Cell phone and decent Internet makes it easy to work anywhere across America.
Less pollution and stress plus healthier way of life are driving urban folks to relocate to the rural areas.
On top of the chance to reconnect with nature, it also offers opportunities to raise animals that provide a source of income, food and companionship.
If you’re planning to construct a rural home and raise livestock on your property, here are factors that you should consider before building a barn or shed.
Why Build a Barn
Working closely with a home builder will ensure that the vision of your rural property is realized.
They will thoughtfully plan your project and consider everything that is important to you.
From designing detailed floor plans to proposing the best materials, home builders will carefully guide you throughout the construction process.
Thus, before deciding where to put a barn on your property, identify the types of livestock that you are going to keep.
The kind of animals that will live in your barn will define how it is going to be built.
An average-sized horse will be comfortable in a 10×12 stall..
Smaller animals such as Pygmy Goats, pigs or chickens will need pens with a roof.
A storage room for equipment is also useful, as is a place to store feeds and food for your animals.
Location of the Barn
An area that is well-ventilated will make a comfortable shelter for animals.
If you have a large property, the barn location should not be too far from your home so that it is easy to go there anytime to clean, feed or check on your livestock, especially during bad weather.
However, each town has different rules when it comes to the distance between where animals are being kept and cared for and your home.
So it is best to consult local building codes and ordinances.
Moreover, pay attention to prevailing winds to avoid getting the odors from the barn.
Another advantage of locating the barn close to your home is the ease of bringing electricity and running water from the house to the shed or barn.
Having lights for surveillance and security, as well as water for feeding and cleaning the area for hygiene and sanitation purposes, are vital amenities in your barn.
Consider Drainage
Often overlooked is drainage which you will need to consider when choosing a site for your livestock barn.
It is important because you will have to work on the existing drainage to avoid flooding and for the proper runoff of excess and waste water.
Otherwise, you have a muddy site that is filthy and not healthy for you, your family and livestock.
You are going to risk both human and animal health if you don’t have proper drainage.
You might need to dig some ditches to properly manage the runoff, which in turn will impact the area around your property and even the roads.
Thus, pre-planning the grading, erosion and drainage before establishing a location and building a barn.
From cleaner air to rediscovering nature, living in rural areas has several benefits.
By integrating an appropriate and well-situated barn or animal shed in a rural home build, you can enhance your experience by raising animals in a suitable environment.
Building a raised garden bed cheaply will give you more gardening opportunities and options. They are a great addition because they provide alternatives to in-ground gardening.
Garden beds can be any size and are ideal for areas with small spaces such as balconies or a rooftop. They also help gardeners grow in areas with poor soil.
Also, building a raised garden bed doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. It can be an inexpensive and somewhat simple process if you have or can borrow the tools.
Using reclaimed wood makes it inexpensive as well. You can even use cinder blocks to build a garden bed.
I wanted to share my husband’s experience building a DIY raised garden bed.
How to build a raised garden bed cheaply
Before you buy materials, it’s important to consider a few things.
Determining the location
If you have a backyard or some land, you will have more options than someone with a small space. Some things to consider are:
Level ground / flat surface
Sun direction
Water source
In the northern hemisphere, most gardeners suggest a south-facing garden. However, it’s important to consider your climate and what you will be growing.
In our situation, living in the desert in the southwestern United States, we situated ours so it won’t be in full summer sun.
You will also want to consider taller plants that may block sun from shorter/smaller ones.
Also consider how far away the water source will be. Will you have the ability to run a hose to a farther area on your property? Will you want to walk far with a watering can each time you water the garden?
In our situation, we located ours within 20 feet of our water cistern. We have a 2,600 gallon rainwater harvesting tank. Locating the raised garden bed near the water makes it convenient for us to use it.
In time, we will add a drip irrigation system to the garden bed, making it even more convenient.
How deep should a raised garden bed be?
At a minimum, your garden bed should be six inches deep.
Having 12″ of soil will be better to encourage healthy roots. Keep this in mind if you want to grow potatoes, carrots and other underground produce.
Before building, think about what you want to grow. Learn about those plants and the ideal depth for them.
The best height for a raised garden bed will depend on your access to good quality dirt and costs you may need to incur to fill the garden bed.
Tools for DIY raised garden bed
Think about what tools you have and what you might be able to borrow.
building raised garden bed
If you plan to build additional garden beds or work on other woodworking projects, you may want to buy your own saws. For the garden bed, he used a 12 inch sliding miter saw.
My husband looked on Craigslist for tools. He ended up buying several tools from one owner at an estate sale. Look online before you buy new tools. Also consider if you can go to someone’s garage to cut the wood, etc.
For this DIY raised garden bed, he used these tools:
Circular saw
Miter saw
Drill
Additional tools he used to build the garden bed were:
Wood screws and deck screws
Speed square
Eye protection, ear protection
Work gloves
Tape measure
Wood glue
Pencil
Staple gun to secure the liner
DIY raised garden bed plans
It’s important to know that with any DIY garden bed plans, you can make changes to fit your needs and the materials you have.
For example, my husband had leftover deck screws so he used them as well as the wood screws. He didn’t have nails but he could have used those instead of, or in addition to, the screws.
Remember, this is a flexible and forgiving project. It doesn’t have to be perfect!
Build Raised Garden Bed
How to build a raised garden bed cheaply
Look for materials you already have. You can build a raised garden bed from cinder blocks. You can build a raised garden bed with bricks.
My husband wanted to build a garden bed from wood with 2×6’s from another project.
In addition, he had a pile of reclaimed wood from our neighbor’s old porch he helped tear down.
If you can repurpose materials, that will make it inexpensive as well as eco-friendly.
As stated above, use whatever appropriate tools, nails, screws, and wood you already have to make a garden bed cheaply.
Using old wood to build a raised garden bed cheaply
If you are able to use pieces of wood from an old project, that’s great.
We had some leftover wood from other projects. In addition, my husband took some wood from our neighbor’s old porch they tore down.
He mostly used 2×6’s to build the garden bed.
Be sure to use untreated wood for the garden. If you do have painted or treated wood, be sure it’s facing out and not in contact with the soil.
If the pieces are treated on both sides, you can always sand it down with an orbital sander.
