2025 Holiday Gift Guide Part 2: Favorite Chicken Raising Products

Today, I’m continuing my 2025 holiday gift guide with part 2, which focuses on raising chickens. Every year, I like to put out a holiday gift guide for those who enjoy gardening, raising chickens, preserving food, cooking and baking, and those who just like to live a semi homestead life. Since I have so many products that I use and love (and I ramble a bit too much!), I decided to break my list into multiple parts.

When it comes to raising chickens, the least amount of work I can do, the better! While I love my little feathered friends, I don’t want to spend hours out in the coop taking care of them when I have a husband and two active teenagers at home.

So I’ve implemented using multiple different products to make raising chickens easier. Some of these products have also helped to make the chicken coop safer for my girls, so it’s not just me who is enjoying their benefits!

I am only including items on this list that I personally use and love. (It annoys me when someone puts out a gift guide only to get links and views!) These are all items that I stand by and would recommend to my closest friends or family members.

I have attached links to all the products if you want to see the item directly. You can get most of them through Amazon or directly from the retailer’s website. This list has six items on it and includes a variety of price points. I hope you can get some inspiration from the list (or treat yourself to a thing or two)!

Chicken Raising Products: Part 2 Of My 2025 Holiday Gift Guide

1. Heated Waterer

Give your loved one or a family member the gift of not having to go out to the chicken run multiple times a day to break up chunks of ice so the girls can have water to drink. Often trudging through the snow and ice, wearing your pajamas. (Please tell me I’m not the only one who does chicken chores in their PJs?) If you live in the Midwest or North and experience winter weather that dips below 32º Fahrenheit (F), then a heated waterer is a must.

Chickens require fresh, clean water not only to help them stay healthy but to aid in their digestion. If a chicken isn’t drinking water in the winter, then they can’t digest their food. Digesting food is part of what helps keep them warm and toasty.

There are several heated waterers out there, but the one I have is from Premier 1 Supplies. It is fully enclosed, helping to keep the water fresh and clean of debris. (This makes it also nice for summer use, just without the plug.)

And the best part, it automatically turns on when the temperatures reach 40º F and then turns off at 60º F. Yes, it’s a bit of an upfront cost, but it more than pays off for me. (Product Link: Premier 1 All-Season Heated Poultry Waterer)

2. Nesting Pads – 2025 Holiday Gift Guide Part 2

Next up on my list is washable nesting pads. While you might think that chickens need some place warm and cozy to lay their eggs, that isn’t really the case. At least not the cozy part.

Chickens only really need a private, protected space that is away from the other ladies. Think of the nesting boxes more as a small washroom as opposed to a cozy bedroom.

The goal of a nesting box is to give the hens a private, quiet place to lay their eggs. The material they lay the eggs on isn’t as important. Most people like to use straw or sawdust, but these materials can encourage pests like mites to take up residence. They can also harbor moisture as well as become extremely messy, thanks to chicken mishaps that can occur during the laying process.

The nesting pads I use are plastic, reusable, and made in the USA. If they happen to get a bit dirty, I simply wash them off and replace them with another one while it dries.

Another feature I like is that I can cut them to whatever shape my nesting boxes are. (I actually use paint trays under my nest pads to help the eggs roll to the back of the boxes. You can read more about that setup in my article, “Chicken Coop Features For Healthy and Safe Birds”.) (Product Link: Duncan’s Chicken Nesting Pads)

3. Kitty Litter Scoop

Yes, you read that right! The next item on part 2 of my 2025 holiday gift guide is a kitty litter scoop with an extendable handle.

I use sand as the litter/bedding in my coop and enclosed run. There are loads of advantages to using sand as opposed to straw or other materials. (I have those all written in a separate article if you want to check them out: “Advantages Of Using Sand As Litter In Chicken Coops And Runs”.)

