Mud shovel also works as a litter scooper. Get some Stall Sweet and mix it into the sand and never clean again.

 

[Sally PB]

Poop board
This probably catches 90% of the poop in the coop. Cleaning is a snap. PDZ on the poop board, a cat litter scoop, and a bucket. Done in about a minute. The coop does not smell at all, unless someone drops a cecal poop, or I have the poop bucket open.

 

[SpicyDisaster]

Poop board
This probably catches 90% of the poop in the coop. Cleaning is a snap. PDZ on the poop board, a cat litter scoop, and a bucket. Done in about a minute. The coop does not smell at all, unless someone drops a cecal poop, or I have the poop bucket open.

We plan to build our new coop with this concept. I'm super excited!

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

Poop board
This probably catches 90% of the poop in the coop. Cleaning is a snap. PDZ on the poop board, a cat litter scoop, and a bucket. Done in about a minute. The coop does not smell at all, unless someone drops a cecal poop, or I have the poop bucket open.

Poop board is a life saver. I haven’t changed the coop deep bedding yet (3months). Just stir and fluff every few days, and no odor at all. Whoever came up with that idea should be in the chicken keeper hall of fame

 

[Quarterhorses1]

Here’s my tip- if you socialize birds at a really young age, and hold them 10 minutes a day, the are lap chickens forever! So much more fun when they let you hold them

 

[Hip Hillbilly Acres]

I planned to have buckets turned nipple waterers in the coop, but was using those little plastic waterers you see everywhere in the brooder because the bucket wouldn't fit. I finally got so fed up and worried about their health (they were filling the waterers with poopy shavings faster than I could change the water) that I made one with an empty milk jug just for the brooder. I've also seen some clever bike water bottle holder turned nipple waterers elsewhere here. Never going back to open waterers again ever. Hanging the feeders at shoulder height also cut way down on wastage.

Would you be willing to show me/us yours? I am such a visual learner. New brood set up and need to get this all right. We won't even mention I'll bet your water contraption is way less than the $100 something I am seeing online with people complaining about leaking. At that price I don't expect to see one drop of water that should not be seen.

 

[Hip Hillbilly Acres]

Here’s my tip- if you socialize birds at a really young age, and hold them 10 minutes a day, the are lap chickens forever! So much more fun when they let you hold them

I feel so bad when they run and hide from me that I feel some kind of way to reach out and get 'em. So, I sit there, semi-pouting and looking at them. Now, it has only been three days .

 

[Dharmachick]

This is a great thread! Thank you all!

 

[Hip Hillbilly Acres]

We plan to build our new coop with this concept. I'm super excited!

I am leaning toward deep litter coop keeping.