Determining the length and width of your garden bed
Put your 2×6 boards into two piles. Group them together by longest / tallest and shortest.
Garden bed length
Of the longer boards, take the shortest piece of wood and use it to determine the length of your raised garden bed.
Garden bed width
Of the shorter boards, do the same to determine the width.
Some additional things to consider when choosing the width:
Wide enough for two rows of planting
He wanted it at least 30″ in width to enable us to have two rows for planting.
Consider your back; bending and reaching
In addition, he didn’t want it to be too wide. He wanted us to be able to reach all the way inside the garden bed without having to bend over too far.
How high off the ground should the garden bed be?
He raised the garden bed 22″ from the ground.
Living the the southwestern part of the United States, we have lots of critters, including rattlesnakes, javelina, pack rats, etc. We wanted the height to deter as much wildlife as possible, though we are always careful.
In addition, he built a 2×6 ledge all the way around so it functions as a bench.
He thought we could sit on it, put tools on it, and sit on it in nature with a cup of tea.
Building Garden Bed
It will also work well when we harvest fruits and vegetables. We will be able to set them on the ledge.
What kind of wood should be used for raised beds?
For the sides, he used 2×6’s.
The big posts are 4×6 posts which were reclaimed and repurposed from the neighbor’s porch. He used wood screws as well as wood glue to attach the posts to give them extra support.
What type of wood you use to build the garden bed depends on a few things:
What you already have
Availability in your area
The cost
Climate where you live
The 2×6 wood pieces he had were pine and douglas fir. Our climate is dry, and rotting isn’t as much of an issue as it is in other climates.
Had he been able to access cedar or redwood planks, he would have loved them but they aren’t economical or readily available where we live.
wood for garden bed
So consider where you are and what type of wood is inexpensive and accessible.
Remember, you can build a garden bed cheaply.
Ask around if anyone has leftover wood.
Oftentimes, your neighbors may appreciate help tearing down fencing, a barn, etc. These would be good types of wood to build a garden bed with.
If you live in a damp climate, you may consider using cinder blocks for a garden bed. Then it just becomes a matter of stacking the blocks.
Using a garden bed liner
He lined the inside with a garden bed liner from the hardware store. He stapled it in the floor and sides.
Using a liner will help keep the soil moist. We live in the desert and while we will be using a drip irrigation system from our rainwater cistern, our summers get really hot.
Advantages to using a liner in your garden bed
Keep to control pests
Consider what you have growing in your area. A liner may help deter moles, pack rats, gophers, and other critters in your area.
Poor soil
We have poor quality, desert soil. There will be no benefit to using the soil beneath our raised bed.
Minimize weeds from growing
A garden liner acts as weed barrier cloth and will reduce the number of weeds that can grow.
Reduce soil loss
Helps retain moisture
What to put at the bottom of raised garden bed
It’s important to consider drainage; don’t just start filling the bottom with dirt.
Some considerations are where you live and what’s available easily and inexpensively.
filling raised garden bed with organic soil
You can line the bottom with rocks. This will help provide good drainage.
What do you fill a raised garden bed with?
Something practical and inexpensive my husband did was to use old branches from our property. He also cut down some dead branches from our mesquite and palo verde trees.
By using branches and pieces of decaying wood from your yard and/or from a wood pile, you can enrich the soil as well as be eco-friendly.
fill a raised garden bed with dead branches
He filled the bottom half of the garden bed with branches.& He remembered his grandparents doing this. As the wood decays, it releases nitrogen in the soil.
In addition, it takes up space so you don’t have to spend money on additional topsoil. It also aids with drainage.
After adding the branches, he filled it 3/4 of the way with clean fill dirt.
Next, he filled the remaining 1/4 of the garden bed with good quality garden topsoil made specifically for gardening but without additional fertilizers.
Are you starting from seed or with garden-ready starts
How much will you have to water
Do you want flowers or fruits and vegetables
Also consider if children will be helping you plant and garden. Getting some sunflower seeds and other easy-to-grow seeds and plants will make it more fun for them. (It’s also nice for the adults to have some gardening success!)
Be sure to check out your local library to see if they have a seed library.
We were able to get free seed packets from our library.
Building a raised garden bed
Small raised garden boxes next to compost pile
Putting the garden bed in the right spot
We mentioned this above but the garden bed location is essential.
Consider where the sun is.
Also, consider what might block the sun.
We purposely planned for the garden bed to be under the canopy of a mesquite tree. In the non-summer months, it will get direct sunlight.
This is ideal for our climate because the branches will keep it shaded in the summer months and will allow sun to stream through in the winter months.
Also, locating it in this spot, his thought was that while working in the garden, it will keep the direct sun off of us. It will be more enjoyable to work in it.
Advantages of a garden bed
Garden beds can be eco-friendly if you use reclaimed wood. Growing your own fruits and vegetables contribute to an environmentally friendly lifestyle.
In addition, if you are able to harvest rainwater, all the better.
Building raised garden bed
Inexpensive DIY raised garden bed
Raised garden beds provide alternatives to in-ground gardening. They can vary in size.
You can make garden beds from materials you have such as wood, bricks, or cinder blocks. This means you can build a raised garden bed cheaply.
Know that you will derive a lot of benefits from building a simple raised bed garden.
Not only are they functional and utilitarian, they can be decorative too. They can add beauty to your yard.
In addition, they are highly beneficial in areas in which the ground soil is naturally poor. A garden bed gives you options to bring in your own high quality soil. You can further enrich the soil with compost.
Raised garden beds also enable you to control the environment for the particular plants you are growing.
Once you build your first raised garden bed, it will be that much easier to build another one. With just a few simple steps, you can build your own garden bed.
Reduce Irrigation Water Usage – An irrigation system has the potential to bleed water if not carefully managed.
Why is this a problem?
Water is becoming more and more expensive as many areas become increasingly aware of its scarcity.
This is one of the best incentives for any property manager to optimize their irrigation system for lower water usage.
In addition, the environmental benefits of conscientious water usage are being more closely studied.
As a conscientious property manager, you want to put yourself ahead of the curve when it comes to environment-friendly water usage and money-saving irrigation tactics.
Reduce Irrigation Water Usage
Here are a few of the ways that a facility manager can reduce water used for irrigation on their property.