When it comes to cleaning out the run and coop, I simply use a kitty litter scoop. Just like you would use it for your cat, I use the scoop to gather up the chicken droppings out of the sand and deposit them into a container.

The one I purchased even has an extendable handle, which helps to save my back and reach underneath my raised coop. (The one I have is slightly different since they changed the style somewhat, but this is what I have: Product Link: Metal Cat Litter Scoop with Deep Shovel & Long Handle)

I know you can make your own homemade scoop using a rake and some very fine wire mesh, but the litter scoop and a wire sifter work just fine for our setup. Unless it’s molting season, cleanup takes less than 5 minutes, and I can go about my day. It still works well with their feathers; it just takes a bit longer, as to be expected.

4. Treadle Feeder – 2025 Holiday Gift Guide Part 2

For best practices, you should keep your chicken feed and water out of their actual coop. However, when doing this, you can run into the issue of rodents getting into your chicken feed at night.

That’s where a treadle feeder comes into play. In order to work a treadle feeder, a chicken has to step on the bottom bar and the lid will open, exposing the feed. Smaller rodents are unable to open and close the feeder since they just don’t weigh enough. (Raccoons are another story, but that’s where #5 on my list comes into play!)

But the best part of a treadle feeder is that there is basically zero feed waste. The chickens can’t beak the feed out onto the ground, encouraging even more rodents or wasted feed.

Now, the one I use has gone up in price since I bought it. However, I’ve had it for several years, and it still works just as well as the day I bought it. There are others out there on the market that you can also purchase, but a lot of times, you get what you pay for. (Here is the specific one I have – Product Link: Grandpa’s Feeders Automatic Chicken Feeder.)

5. Automatic Door

If I had to purchase only one thing on part 2 of my holiday gift guide, it would hands down be an automatic door! While it might be a bit of an extravagant gift, you never know! Call me lazy, or whatever you want, but this door is amazing to have when raising chickens! (Product Link: Omlet Automatic Chicken Coop Door Opener)

In fact, I like it so much that I actually have two of them now. One for my actual coop and one for the enclosed run. (I was having issues with raccoons eating the chicken feed at night, so the one for the run stops that problem! I also like not having to prop open the human door on their run. The smaller opening of the automatic door drastically helps in the fall with leaves blowing in, as well as keeping the enclosed run warmer in the winter.)

I can set the automatic door to open up at a specific time each day and then close at night after darkness falls. You can also set the particular one I have to open and close with dawn and dusk. However, I just like the consistency of the time setting.

It’s nice not having to worry about driving home after my daughter’s volleyball game or my son’s track meet and going out to close the door. It’s just a peace of mind knowing that my chickens are tucked in bed safe, whether I am there or not. (I do have a camera in the coop, so I can double-check that they are all accounted for. I just don’t have to physically go out to do that.)

6. Industrial Fan

Just like I use a radiant heater in their coop during the harshest winter days, I also have a fan that I run during the hot summer months. (Yes, my chickens are spoiled.)

Chickens have a much better time handling cold weather than they do the heat of summer. Because of this and the fact that we often see days in the upper 80s and 90s here in Illinois, I provide the girls with a fan inside their coop. This fan helps to keep them cool and moves the hot air around while they sleep.

I’ve had the same fan for several years now. Aside from some basic cleaning once or twice a year, the fan works great. If you decide to use a fan, just make sure the motor is sealed. It needs to be able to handle dust and elements inside an enclosed coop or barn. (Product Link: Wall Mounted Variable 14 Inches Speed Indoor/Outdoor Weatherproof Fan)

Well, there you have it, Part 2 of my 2025 Holiday Gift Guide! These are all products that will help you enjoy raising chickens while keeping them safe and comfortable at the same time!

Be sure to check back often for my other gift guides coming soon! Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!
– Chelsea

*This post may contain affiliate links. These are products I have used personally and highly recommend. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases if you purchase items through my links. These links and the ads on this page help to support my family and our semi homestead, so Thank You!