Accessories For Your Backyard Chicken Coop

After you’ve figured out the basics for constructing your actual chicken coop, then comes thinking about the accessories you can add to the coop to increase the chances of a high amount of fresh eggs every morning and enhance your chicken’s comfort level.

There are a variety of accessories that can be added to a chicken coop. The matter of which accessories you ultimately decide to use is left to your own judgment. Still, it’s important to get at least the basic accessories, since this will have a big impact on the health of the coop.

Here are some of the main ones to consider.

Feeders

Choosing the right feeder is important to the health of your chickens, since you’ll want to make sure they eat regularly and have access to clean and plentiful food. This is crucial for their continued development and egg production, so it’s a good idea to invest in quality feeder for your chicken coop.

You’ll also want to pay attention to the height at which you install the feeder in the coop, since this will affect how easily your chickens can reach the feeder in order to eat.

Nesting Boxes

Chicken nesting boxes come in a number of different sizes and shapes. You can also make them yourself using materials that are commonly found in many homes. Old wooden drawers or boxes, or a large plastic pail will suffice. Plan on installing one nesting box for every two to four hens, depending on the size of the box and your chickens. Make sure the boxes are somewhat dark inside to serve as a refuge for your chickens.

It’s also smart to build the top of the nesting box on a bit of an angle to discourage them from sleeping on top of the box.

Waterier

Having a good chicken waterier inside the coop will help ensure your chickens have a good supply of fresh water on a regular basis. With this again you can use many items you have right around the house to help cut down on the cost and make it more convenient for you.

You may want to include two chicken wateriers, depending on the size of the coop. If the coop is rather large, installing two wateriers will provide the chickens with access to fresh water and prevent them from fighting over a limited supply.

Perches

Lastly, don’t overlook the importance of installing a quality chicken perch in your coop. This will ensure that your chickens get enough rest at night so that they’ll produce the maximum number of eggs.

Like the waterier, be sure you’re providing enough perches for the chickens so they don’t have to fight for room. Also make sure your perches are wide enough to comfortably fit the chickens since as they grow they will likely need a bit more room to sleep comfortably.

Make sure to keep these important accessories in mind as you plan your chicken coop. You’ll want to build your coop with enough space to accommodate these accessories, as well as allow plenty of room for your chickens to comfortably move about. Overcrowding the chicken coop will drastically curb the number of eggs your chickens lay, so it’s important to plan accordingly.