Sprinkler Controllers
The age of the old mechanical timers is gone.
Today, we have smart controllers that come with many advantages, the biggest of which is saving your irrigation system precious water.
This means not only that you’ll be doing the environment a favor but that your investment in a sprinkler controller will easily pay off in a year or two.
These controllers can be adjusted to run on different days, omit others, and water at times conducive to the different plants you have on your property.
Depending on the type of plants and soil that you have on your facility, you can change the parameters of your sprinkler controller to get the most out of the least amount of water possible.
Just remember that you have to do the leg work.
Sprinkler controllers are a huge asset but only if you do the proper research into your property’s plants, soil types, amount of sun exposure, elevation, and how all of this affects the amount of water you should be using and at what time of the day.
Plant Choice
Many facilities that prefer turf or fancy non-native plants are using an excess of water for irrigation that they really don’t need to be.
Many of the plant choices on your facility could be water sponges because they aren’t local to your region’s soil and climate.
By choosing to replace these planted areas with native plants, you could save yourself on the irrigation bill without doing anything to your sprinklers.
Property Management
Your own management is part of the deal when it comes to optimizing your property for water usage.
A sprinkler controller can only do you so much good if one of the heads is broken or not on the proper schedule.
Since you probably time the sprinklers to run after you go home, you may not know you’re losing water efficiency until your bill comes in.
This is why a savvy property manager will take a walk through the system once a week.
Turn it on and make sure everything is working properly and at the designated settings.
Good quality greenhouse equipment — an essential to gardening
Sprinkler Placement
If you manage a facility, you want the plant life to look lively to reflect the management practices of your property.
If you see a dry, brown patch in the turf, your instinct will probably be to increase the time the sprinklers are on or the amount of water they put out.
This is needlessly wasteful since a dry patch is rarely a result of too little water but more likely due to an ineffective distribution of the sprinkler system itself.
If the sprinkler heads aren’t placed evenly, there will be gaps in the turf that aren’t getting irrigated.
Mapping out your planted area to make sure that the sprinkler system is distributed evenly will ensure that no dry patches crop up within the system.
You may initially think that higher water pressure will increase your sprinkler’s efficiency, but pressure needs to be optimized rather than maximized.
If the pressure is too high, the water drops become thinner and susceptible to being intercepted by the wind.
Depending on the wind in your area, this could mean a good amount of the water you’re paying for being flown off-site by gusts of wind.
Reduce the water pressure to a reasonable level.
This will make your water “heavier” and more likely to fall onto your property where it belongs.
Drip Irrigation
You may not be getting the most efficient water usage out of your old-fashioned sprinkler or surface irrigation system.
Consider switching your facility over to a drip irrigation system, which has been designed to be even more efficient and water conservative.
A drip irrigation system distributes water slowly and directly into the soil with the goal of getting as much water to the roots of your plants while minimizing the amount of evaporation inherent in conventional sprinkler systems.
A network of tubes and valves works to give your property the most efficient water usage possible by attempting to eliminate the wind drift we talked about, evaporation from sun exposure, and excessive runoff.
Best Rainwater Harvesting System for Your Homestead
The Takeaway
Depending on the size of your property or facility, the irrigation system is probably a huge money sink for you.
When looking at your water bill, you may wonder if there’s anything you can do to optimize this system for efficient water usage.
The actions you can take come in two main categories: things you can do and things you can install.
In the first category, a conscientious manager will check their property every week to make sure the sprinklers are working, use the best practices for pressure regulation, and shift over to native plants with less extravagant water requirements.
In the second category, a sprinkler controller that does the work for you can be a huge benefit to a conventional irrigation system.
A new drip irrigation system could be even more effective at conserving water than your own efforts have been.
Regardless, the outcome of employing these practices will be more water conserved for your local environment and more money saved for you when it comes to your utility bill each month.
Owning chickens is a valuable experience for many people, and those who don’t have experience with these pets may be surprised at just how much joy they can bring into your life.
Best Chicken Coops: A Review
To find out more about the best chicken coops to house your friends, we found products perfect for both beginners and experienced chicken owners; you simply need to find out which chicken coop will work best for your particular needs.
Pets Imperial Double Savoy Chicken Coop
The Pets Imperial Double Savoy Chicken Coop is a large coop that is, in many ways, quite fancily fit for a flock of around six to ten birds depending on their size.
It’s a high-end option that absolutely belong on our list of Best Chicken Coops that has nearly everything that you need to have for a great chicken set up.
The Double Savory from Pets Imperial is a high-end, well-outfitted chicken coop that offers a wide number of things for every chicken owner: two nesting boxes, lots of space, four perches, an openable roof, and more.
The animal-treated tinder should last for years of use, and there is a galvanized droppings tray that can you can remove easily.
This coop comes disassembled, but it does include the instructions needed to make it into the perfect coop.
Pets Imperial Double Savoy Chicken Coop Good and Bad
Each bird, if you keep six chickens in this coop, will have their own comfortable resting spot at night because the two nesting boxes are divided into six individual compartments; this can make chickens very happy.
Additionally, this large coop has been built to last for a long time.
It has plastic caps on the feet to prevent rotting, animal-treated timber to ensure the wood doesn’t rot, a high-quality roofing material, and galvanized metal for the tray so that it doesn’t get rusty or wear out easily.
This coop does not include its own run, so you will need to have it built to accompany this coop.
That said, Pets Imperial does market their run, which you can set up easily in conjunction with this coop for great chicken-raising results.
This coop and nesting box combination offers a good amount of space and quality alongside an appealing, red barn-inspired design.
The Petsfit Weatherproof Outdoor Coop is made from solid, rain-resistant wood that is very durable, so you can expect this to last for a long time.
It has gaps in the bottom for ventilation and removable floor panels for easy cleaning.
This coop also has nesting boxes on the side with compartments for two hens, and you can remove the eggs by opening the top of it since it is hinged.
This specific coop is big enough for three or four chickens, and you will need to set up a separate outdoor run as one is not attached.
Petsfit Weatherproof Outdoor Chicken Coop Good and The Bad
This is an affordable coop that has a tiny footprint that can hold up to four chickens.
The architecture of this coop is better than most since it has an appealing exterior design, and you can put it easily into a yard or fenced area where you intend to let your chickens roam around.
