Picture-Tour: New Facility, Systems, and How they Work Together

 

12 week old New Hampshire chicks

A few exciting/new things have been going on the last few weeks, and I thought it would be good to make everyone aware of some of the new additions and changes. 

The first addition was a new watering system. Previously, the water that the chickens drank was from (2) two gallon pans. The problem with giving chickens access to an open water supply means that the water will get dirty extremely fast. The other problem was that the pans would get tipped over when the water level got low (because of a chicken going full-send off the edge of the pan). That obviously created more messes around the drinking area. 

With the new nipple watering system, I only have to clean it once a week, instead of 2 times a day! The bucket you see on the stand outside of the chicken run acts as the water reservoir. At the bottom, there are a few pipe fittings that connect to the water line, which can easily be separated from the bucket via a quick-clamp (camlock fitting).  The water line spans the length of the run (25 ft), and has a water nipple (the red "thing" coming out of the pipe) every foot. Since the nipples are red, they attract the chickens, which makes the chickens drink more often, so they stay well hydrated! Since installing the system, I have noticed more jumbo-sized eggs than normal, which could be from increased drinking. You can see how they use it by clicking here to watch a short video!

 

Not only has a new watering system been installed, but a new hoop-barn has also been built (some fine details still in the making, but it is totally enclosed). The new barn will primarily be used for my ducks, but if I need more space to put some extra chickens, or to house a breeding flock, I will have more room to do that without making the birds feel crowded. That's the other benefit to having the nipple-waterers: chickens and ducks can live together. Ducks tend to make a muddy mess (not good for chickens) when allowed access to open water (ducks don't need water to swim in). 

The new barn is an updated version of the one that the chickens currently live in. Water and egg collection is now accessible from the outside of the barn, which means less trips in and out! 

This is the back, which has a big door on the bottom to collect eggs from (ducks nest on the ground, so just about everything has to be ground level for them). Other than egg collection, feeding watering, and cleaning will be able to be centralized in the space between the two barns. Eventually, the feed bin(s) will be in the gap, with some leftover storage space to put other feed ingredients, or hay/straw. Between the two wood barns, hoop barns, and some portable pens, the chickens can have up to/over 1000 sq. feet of indoor space to move around in, in addition to the 2 acres or so that they get to free range on.