4 Must-Have Products For Raising Chickens For Busy Families

Now that I’ve been raising chickens for a while, I wanted to put together a list of what I consider to be my absolute must-have products. These products are mainly meant to make the process of raising chickens easier for you and more enjoyable.

No, they aren’t items that you MUST have in order to raise chickens. In fact, it can be super easy and inexpensive to raise chickens as long as a few basic needs are met. Chickens need food, water, shelter/protection, and space. That’s really about it.

However, I knew that I personally needed to have a few products in my arsenal to make raising chickens more practical and doable as a busy mom. From items to give me peace of mind when I’m away from home to products to protect their food and water, these items work great for our setup.

Even though I work from home, it just isn’t practical to always be checking on the chickens. I also don’t want to constantly go out to chop up frozen water in the middle of winter. Nor do I want to deal with poop-covered eggs on my dinner table!

So if you are looking to make your “job” of chicken raising a bit easier on yourself, then this list is for you! If you want to read about bring new baby chicks home for the first time and what items you might need for that process, check out my article, “Bringing Baby Chicks Home – 5 Tips On Raising Baby Chicks”.

Information Overload

When you start looking into raising chickens, you can get drowned in articles, information, tips, and products. This makes the process of raising chickens seem a bit overwhelming! Everybody and their neighbor seems to have advice for the new poultry parents-to-be!

Just looking at all the different types of coops available alone can leave someone in a panic and stressed at the prospect. (Let alone when you start to look at the price tag of some of those pre-fabricated coops!) (Side note: If you want to see how we made our chicken coop, check out my article, “Chicken Coop Features For Healthy And Safe Birds“.)

Yes, I am just another voice on the Internet. So you can take my advice or leave it – both are fine with me! I am just hoping to pass along the items that I personally enjoy and that have made my life a lot easier when it comes to raising chickens and being a busy mom!

Must-Have Products For Raising Chickens

#1 Electric Waterer

When you live in a location that experiences below-freezing temperatures, you are going to have to deal with frozen water. Whether you are raising cattle, hogs, or barn cats, at one time or another, their water will likely become as hard as a rock.

With chickens, they also have to have water to survive just like any other animal or living creature. However, if they are left without a fresh source of water for even 10 hours, your chickens can start to suffer.

So unless you want to walk out to your chicken run multiple times a day to break apart ice chunks in the middle of winter, a heated waterer is the way to go!

There are several different types on the market. You can even find ways to create your own homemade chicken heater. However, after doing lots of research, I chose a Premier 1 heated poultry waterer. They are a little bit of an investment, but you will find the waterer is well worth it in the long run! (Product Link: Premier 1 Healed Poultry Waterer)

I have had this waterer sitting in their run during sub-zero temperatures, and it still keeps it free from ice. The three recessed nipples also don’t freeze over either. In addition, the large, 3-gallon capacity is just right for my feathered ladies.

#2 Automatic Coop Door – Must-Have Products For Raising Chickens

The next must-have product for keeping chickens (in my opinion) is an automatic door opener and closer. This thing has been a life changer for me!

I love how even if I am away at my kid’s ballgame, I know the door will close and tuck the girls in safe and sound in their preditor-proof coop.

The door runs on battery power and can be set up to work via a timer. You can also set up a light sensor to open and close the door depending on the sunlight.

I like to use the time function just because of where our coop is located. As the daylight hours change, I adjust the timer as needed. Even though it runs on batteries, I typically only have to change them once a year.

#3 Treadle Feeder– Must-Have Products For Raising Chickens

The third item on my list of must-haves is a treadle feeder. Since I have a fenced-in area for the girls, I don’t go in and close the run door to the run each night. (Don’t worry, they are safely enclosed in the coop at night thanks to the automatic door.) Unfortunately, leaving their door open means that critters can access their food during the night.

But not with my treadle feeder. Essentially, the chickens have to step on the bottom shelf in order for the lid to open to access their feed. In addition, the feeder has a grate that prevents the girls from scooping out their feed and making a mess in their coop. (Product Link: Grandpa’s Automatic Treadle Feeder)

Since there isn’t any extra chicken feed on the ground, there is less chance for mice and other hungry critters to come along and have a snack. One downside to my particular feeder is that crumble feed doesn’t flow down the opening as well as pellets do. Just something to keep in mind if you go with this type of feeder.

#4 Nesting Box Pads – Must-Have Products For Raising Chickens

I like to use sand in my chicken coop and run as litter. I find that it is easy to clean, requires no strenuous cleaning days, and you can easily replace them as needed. Because of the sand, I also don’t want to use straw in my nesting boxes either.

Instead, I use nesting pads in the boxes. They are durable, washable, and can be trimmed to the exact size of your nesting box area. We actually keep ours in paint trays to give the boxes a bit of extra protection. (Product Link: 6-Pack Nesting Pads)

Do they look the most comfortable? Well, no. But chickens are not in the nesting box area to get comfortable and take a nap. They are there to lay eggs.

These nesting pads have been so great at keeping the eggs nice and clean. In addition, they are super easy to clean themselves. Since I ended up getting a set of 6, I have three I use and three as extras. If one of the chickens happens to break an egg or poops, I can simply swap it for a new one.

Most of the time, I end up with super clean eggs that I don’t have to be embarrassed to pass out to family and friends!

Honorable Mention – Must-Have Products For Raising Chickens

One last item that I wanted to add as an honorable mention is a wireless wifi camera. It is a bit of a frivolous item that doesn’t really help the chickens out. However, it provides me with peace of mind and that makes it worth it in the long run.

The one I have is an inexpensive generic brand but it works just fine for what I use it for. I do not have motion detection on or anything like that. The camera is just there for me to peek in on the chickens at night and make sure they are all inside when the automatic door closes.

Again, it’s peace of mind if I am away from home at an event and can’t immediately check on the girls. I can turn on the camera and see right away if things are a-ok at home or not.

So there you have it, my four must-haves and an honorable mention product for raising chickens. Hopefully, you can try out some of these items and make your job as a chicken keeper even easier!

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!