One of the big drawbacks of this coop is that you cannot remove the top, which makes it more challenging to clean.
However, you can remove the bottom so you can simply use a hose to hose it down and then let all of the water go out the bottom.
Also, the nesting boxes, thankfully, have tops that can open so that you can clean the area more easily when needed.
The BestPet Chicken Coop is a great run for chickens that you can set up easily next to an existing henhouse or another nesting area.
The BestPet Chicken Coop Playpen is a large, secure run area that you can easily move around and organize as needed.
You can use it when chickens need outdoor time and space to run or when you want to bring them indoors from a dangerous storm or other elements.
Pros and Cons of BestPet Chicken Coop
This coop is a very lightweight setup that is easy to use, offers some rain protection with an included tarp, and you can move around to set your chickens up in a new area when necessary.
The name-of-the-game with this playpen is “ease”.
This playpen cannot be used as a standalone chicken coop but is a great way to turn a henhouse into a complete chicken compound.
Chickens need indoor space for sleeping and nesting when possible, and they can also use this type of outdoor run space to exercise, get sun, and play in the dirt.
Easy to set up
Lightweight
Can be made portable
Can be used inside or outside
Needs to be used in conjunction with nesting box or henhouse
It is one of the best options for those who are completely new to chickens, and it is, in many ways, all-inclusive.
This 80” chicken coop is made from weather-resistant, animal-treated natural fir wood, so you expect it to be very durable.
Also, the chicken wire used is galvanized and stands up to the elements.
The setup includes a henhouse as well as a small outdoor exercise area, a nesting box, and a rooftop that you can open and close when needed.
This small coop-and-pen setup is big enough for about three to four birds, so it is especially ideal for those who are just getting started.
Best Choice Chicken Coop
This product is a complete setup, and you can get started with raising your chickens without the need to buy much more than feed and bedding once you have it.
Many henhouses or coops do not have an attached run, so you have to either let chickens roam your yard or set up your own run before you can use the coop.
This coop has it all included for you, so you can just focus on your new pets and what they need most from you.
One problem that people had with this particular setup was that the hinged door to the nesting box doesn’t lock, so some smart critters like raccoons will eventually learn how to open it and steal the eggs.
You can prevent this easily by just adding your own lock or latch mechanism and then using that to get to the eggs when you need to.
Beginner-friendly
Two nesting spots in a single box
Good for two to four hens
Easy to assemble
Can be painted
Need to treat the wood for extra weather resistance
Finally, the last among our top options is the SnapLock Formex Chicken Coop, which is a high-end coop made to be as easy as possible to set up, clean, and manage.
But is it worth the extra cost?
This SnapLock Formex Chicken Coop can hold up to four to six large hens or six to 12 bantams depending on what you are raising, and it is made from highly durable Formex plastic.
This material is resistant to water, chemical, UV, and impact, and is also very easy to clean.
The coop also has three, 36-inch long roosts as well as four nesting spots with removable dividers.
SnapLock Chicken Coop
The two main things that this coop offers is convenience and comfort.
For you, it’s convenient because it takes less than fifteen minutes to snap together, and everything from cleaning to gathering eggs will take less time thanks to its smart design.
For the chickens, it’s comfortable because there are lots of elevated roosting bars, many egg-laying areas, and good ventilation that will keep them happy and healthy.
There is no attached run for this coop, and it’s already expensive on its own.
Still, you can invest in it, knowing that it will last for a long time, even if you decide to change up the size or location of the run so that you can easily use it through many configurations.
There are hundreds of different chicken coop options on the market, and there are even more chicken coop designs that you could build yourself if you wanted to go that route.
How can you know which type of coop will be right for your home and family?
Ultimately, you should prioritize four things when you are shopping around for a chicken coop: safety, space, ventilation, and ease of cleaning.
Safety
Make sure that any chicken coop that you choose is set up for safety.
You want to protect the chickens from outside dangers such as predators, the weather, and disease.
It is best to choose a chicken coop with an elevation or elevating since it will help to deter predators, which usually dig holes to come through the ground into the coop.
If the coop you choose rests directly on the ground, though, you can deter predators with a layer of stone underneath of the coop.
You also want to be sure that the roof and general construction will keep the chickens safe from the elements.
Chickens don’t like rain, in particular, so ensuring that the roof will keep water out is very important for the overall happiness of your flock.
Space
You always want to be sure that your coop has enough space for your chickens.
Depending on the number of chickens that you own or want to own, you will want to be sure that the coop can fit them all without being overcrowded since crowding can cause both social and medical problems.
Generally speaking, you should make sure there are at least three square feet per chicken inside the chicken coop as well as an additional 10 square feet per chicken for the outside run area.
If chickens don’t have enough space, it will cause a slew of problems.
Another size factor that you want to consider is whether or not the coop has nesting boxes.
Nesting boxes provide a cool, dark place for your chickens to lay eggs, and you can expect each chicken to lay at least one egg every day, except in winter.
Nesting boxes are extra areas in the coop that aren’t disturbed and are locked lower than any perches so that laying the eggs is easy, and the box remains clean.
If your coop doesn’t include its own nesting boxes in the space, you will need to set these up and have them attached to the coop and run.
That would mean more setup work for you, though.
Ventilation
Chicken coops need to be airy because, without proper ventilation, they will become smelly houses of health problems and coop problems for your pets and eggs.
An ideal coop will have a minimum of two points of ventilation, preferably with those points located in or near the roof.
If the ventilation points are right at chicken-height-level, the chickens will be unhappy because they do not enjoy it when drafts ruffle their feathers.
This is a vital feature, so make sure that you check into the ventilation type and areas that are available in any coop you are considering to buy.
Ease of Cleaning
Nobody will want to say this upfront, but chicken coops are very messy!
That’s just a fact of owning chickens, and it is something that you will need to accept about this life.
As such, it’s key that you choose a chicken coop that is as easy to clean as possible.
What does this look like? Ideally, any coop that you choose should include the following:
An easy way to get inside
A removable roof
A removable or large door
Multiple ways to get into every area
Removable nesting boxes and perches
With all of those features, it will be easy to get inside and clean up all the extra feathers, dirt, and droppings.
You will also be able to hose down the entire coop from time to time if you can remove the nesting boxes and perches.
