Chicken Coop, Rainwater Catchment, Egg Suppliers

Chicken Coop and run with RainWater Catchment, edible chicken plants, shade plants and more!!

Notice the blue rain barrels, which are used to water the plants and water the chickens, the manure from the chickens provides nitrogen which gives the plants a power boost. the plants provide bugs, shade, and food. we have crab apples, elderberries, hops, plum, flowers, a quince and more.

Supplies

55 Gallon Drum, Drill, 1" Drill Bit or fit to your Spigot head. gutter + down spout, elderberries, crab apples, hops, compost, odds and ends, buckets and barrels, wood to build a coop, or find one in the classifieds, or check this link for coop options. or go real simple

Step 1: Build or Find a CooP

Build or Find a Chicken COOP, Build a Run, fence it in, so no animals get in and the chx can't get out. It is good to have at least 15 square feet or more per chicken, the more room you have the better, you can always expand, or move the run as time goes on. notice in the photo that the square window/ door is 3 ft up, this keeps the chickens safe as no other animals will enter at that height.

Step 2: Catch Water

Install gutters on your Chicken coop and direct the water to Rain barrels you can use to water your chickens and plants, install a simple system that relies on gravity. go to the local irragation/ hardware store and get some sort of valve/spigot, here is a youtube of an install. i used used gutters for my coop, be creative, nothing has to cost much

Step 3: Plant Trees and Shrubs, Protect Them

PLanting trees and shrubs in your coop provides food and shade for your chickens, it is important to protect them when they are young for the first few years so the roots don't get destroyed by the chickens, little fences around the shrubs work great. or maybe you already have existing plants in the landscape you can use and protect. check this site for advice

Step 4: Add Compost to the Coop

You can build composting structures, or repurpose wooden boxes that are accessible to your chickens, the compost aka, your food scraps. go in on top and the chickens can either jump on top or peck at what is there, or peck at what comes out on the bottom, this equals, more food, more bugs, more options, and better eggs for you. and less food to buy.

Step 5: Collect Eggs

You will need to collect your eggs everyday. chickens lay in the morning, you will hear them making noises. this is great time to check on the coop, the chickens, the water, the run, the food, etc.

Step 6: EAT

Make something delicious, my 11 year old son, made me his favorite egg Tacos today for breakfast, eggs, cheese, tortilla and hot sauce. so good and simple.