English Views: 45214 Author: Phoenix Publish Time: 2023-02-02 Origin: Phoenix Poultry Breeding Equipment
Choosing equipment for chickens from the vast variety of accessories can be difficult, but here, Phoenix Breeding Equipment lists the items you will need to get started on your chicken-keeping journey.
How Big Does the Coop Need to Be?
The usual recommendation for a chicken coop size is 3 to 4 square foot of space for each chicken. This is adequate if they are mostly using the coop for roosting and occasional bad weather. If your chickens need to be cooped up often during the day, up the space requirement to 7 to 8 square foot of space per hen. Chickens that are cooped up for long periods of time may grow bored and have behavior issues such as pecking, cannibalism, egg eating, and other unpleasantness. Some products such as flock blocks, cages that hold fresh greens like a piñata, and other chicken toys may help alleviate boredom in the coop
Chickens are messy eaters and a well-designed feeder will keep food from being scattered around to become sour and attract vermin.
Cylinder feeders are widely available – choose one with a partitioned trough to keep waste to a minimum. A leak-proof ‘hat’ is essential for feeders that are placed outside to prevent feed from being ruined by rain.
Raising the feeder helps keep the food free of debris. Some feeders have legs or can be hung up – otherwise you can buy a feeder stand or use a couple of bricks.
What size chicken feeder?
An average chicken gets through about 120-150 grams of food a day, but you should allow more than this amount per bird to ensure those lower down the pecking order get their fair share.
Select a size that will cater comfortably for your flock’s daily needs. Providing fresh food every day is preferable to filling a giant feeder to last the week.
For a larger flock, two feeders rather than one big one will help avoid squabbles over food.
What sort of chicken drinker do you need?
A proper drinker makes it easier to ensure your chickens always have essential clean water.
Choose a drinker that is straightforward to fill, especially if you intend to have several chickens. In most tower drinkers the central part is turned upside down for filling, then the base is re-attached and the drinker turned upright again. This can be tricky with a large drinker, but some types can be filled from the top.
Better designs of drinker feature a locking base – cheap plastic models usually have push-on bases. Not only are these messy to fill, but they can easily become blocked, resulting in thirsty chickens.
Like the feeder, the drinker should be positioned above ground level. Site it out of direct sunlight to prevent a build-up of poisonous algae and to keep the water cool.
What size drinker?
Chickens must always have access to fresh water during the day, and hens will stop laying if dehydrated.
Provide at least 500ml per bird, and check the drinker regularly in hot or freezing weather.
Remember when choosing equipment for chickens that a big container full of water will be heavy, so for a small person with a large flock, a couple of medium-sized drinkers may be more manageable!
Laying hens need an safe and secluded place to lay their eggs. Many chicken breeds like to sleep up high. This instinct helps protect them from predators, and it makes them less prone to diseases than if they were to sleep on the floor with their litter and dirty bedding.it is important to accommodate them with enough nest boxes. These chicken nesting boxes encourage your hens to lay in designated places, making it easier for you to collect your eggs in the morning.
Providing enough nesting boxes for your flock is important—a general rule is to have one box per five hens, but you should keep an eye on the flock to make sure everyone has enough room. Overcrowding and squabbling can lead to issues with laying, which means fewer healthy eggs and an unhappy flock.Once again, you want to keep the roosting bars clean. It’s also a good idea to smooth the top of the bars so that your chickens have a more comfortable spot to rest.
Hens use nesting boxes solely for laying eggs or brooding. So the primary purpose of the bedding inside the nesting boxes is to keep the eggs protected and clean. That's where chicken nesting box pads will come in handy!
Types of Nesting Box Pads
There are numerous types of chicken nesting box pads available on the market. When talking about these pads, two different types are mainly used.
Organic Nesting Pads
Examples of common organic nesting pad materials:
Hemp
Aspen
Straw
Dried Grass
Coconut Fiber
Organic nesting pads are warm and snug for your chickens but aren't reusable or washable. When soiled, they have to be replaced by a fresh nesting pad. Therefore, organic nesting pads can be more expensive in the long run.
Examples of common artificial nesting pad materials:
Plastic
Rubber
Synthetic Grass
Plastic, rubber nesting pads, or artificial grass are often used as nesting box bedding. It's a matter of taste and comfort for your chickens. The main benefit of synthetic nesting pads is that they're reusable, so they're cheaper than organic pads in the long run. Wash out the pads by simply hosing them, and they're ready to use in no time.
Chickens constantly scratch their feet in the dirt, looking for bugs or seeds. They do the same inside the nesting box, not looking for food but building a comfortable nest. When using loose bedding material inside the nesting boxes, you'll realize your hens kicked out almost all bedding, and nearly no bedding is left inside after a few days.
5.Toys
Chickens are clever birds,First of all, the chicken, don't look at it as cute and cute, in fact, there are a lot of things in its little head. You need to give them a quiet place where they can think about their chickens. Fluffy chicks like furry things like themselves, you can buy them a small plush toy, such as Liu Kanshan doll. But if they are wearing clothes, otherwise they will be shy. Although they often get together, they are actually very shy. If new chickens come, you have to give them time to get to know each other. Chickens also need to love and be loved, you have to encourage them to strike up a conversation with hens boldly. You have no idea how happy a chicken is when it finds its other half.
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Cangzhou Phoenix Breeding Equipment Co., Ltd is a professional manufacturer and exporter that is concerned with the design, development and production of livestock breeding equipment. which can provide all kinds of poultry farm equipment, such as automatic feeding and drinking line, poultry nipple drinker, rabbit nipple drinker, poultry feeder, poultry drinkier, ventilation fan. Cooling pad , egg incubator,pvc pipe ,ss pipe etc. Check out our site to find the latest in poultry equipment. We hope you’ll fine the right products for you,, and how it allows you to scale up to the next level when you’re ready.
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