Otherwise, cleaning will become quite difficult because the layout and size of the coop will restrict you!
Chicken Coop FAQs
1. What Do Chicken Coops Need?
There are a few essential things that every chicken coop needs to have in order to for it to be a successful and practical setup:
Nesting boxes for the safe, protected laying of eggs
Perches
Outside run area (at least 10 square feet per chicken)
Inside coop area (at least four square feet per chicken)
At least two ventilation holes for airflow
Removable roof for easy cleaning
Elevated base or stone under the coop to deter predators
Feeder and water containers
Feed
Chicken wire and wood for constructing outdoor run, if applicable
As you can see, there can be quite a lot of things that you need to set up your chicken coop.
If you buy a coop that includes a run area and nesting boxes, you can save money by not needing to get as many additional items as possible.
2. What Size Coop Do You Need for Six Chickens?
Generally, you should have at least four square feet of inside coop space per chicken and 10 square feet of outdoor run space per chicken.
For a six-bird flock, you will need to have a coop with at least 24 square feet to prevent any social or medical issues.
These numbers are a little bit flexible, but you should never have less than three square feet in the coop per chicken.
3. Why Are Chicken Coops Elevated?
Chicken coops are typically elevated to prevent predators, such as foxes, from breaking into the coop by digging underground and coming up through the bottom area.
Additionally, a raised coop prevents both mice and rats from finding the coop to be an appealing place for nesting.
The elevation also helps to ensure that air flows around the entire coop, which can regulate temperature and create a safer environment.
Chickens also have the instinct to go up and above ground, especially at night, so an elevated coop encourages them to go inside to roost.
4. How Often Should You Clean Chicken Coop?
Most chicken coop owners clean out their coop every week or every other week, but the exact frequency will depend on your climate, the weather conditions, and how messy your chickens are.
We recommend cleaning your coop every week, and you may want to make sure that you rake out droppings from inside the actual henhouse area every single day to make this job easier.
It is imperative to clean out the coop at least every week because ammonia released from the chicken droppings can actually be very damaging for your little chickens.
Every week, here is what you should try to do:
Remove all chicken droppings
Clear out old bedding
Use a mixture of white vinegar and water to scrub any problem spots
Hose off the whole coop, if possible
Allow it to air dry before adding new bedding
Add new bedding
5. Do Chickens Need Light in Their Coop?
Chickens do not need light in their coop, but some chicken owners choose to add different types of lights for various reasons.
In areas where there is limited sunlight, you can use lights to simulate daylight and help chickens to continue their egg-laying cycle even when there isn’t enough sun.
Chickens originate from equatorial climates, so they do not usually lay eggs in the winter because they need at least 12 to 14 hours of sunlight a day to be regulated properly.
Adding lights, however, can also be stressful for hens, so you should do it in limited amounts and with a great deal of caution.
Preferably, this kind of light would only be used for an hour or two at most to extend the egg-laying season.
Other chicken owners add a simple light on a timer that they only use when they are cleaning their coop, gathering eggs, or feeding their flock.
Finally, some chicken owners set up a red light in the coop that runs for longer periods because of the perceived benefits, such as being able to see better, helping to prevent pecking, and just generally keep them happier.
As you can see, there are many great choices when it comes to the best chicken coops.
Each of the coops we reviewed has a set of unique features and finding the one that fits best for your flock will take some time.
To make your decision easier, remember that you need to focus on the primary things from our buyer’s guide: safety, space, ventilation, and ease of cleaning. Best Wire For Chicken Coops
If you focus on these areas when you are choosing your coop, you will be less likely to regret whichever coop you end up with because it will fit the needs of managing your flock successfully.
Thus, we’ve researched a few different practical methods on how to keep animals out of garden without fences.
While it may not be impossible to keep them out for good, you can definitely reduce the amount of damage they do.
How to Keep Animals Out of Garden Without Fences
Here are some of the ways you can keep animals out of garden without fences and keep your garden safe from animals:
Determine the Type of Critters
Depending on where you live, there will be different types of animals doing damage to your garden.
Identifying what type of critter can help you successfully manage what kind of methods are needed to prevent them from coming back.
Some common critters that tend to wander into gardens are deer, rabbits, and groundhogs.
Looking for tracks in the soil can help you identify what type of critter goes into your yard.
Deer: Deer tend to leave behind hoof marks and will leave nibble marks on shrubbery.
Rabbits: This animal tends to leave tiny footprints and snip away at small wooded plants.
Groundhog: If you notice burrows, damages to leaves on plants, or pellet droppings, then you may have a groundhog. They typically will make a home near your garden and are quite noticeable once you look for specific markings.
Bird: The last type of animal that you may find ruining your garden is birds. They tend to pick at any crop they can lay their hands on, even when it’s not done growing. Birds aren’t picky eaters, which is why it’s a bit more challenging to get rid of them.
Change the Types of Plants in Your Garden
One method that doesn’t suit everyone but is an alternative is to switch up the types of plants you’re growing.
Plants that are less enticing to animals are less likely to get eaten by them.
Although, when animals are desperate for food, they eat everything.
Plants with pungent smells, prickly textures, or fuzzy exteriors tend to bother animals.
Sprinkle Coffee Grounds Around Plants
If you’re looking for a more natural repellent, coffee grounds tend to ward off critters.
Sprinkle a small amount of coffee grounds around each plant, and it will keep away cats, bugs, and little critters.
The grounds won’t damage any of the plants and will compost over time.
Try Using Repellents
A modern solution is using plant repellents designed to keep animals away.
These are generally inexpensive and can keep specific types of critters from coming into your garden.
There are natural and artificial types of repellants, so you can switch it up if necessary.
Natural repellants include the following:
Castor oil
Garlic clippings
Predator urine
Hot pepper extract
Artificial repellants include:
Ultrasonic sounds
Chemical sprays
Noisemakers
Consider Trapping Techniques
Not everyone agrees with trapping techniques, but they can definitely be useful if other methods haven’t worked.
Not all traps are inhumane and can help deter animals from going near your garden.
It only takes being trapped once or twice before critters change their mind about wandering into your space.
Live traps include steel mesh and spring-loaded doors.
These traps trick wildlife into the materials and then trap them alive.
