What are some essential tools that every backyard flock owner needs to have available?
A putty knife?…
To scrape the poop off the roost bars (and if you use poop boards) when I do my weekly cleaning
I use a putty knife
I am sure the guys had no idea that a putty knife for your drywall and spackling is actually a chicken keeping tool
But this is one of my favorite tools
I use that all the time
Egg box bedding… ?
I use plastic grass instead of bedding
I find that works better because you can hose it down
I don’t have to do that very often, but it makes cleanup so simple
A coop…
The flock needs a dry place to come in out of the bad weather
They need a safe place for the roosting bars in order to sleep at night
Egg baskets… ?
You need something to collect your eggs
Whether it’s an egg basket or an egg apron, or you turn up the bottom of your shirt, whatever works, you need some way to collect your eggs if it’s more than you can hold.
Sick bay cage… 
?
?What do you do if a flock member gets sick?
If they are contagious, you’ll need a cage setup somewhere away from the flock
If they’re not contagious, maybe they’re just injured, then I can use my grow out pen if I I just want to isolate them from the flock so that they don’t get picked on
Flashlight… 
Another thing you want to make sure you have is a flashlight in case you need to come in your coop in the dark, so that you can see what you’re doing.
You can also use the flashlight if you need to clip your hen’s nails
It is easier at night, because if you shine the flashlight on each individual nail, you can see where the quick is
You hold the flashlight underneath the nail…
Shining on the nail up towards the ceiling, right through the nail
You can easily see where the quick is
And you should have no problem trimming their nails with a dog nail clipper
Treats… ?
Have some treats on hand, like black soldier fly larva or mealworms
Kitty Litter Scooper…
You need a way to scoop the poop
If you have a sand floor like I do…
You can use a kitty litter scooper to scoop the poop out of the sand
First aid kit… 
You need a good animal first aid kit
I’ve got another post where I empty my first aid kit and show you item by item what I keep on hand and why
Wire fencing …
If you don’t let your girls run free range, like I don’t
Because we have too many predators
Then you need some good wire fencing
I use two kinds of wire …
… half inch hardware cloth that stops most critters from being able to crawl through
… ranch wire on top of the hardware cloth because it’s a stronger welded wire
So, the predators like coyotes can’t scratch through
Feeders and Waterers… 
I’ve got a 2 waterer systems mounted on the wall… one in the run and another in the coop
This way they always have fresh water and I don’t need to worry about them if I have a busy day
For feeders I like the treadle feeders
Because the mice can’t get into the treadle feeder, they don’t weigh enough to step on the pedal The girls can easily learn how to step on the peddle to open it up to get their feed
Once the first hen learns, then they teach each other how to do it
The treadle feeder holds about 20 pounds of feed
I check it every couple days with a full feeder lasting about 4-5 days for my flock
Some essential tools to make sure that you’ve got what you need to manage your flock on a daily, weekly, monthly basis
Remember … Be The Organic U – Feed Your Soul
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