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Simple Chicken Keeping Favorites
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items Chickens are a great gateway animal for a homestead of any size. Poultry are easy to keep and require minimal investment. Check out these tried and true recommendations to get your chicken keeping journey started.
Sections
3
Raising Chicks
Convenience Upgrades
General Care
Raising Chicks
Raising baby chicks doesn't have to be difficult. With the proper setup, you can raise your babies into healthy adult birds.
Playpen style brooders are my personal favorite for their ease of use. They don't take up an excess amount of space but allow your chicks a safe place to grow. This kit comes with everything you need to get started with baby chicks your homestead. Al...
Brooder Box for Chickens
Keep your new babies warm as they grow! This brooder plate is height and angle adjustable to fit any type of brooder. This brand is one of the more expensive but from experience, it is one of the most reliable.
Brooder Plate
ChickCozy is a well known brand of incubators and mine has yet to let me down. Grow your flock by hatching your own eggs. This incubator has a built in candling light so you can watch the development. Easy to follow instructions and even development ...
Egg Incubator
When hatching and raising chicks, temperature can be a matter of life or death. I always use a backup thermometer inside the incubator and two inside my brooder – one for the warm end and one for the cool end.
Govee Digital Thermometer/Hygrometer
Convenience Upgrades
Make your life a little easier with some luxury. These items aren't necessary for happy chickens but give you one less thing to worry about
Save yourself the headache of having to let your chickens in and out by using an automatic door. This solar powered door is perfect for the homestead that doesn't have outdoor electrical access.
Automatic Chicken Coop Door -- Solar Powered
If you live in a colder climate, changing the water frequently can become tiresome. Save yourself the trouble and buy a deicer. It operates on a thermostat insuring the water isn't too warm for your flock to drink.
Water Deicer
A versatile product that can be used for chickens or your pets. A heated dog bowl keeps their water from freezing in the winter. This is also a great addition if you have a mixed flock (with waterfowl especially!)
Heated Water Bowl
This heat plate works great under any waterer to keep it thawed. Thermostat control allows you to keep it from getting too warm or cold for your flock.
Chicken Water Heater
Chickens prefer to lay their eggs in a clean box. These nesting pads provide just that. Slip one into their nesting boxes for them to have a cozy place to lay. When it gets dirty, hose it off, let it dry, and reuse. I always have a few extra on hand ...
Nest Box Pads
General Care
There ae a number of products of there for feeding and watering your flock. I've tried lots of different options and here are some of my favorites
Elevated feed and water keep your chickens from kicking their bedding into them. This feeder/water combo has adjustable height so it can tailer it to fit your flock.
Chick Feeder and Waterer Kit, Top Fill
Prevent your chickens from making a mess of their water with this nipple style watering system. You can install it a number of ways using a bucket or even PVC pipe to fit your flock needs.
12 Pcs Horizontal Chicken Waterer
A versatile way to give your chickens water and minimize the mess. These cups are big enough for the birds to get a drink but small enough you don't have to worry about them kicking bedding into them and getting them nasty. They can be installed on a...
Chicken Water Cups