In some provinces, it can be illegal to use or relocate wildlife, so be sure to check state laws.
Hunting can also be a good alternative to keeping critters out of your garden.
However, we understand that not as many people prefer this method.
Plus, state laws may prohibit you from hunting certain types of animals.
So, we’d only suggest this to gardeners located in legal hunting areas.
Invest in a Guard Pet
Animals tend to be wary of other animals in the area.
Investing your money into a house pet can be an effective method at warding off any critters.
Small critters will easily be scared off by dogs or cats.
That said, you’ll need to avoid getting household pets if you’re facing predator critters like foxes or wolves.
Dogs generally work well for scaring off larger breeds of animals, but can sometimes cause a mess in your garden.
Training your pet to be a guard dog is recommended, or else, you’ll end up with dug up plants.
Cats, on the other hand, make less of a mess but tend to ward off smaller animals.
Their urine gives off a specific smell that can scare away voles, gophers, or rabbits.
The only downside is that they aren’t as effective as dogs and will less likely guard the area.
Use Wire Cloches
If you only have a select few plants that are being disturbed, then switching to wire cloches may be the solution.
These are small wired mesh covers that help protect against animals.
They are very effective at keeping smaller critters away from thriving crops, but they only cover a small area.
They work exceptionally well with rooted plants such as lettuce, broccoli, and small strawberry bushes.
The mesh design comes in numerous sizes, so you can easily find one that works well for your garden.
The only downside is that larger animals may be able to knock over or remove these meshes, as they are lightweight.
Place Alternative Food Sources
A significant reason for animals going after your garden is that they lack food in their natural environment.
When food sources get scarce, they will tend to eat anything they can get their hands on, including plants that they usually wouldn’t consider eating.
Identifying if they’re using your garden as a food source can help you take measures to prevent them from nibbling on crops.
Placing alternative food sources in other areas outside your garden may be able to deter them from eating them. Of course, you’ll have to research the animal’s favorite type of food; otherwise, they will still eat your crops.
Nuts and Seeds: For birds, we recommend placing bird feeders at the end of your property. Smaller critters will also climb up the trees and eat nuts and seeds from the bird feeder.
Food Pellets: For larger animals, we recommend placing herbivore plants or food pellets.
While this can be an excellent method for deterring critters from your garden, it can end up attracting more critters’ attention.
Making the food less readily available is your best option, as an abundance of a food source can cause more critters to rely on the food.
Counting how many critters wander onto your property can help you make a better estimation of how much food to place down.
Install Automatic Sprinklers
If you can’t get critters to stop wandering into your garden, then an excellent way to spook them is to use automatic sprinklers.
Many sprinkler systems are motion-triggered and can easily scare off skittish animals.
While this can be an effective method, wind, leaves, or any moving object can also trigger the sprinklers.
We highly recommend using the sprinkler system only if you have a few critters attacking your crops.
If you install motion-sensitive sprinklers while having a lot of critters, it may cause the plants to become overwatered.
Plus, this is only a practical method if you’re using it against smaller critters.
Larger animals may just ignore the sprinklers and use it as a water source.
If this method fails, you can always use the sprinkler system to water your garden.
Use Noise, Lights, or Motion Activated Traps
If all else fails, then it’s time to invest in unconventional methods.
Sharp noises or music can be an excellent alternative to scaring away critters.
While your neighbors may not appreciate it, you can turn up the volume on the radio or speakers.
Another suitable unconventional method is to invest in motion-activated lights.
Many animals tend to make their move either early in the morning or late at night.
If you can’t play noise or music at those times, then using lights can be useful.
What Garden Plants Need Lime works like magic on many plants by reducing the acidity of the soil, thereby increasing pH levels.
For those of you not familiar with the pH level, it describes how much acid or alkaline is in your soil.
If there’s too much acidity in the soil where you live, along with high levels of other toxic materials such as aluminum, garden plants will struggle to get the nutrients they require to thrive and survive.
With the pH, it’s possible to calculate how much lime is needed to reduce the acidity so your selection of plants will flourish.
Since not all plants require lime, we’ve put together this handy guide to give you an idea of what garden plants need lime and what doesn’t, as well as how to go about the liming process.
What Garden Plants Need Lime and What Doesn’t?
To ensure that you are not doing more harm to your plants than good, you must make sure they really require lime.
Plants That Need Lime
If you’ve decided to grow a vegetable patch, then the kind of plants that will benefit from lime include legumes such as peas and broad beans.
Other popular homegrown vegetables that benefit from lime include onions, garlic, parsnips, asparagus, and English spinach.
Fruit trees, including apple trees, are also far less likely to yield abundant fruits and reach their full potential if the soil is too acidic.
In terms of flowers, you might consider adding lime to decorative and ornamental style gardens populated with variants of gypsophila, delphiniums, and buddleia.
Shrubs that prefer acidic soils are American Holly, sweet bay magnolias, and mountain laurel.
Plants That Do Not Need Lime
You don’t want to discover the hard way that your crops and flower beds aren’t suitable for lime.
Unfortunately, there are several plants that will react badly to lime.
For instance, you should never add lime to sweet potatoes and regular potato crops.
Also, you should not consider adding lime if you are growing capsicums or tomatoes.
Many types of popular berries also prefer a more acidic soil environment to flourish, so they won’t react favorably if you add lime.
Among those, we’re singling out blueberry bushes, strawberries, and raspberries.
The same can also be said for grapes which again, thrive in more acidic conditions.
In terms of flowers that don’t react well to lime, there are plenty so you should most definitely err on the side of caution.
We’re talking about species such as magnolia, azalea, Japanese maples, daphne, and rhododendrons.
What if Your Plant Isn’t on the List?
There are many more than what we’ve mentioned and it’s impossible to provide an exhaustive list so do your research and ask at your local garden center, or you may do the following:
Soil pH Testing
We also always recommend that you first carry out a soil pH test to be confidently assured that lime is necessary.
Also, if you’re planting what are known as perennial plants, such as lawn grasses, shrubs, and trees, then we recommend you to check the level of acidity in your soil.
If it’s too high, then lime should be added.
In terms of the accepted levels to look out for, a pH level of 7.0 is considered neutral.
If your soil has a measurement above 7.0, it denotes it’s alkaline whereas under 7.0 is acid.
