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Chicken Keeping Essentials for Beginners UK (Coop Setup, Feeding, Cleaning & Daily Care Must-Haves)
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items Everything I personally use to keep my chickens happy, healthy, and laying well in a rural UK garden. From coop setup and feeding essentials to cleaning tools and enrichment, this list is perfect for beginners starting their first flock or improving ...
Sections
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Coop and Housing Essentials
Feeders & Waterers
Cleaning and Hygiene
Egg collection and storage
Treats and Enrichment
Health and First Aid
Coop and Housing Essentials
New to keeping chickens and don't know where to begin? Start here…
A secure, weatherproof coop is the foundation of happy hens. I always look for one that keeps them dry through our wet Suffolk winters and has good ventilation in summer. This one is a great place to start: the external nest box makes collecting eggs easy, and it is easy to clean. I've had a number of coops over the years and this design is far and away the best I've had.
Wooden chicken coop with run
You'll need shavings to line and protect the floor of the coop, and you'll need to poo-pick daily and change it regularly.
Keep the coop floor clean!
Chickens lay best when they feel safe and comfortable. I keep mine filled with soft bedding to encourage clean, unbroken eggs.
Nest Box bedding
A game changer for early mornings and darker evenings—this lets the chickens out safely without needing to be up at sunrise.
Automatic Chicken Coop Door - Timer, Sensor, Solar
Chickens naturally want to roost at night— your coop may contain built in perches, but these freestanding perches are perfect if not. Being removeable also makes them easier to keep clean. The addition of a perch or two like these keeps your chooks c...
Roosting bars / perches
Feeders & Waterers
This has saved so much feed from being wasted as it keeps the food dry — especially important in our British climate!
Outdoor Poultry Feeder with Rain Hood 2.5kg
This drinker is the one I love for a small to medium sized coop. Galvanised steel means no BPAs and no rusting.
Chicken Drinker Waterer 2.3L Galvanised Steel
A good quality feed makes a huge difference to egg production and overall health—I always stick to layers pellets for consistency and this is what I feed my hens
Poultry Feed (layers pellets)
They love a bit of cut mixed corn - so this is perfect to mix in with the layers pellets in their food hopper.
Mixed Corn Chicken Feed 20kg with Verm-X
Your chooks need grit in their diet to help them to digest their food. Either mix a handful in with the layers pellets in the feed hopper, or provide a separate tray of this grit for them.
Grit and Oyster Shell mix
Cleaning and Hygiene
Finding a good scooper tool for cleaning out the chickens is an absolute must. I like this one as it has a telescopic handle.
Chicken Poop Scooper
This is what I use to carry away the dirty shavings/manure. Tip it onto your compost heap to rot down, and watch the different it makes to your plants!
Flexi Tub/Trug 42L Black
After you've cleaned out the shavings, give everywhere in the coop a good spray with this before adding fresh shavings and straw. No need to rinse.
Poultry House Disinfectant 500ML - Cleans Pests & Grime
Sprinkle this liberally all over the bedding, the perches and even mix a scoopful into the layers pellets. It kills mites, preventing infestation of the dreaded red mite, and it acts as a wormer if consumed by your chickens. An absolute, hands-down, all-round winner! I cannot be without my tub of Daitom!
Red Mite Powder / Treatment
Egg collection and storage
I love this stylish way to collect and carry your eggs without dropping or breaking them.
Wire Egg Basket for Carrying and Collecting
A fun way to make sure your egg consumption follows the first in/first out rule!
Helter Skelter Egg Holder for 20 Medium Eggs
There's something really lovely about receiving half a dozen freshly laid eggs as a gift… once your girls start laying you might find you want to start giving some away as presents. You'll need boxes!
Egg Boxes 30pcs, Holds 6 Eggs, Biodegradable
Are your hens laying yet? They might be, but if you’re free-ranging them they may be laying anywhere they like around your garden. Pop a fake rubber egg into the nest box to encourage your girls to lay where YOU want them to!
Imitation Chicken Hen Eggs 3 Pack - Rubber Dummy
Treats and Enrichment
Perfect for taming chickens and encouraging them back into the coop—mine come running every time!
Mixed Corn Chicken Feed 20kg with Verm-X
Great protein boost, especially during moulting or colder months.
Premium Dried Mealworms, 2.5 Litre
Health and First Aid
A fantastic all-rounder supplement for healthy hens. Add a splash to their drinking water.
Natures Grub Apple Cider Vinegar 1ltr UK
Add to Chicken Feed to Aid Digestion, Immune Support and Reduce Hair Loss - Antibiotic and Antifungal Properties
Supplement - Garlic Granules
Real-Life Extras for UK Chicken Keeping
Need I say more?
Chicken Manual: Complete Step-by-Step Guide
I couldn't be without my Toggis. They are waterproof and warm; I find them much better than the conventional wellies for our wet and cold British weather!
Toggi Canyon Long Waterproof Boots Brown
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