6 Things Every Chicken Owner Needs to Have

Here is a list of 6 things every chicken owner NEEDS to have:

1. A Chicken Tractor

A Chicken Tractor is basically a miniature chicken coop on wheels.  Here’s a picture of our chicken tractor:

Chicken Tractors are fairly easy to build and are totally worth it.  They can be used for a variety of things such as:

• Separating sick chickens
• Isolating roosters who fight
• Raising Chicks.  Be careful with this one though and make sure that chicks are (a.) old enough they won’t freeze (b.) big enough they can’t stick there heads through the mesh or bottom (c.) big enough they can climb up the ramp to the top. 
• Trying special feeding regimens
• Raising chickens that are lower on the pecking order
• Keeping Chickens dry after washing
• Keeping Chickens looking good before showing
• Many, Many, Many other ways!

Our chicken tractor has two levels and a ramp so chickens can get to the top.  The bottom is open (like most chicken tractors) so chickens can scratch and peck around.  My hens love to go in the chicken tractor and scratch and peck, if I provide food and water I can let them stay their all day and night. 

2. Lots of Extra Tubs 

Any tub works just have some on hand at all times.  They work for storing food, storing litter, keeping dirty litter contained and many other things.  I have 1 tub for scratch, 1 tub for goat sweet feed, and another tub for layer.  I also have a large mortar mixing tub for alfalfa.  If you have tubs also keep lids so snow, rain, and mice can’t get in.  We seem to have a lot of leftover materials left laying around after renovating our house and I’ve gotten a little…say…creative.  Here’s a list of lid substitutes that work great:

• Old scrap plywood
• Old scrap paneling
• Any scrap wood
• Old plastic tub lids with no match
• Old doors (like you might take out after renovating a house)
• Tarps
• Other large and solid materials
• Leftover tin (probably also from renovating house

3. Old Gardening Tools

Old gardening tools work great for mucking out the chicken coop.  Even new gardening tools work great if you don’t mind them getting really dirty.  We have ducks with our chickens so they seem to like spilling the water and making mud so I have tried (and tested) all of these and they will break up the hardest mud. Here’s a little list of tools that work great for me:

• Hoes for scraping stuck on dirt and poop
• Rakes for well, raking straw
• Old wire brooms for sweeping dirt and hay
• Pitchforks for picking up chunks of hay
• Old crowbar for loosening up chunks of mud or poop that have been stuck for a while
• A sharp spade breaking up mud
• A dull spade for scooping up
• A wheelbarrow for carrying “debris” from place to place (this is really a priceless tool and I don’t know how I could have ever lived without it)

4. Milk Jugs

Milk Jags are great for hauling water.  I usually keep about 3-5 on hand, but we also have goats so I need more than most “only chicken” people.  It's best to keep them in the house though because they tend to blow around in strong wind.  And remember to keep the lids so water tends to spill when chickens are jumping all over you.  Just don’t keep too many, five is usually enough for one five gallon waterer and some goats.

5. Coffee Cans (with lids)

My family tends to drink a lot of coffee so there’s always extra coffee cans piling up.  I keep the lids so when a storm rolls I can prepare by putting some food in the cans, leaving them in the food bucket, put on the lids back on and when it starts to snow I don’t have to get food ready in a blizzard.  This works great for me because I love my chickens but hate working in the snow.  Just remember, as with the milk jugs, don’t keep to many around and recycle the extras if you collect more than ten.

6. Egg Cartons

If you’re looking for a couple extra bucks find some egg cartons, pack up some big eggs, and take them to your friends, family, and neighbors.  Ask family and neighbors for extra cartons or buy some online.  I actually deliver fresh eggs to neighbors every week for $3.00 a dozen, and they save egg cartons for me.