If you’re planning to make changes and adjustments to your garden, perhaps by designing a new area to integrate with existing established plants or adding a vegetable plot, always re-test your soil’s pH level.
That way, you will have a better chance of success when it comes to the healthy and abundant growth of any fruit and vegetable crops you plant.
Testing itself can be carried out at any time but if it’s carried out within three months of adding another organic matter such as fertilizer, it could skew your results and be misleading.
Identify the Plant’s Natural Habitat
Another way of determining the soil preference of the plants you’re planning to grow is to reference their natural habitat.
Plants from the Rocky Mountains for example and the high Sierras or other heavy granite-based terrains won’t tolerate lime at all.
On the other hand, plants from the western plains are far more lime-tolerant.
These days, a lime deficiency is considered to be one of the principal factors contributing to poor growth, particularly in easter gardens.
One of the challenges is that lime lovers divide flower families so again, please do your research if you want your garden to flourish.
The Lime Application Process
Now, if your plants require lime, here are the things that you should be familiar with:
Considerations
To go about the lime application process, here are the things to keep in mind:
When to Apply
It’s standard procedure for best gardening practices to add lime during the winter months, especially for your annual crops.
Lime should be added just prior to digging the soil so that the lime can bed down and take effect over the harsh winter months and not cause any damage to young, winter vegetables.
Effectivity
Do note that lime can take years to have any effect, especially if it’s just applied to the surface around already established plants and shrubs in your garden, so you should be regularly tilling and sowing the soil.
Frequency
It’s important to note that lime is not a fertilizer and shouldn’t be used as such.
Its principal purpose is to raise the pH level of your soil. That’s why it enables some plants to positively thrive and flourish whereas, for others, it makes them desperately unhappy!
We all want a garden full of happy plants at the end of the day, don’t we?
If you remove the acidity they crave from the soil surrounding them, they’ll struggle to survive.
They definitely won’t be delivering an abundance of beauty which is what you’re striving for.
It shouldn’t be necessary to add lime more frequently than every two years.
Liming Materials
In today’s guide to what garden plants need lime, we thought it would additionally be beneficial to take a look at how to lime and specifically what materials are required.
It’s normally added in the form of a limestone product commonly referred to as “garden lime”.
This contains an ingredient known as calcium carbonate and is recommended because it’s easy to spread and widely available to purchase.
Other options include calcified seaweed and ground chalk.
Ground magnesium limestone, known as “dolomite lime”, which is incredibly rich in both magnesium carbonate and calcium carbonate can also be used.
It’s an excellent option if the soil where you live is lacking in magnesium and can provide a much-needed source of plant nutrition.
Hydrated lime, the kind that is typically sold for use by the building trade, is also acceptable to use.
This is a much finer powder. Its benefit is that it works quickly but on the flip side, it can irritate your eyes and cause damage to the skin if not handled correctly.
Method of Application
If you are applying more than 0.5kg per square meter (14 ¾ oz per square yard), we suggest that you dig half of the lime into the soil and sprinkle the rest on the surface after digging.
If you’re applying much less than that amount, the best action is to dig the entire amount in.
It is, however, possible to sprinkle lime on the surface around your plants and flowerbeds if digging isn’t a practical consideration.
Quantity
In terms of the recommended quantities to apply, that’s likely to be determined by the type of soil that you have.
Clay content in soil can resist changes in pH, referred to as buffering capacity.
That means more lime will be required to be effective.
We’ve made some recommendations below of the quantity of garden lime you’d require based on certain soil types and areas.
This is based on using a commonly available calcium carbonate product that you should be able to purchase in any local gardening center.
For the majority of most garden plants, the best all-round pH is considered to be pH6.5, which is what the below calculations should deliver.
Clay Soil
Original pH of Soil
Kilograms per sqm
Ounces per sqyd
6.0
0.6
17 ¾
5.5
1.0
29 ½
5.0
1.4
41 ¾
4.5
1.8
53
Loam Soil
Original pH of Soil
Kilograms per sqm
Ounces per sqyd
6.0
0.5
14 ¾
5.5
0.8
23 ½
5.0
1.2
35 ¼
4.5
1.5
44 ¼
Sandy Soil
Original pH of Soil
Kilograms per sqm
Ounces per sqyd
6.0
0.4
11 ¾
5.5
0.7
20 ½
5.0
1.0
29 ½
4.5
1.3
38 ¼
Cautions and Problems
Please be sure to take good care when handling builders’ lime in particular.
This type of hydrated lime can cause irritation to the skin and eyes so we recommend that you wear safety goggles and protective gloves when handling this substance.
That way, you can protect against any potential adverse reaction.
You may find that your plants suffer from a disease known as clubroot if your soil contains insufficient lime levels.
Other plant nutrient deficiencies can also be as a result of too much acid in your soil or even too alkaline conditions.
What Garden Plants Need Lime
Lime helps reduce the acidic levels in soil, allowing them to thrive better, but you must always check your soil’s pH level whenever you intend planting something new. That way, you can be sure that the environment is appropriate for the specific plants.
Just as the best results are obtained by lime-loving plants when special consideration is given to the soil conditions they’re in, the same is true for acid-loving plants.
It’s a good idea to keep all your acidic-loving plants together in one location so that it’s easier to administer lime without damaging any of your other plants and shrubs that prefer different conditions to thrive.
So wherever practical, try to keep them together in one bed or neighboring beds.
If you’re thinking about keeping chickens, or maybe you already do keep chickens, it’s important to invest in the best chicken feeder to prevent waste.
Chicken feed isn’t expensive, but it can quickly become a costly investment if it allows for a lot of waste or easy access for other animals.
Pick your chicken feeder from our list below.
This will ensure you’ll get the most out of your investment when it comes to the feeder and the food supply.
Best Chicken Feeder to Prevent Waste Review
RentACoop Chicken Feeder
The first product to make it to our list is this fantastic offering from RentACoop.
With a completely waterproof design and two feeding ports, it has an incredible capacity that will come in really handy for those who want low-maintenance feeding.
The first thing that stands out about this chicken feeder from RentACoop is the extra-large capacity it offers.
It holds an amazing 20 pounds of feed at once, so you only have to refill it once a month for feeding two hens!
