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Make Life Easier on the Farm or Homestead
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items Rule #1 of having a Farm or Homestead: if you can find anything on this list on marketplace or a yard sale for cheaper - do that! Coops, crates, enclosures, and building materials are the best things to buy from people used because they will get rid ... ---CLICK TO SEE MY IMPORTANT NOTES--- SO - Here is EVERYTHING I wish I had known to use from the beginning. The best things. Read the comments and notes - I will give as much details on things as I can. If you have questions as to why then message me or find me on social media! Some thi...<3
Sections
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Building Materials
Cleaning Materials
Set Up a Chicken Coop!
Winter on the Farm
Building Materials
The best fencing for small animals (poultry, rabbits, etc). The black coating makes it more visually appealing, as it creates almost an invisible effect (not necessary but I prefer it, non-coated works just as good). You want it no larger than ½ inch...
Black 1/2in 19-Gauge Vinyl Wire Mesh 48x100ft
Making as many things solar as possible is the way to go when farming or homesteading. This saves you money and time. Ensuring air flow in an animals enclosure is crucial (especially birds) to ensure their health and cleanliness are maintained approp...
Solar Exhaust
Only wish I had bought it sooner. I loved it so much I went back and bought another one for my other coop. These are fabulous and really change the game when it comes to the amount of work. You can set it up however is convenient for you (timer, ligh...
Solar Coop Door w/ Remote, Light Sensor & Timer
Cleaning Materials
You can get FSL at a lot of places (even schedule regular deliveries on Amazon or Chewy) so you never run out. First Saturday Lime is a great product (diatomaceous earth) which helps animal keepers in a MULTITUDE of ways. I apply it every month (henc...
First Saturday Lime
Any vinegar will work but this might be the best bang for your buck with price and percent of acidity. Vinegar is a natural disinfectant. Many people use it to clean around their homes in place of chemical-filled cleaners. Vinegar is a GREAT way to d...
White Vinegar
Set Up a Chicken Coop!
Becoming a chicken tender? Welcome to the club! Chicken math is REAL - do not think it will not happen to you… beause I PROMISE it will. ALWAYS size up your coops for 3-4 times the amount of chickens you are planning for. Here are all the things I re...& pen. Some things have more than one option (like bedding) - that is because people need options if one way may not be more convenient for them. Read the descriptions I wrote to help you decide what items will be most convenient for you.
You can use this for a cat-litter-adjacent approach. Scoop their droppings and the sand stays PLUS it needs replaced less often. You can use this inside the coop (in place of woodchips) and/or in their pen. If using in the pen, I would recommend a co...
Construction Sand (Bedding Option)
Using shavings like this is a great option for the deep litter method, where you add fresh on top and perform deep cleanouts in Spring and Fall. You can clean out more often if you would like, and it acts as a nice insulator when you have chicks, you...
Flakey Pine Shavings - Bedding Option
There are many kinds and all about the same price. Make SURE you get a well known brand (like Producers Pride) that has been around for a while with good reviews. You do NOT want to get something that will end up burning out or melting or blowing a f...
For Chicks: A Brooder/Coop Heater
I like these feeders because they are versitile. The adjustable legs make them very convenient in a brooder as your chicks grow. The STAPLE all feeders need (especially for your adult coops) is a hook to hang it from. Hanging your feeder keeps it off...
Chicken Feeder with Lid, Hanger, & Adjustable Legs
Top things: keeps smell down AND protects birds from sickness/parasite (like mites, fleas, etc). You can get FSL at a lot of places (even schedule regular deliveries on Amazon or Chewy) so you never run out. First Saturday Lime is a great product (di...
First Saturday Lime (or Diatomaceous Earth)
Top filling them is an option I did not know existed when I first started. It is much easier than unscrewing the whole bottoms (which have no handle) and then flipping the heavy waterer back and forth. This one just unscrews, fills, rescrew, done. Ea...
5 Gallon Top Fill Waterer
The best way when it comes to less work would be the PVC & Rain Barrel method of rainwater collection/distribution. It is usually very affordable, but not always fast if you need something NOW. I would recommend these waterers that hold more than...
3.5 gal. Poultry Waterer (If Hanging it Up *recommended*)
I have used multiple pad-type products for this purpose and these are my 2nd favorite (only because I find them kind of thin, so my big chunky large-breed girlies wear them out faster). Great for keeping the eggs clean if you are not using wood chips...
Fake Grass Pads for Nesting Boxes
This would be Option #1 for me - the best nesting pad I have used. They are incredibly thick and last a really long time. I love that it stays together, my girls love them (never kick them out of the boxes) and I do not have to replace them as often ...
PremiumNesting Pads, Sustainably Harvested
Winter on the Farm
Experience cold winters and not sure what you need to make sure you homestead or farm survives? Here are my favorite WINTER items as a farmsteader in Zone 6b
I used this in troughs before and in our duck pond. It melted the duck's pond (which was 3 ft of solid ice) in a few hours - used it for years. It never melted through the pond liner, it has worked great every time I've needed it.
Floating Submergible Tank De-Icer w/ Thermostat
If you have a way to run an extension chord to your coop, I recommend this waterer (for outside the coop - never water inside). This keeps it melted all year long. In the winter it can take less than an hour for their water to freeze, so having this ...
Large Heated Outdoor Dog Water Bowl with Chew-Resistant Cord