We also really like how easy it is to refill since you just pop off the lid, pour in the feed, and replace the lid.
The simple bucket-based design leaves very little that could possibly go wrong with it, meaning it will last you for years to come.
The chicken has to poke it’s head fully into the feeding port to access the food, which means it can save you a lot of feed from being wasted.
Unfortunately, the RentACoop Chicken Feeder isn’t effective with very young chicks because they can crawl inside the feeding port, so they would still be able to create waste by scratching around.
You can place the feeder indoors or outdoors since it’s completely waterproof, protecting the feed from rain.
Nonetheless, the design is great for deterring other birds, squirrels, mice, and rats, so you won’t use more feed than necessary.
The RentACoop Chicken Feeder is also 100% food-grade plastic and comes fully assembled and, therefore, ready to be used straight away.
It’s recommended for four to six hens, but you may wish to purchase more if you have a particularly timid bird in your flock.
RentACoop Chicken Feeder Pros and Cons
The RentACoop Chicken Feeder is very good at preventing waste because the chicken needs to stick its head right inside the feeder to get at the feed.
We also love the large capacity that this feeder offers.
The RentACoop Chicken Feeder can’t prevent waste from very young chicks, and while it does deter other neighborhood vermin, it isn’t wholly pest-proof.
The second chicken feeder to make it to our list is the rat-proof device from PestOff.
This is a great choice if you suspect that you’re losing more feed to the local rats than you are to your chickens.
This chicken feeder from PestOff prevents food waste, especially if you are losing feed to local wildlife as it’s completely pest-proof.
The feeder has a pending patent design that features individually spring-loaded feeding ports, allowing only chickens to feed, not pests.
The Roamwild PestOff Rat Proof Chicken Feeder also has a decent capacity of around eight pounds.
With two feeding windows, it is recommended for flocks with around four to six hens.
The feeder comes with a chain and brackets which you can mount, allowing you to suspend the feeder in the air.
The design allows the ports to shut off with the weight of the pest hanging on to the feeder trying to access the food.
As the rat or squirrel holds on to the feeder, the port slides closed under their weight and the food is closed off.
Your chickens, however, being taller, can happily peck away for hours on end!
The Roamwild PestOff Rat Proof Chicken Feeder is weatherproof, so the feed isn’t wasted when it rains, and it doesn’t clog up in the feeding port.
This feeder also comes with a guarantee included that offers your money back, in full, if you’re not 100% satisfied.
What we Like and Dislike About Roamwild PestOff Rat Proof Chicken Feeder
We love the fact that the Roamwild PestOff Rat Proof Chicken Feeder is completely pest-proof, preventing wastage of feeds overnight due to squirrels, mice, and rats.
This feeder must hang off the ground due to its slim, top-heavy design.
The pest-proof feature also won’t work on the ground.
100% pest-proof design
Comes with hanging brackets and chain
Weatherproof
Suitable for indoor and outdoor use
Easy to refill
Must be suspended
Limited capacity
The spring-loaded mechanism needs regular washing to retain function
It seems that RentACoop sure has mastered the art of offering chicken feeders with great capacities!
Another chicken feeder from RentACoop but with a really different design for those who prefer metal feeders.
This feeder can’t be hung but needs to be screwed to the outside of your chicken coop walls, or it can sit on a stand.
You can remove the lid easily, and up to 25 pounds of feed can be added at one time.
The RentACoop Outdoor Chicken Feeder is made from metal, making it more durable, although some customers have complained that it has arrived slightly dented.
It is based on an undercover trough design at the bottom with metal bars to keep other wildlife out.
There’s no way that your hens could scratch around in the food, and pests would find it very difficult to reach the food, so waste is massively minimized.
There is also a large roof that extends forward, covering the entire trough area so that rain can’t get in and spoil your feed.
RentACoop Outdoor Chicken Feeder Good and Bad
We love the way this feeder looks, and as the largest capacity feeder on our list, this would be an excellent option for keeping low-maintenance chickens.
It would be pretty annoying if the feeder turned up with dents in it.
RentACoop is happy to accept returns if this happens, though, or you can bash them out yourself with a hammer.
Last but not least, the fifth feeder to make it to our list is the treadle feeder from Happy Henhouse.
This premium feeder is unique to this list because it is the only feeder that is perfect for feeding a mixed flock.
Our last feeder from Happy Henhouse is made from 100% rust-proof aluminum, which makes it an ideal feeder for both indoors and outdoors.
It can be used in any climate and is really durable, meaning it will last you for years to come.
The Happy Henhouse Treadle Feeder holds up to 20 pounds of food, so you don‘t need to refill it very often, and with different feeding trays, it can hold three different types of feed.
It keeps the food enclosed and reduces waste by featuring bars across the feeding trays to stop your chickens from wasting the food.
The feeder opens automatically when your chickens step onto the platform, and its soft close lid won’t hurt your chickens when it closes.
Once your chickens return to roost, the feeder closes so that other local wildlife can’t access the contents.
The Happy Henhouse Treadle Feeder also has a patented design.
Poultry enthusiasts designed it carefully, and it is suitable for all breeds of chicken, as well as other poultry.
It comes fully assembled and includes a training guide to help you teach your chickens how to use it.
It needs just over one pound of weight to activate the lid, so it wouldn’t be suitable for very young chickens.
Happy Henhouse Treadle Feeder
We love the fact that the Happy Henhouse Treadle Feeder has three different feeding trays, which means you can feed your other poultry from the same feeder.
We also love that it is made from 100% rust-free aluminum.
You would need a second feeder for younger chicks when you have them.
100% rust-proof
Suitable for all climates
Weight activated
Doesn’t need to be hung or fixed anywhere
Can offer a mix of different feeds and water
Not suitable for younger chickens
Will take a bit of training for your chickens to use
Before choosing the chicken feeder that is best for you, it is best to know what features to look for and understand each of them.
That is because there are a lot of different options available these days, and they all differ slightly, depending on your flock size, needs, and preferences.
Some of the things you should consider before making your final choice are the type of feeder you want, the materials it’s made from, the size, and the cost.
Find out why those factors are important.
1. Feeder Type
There are many different types of chicken feeders available.
Which one is best for you will depend on where you plan to put it, as well as the size of your flock.
Here are the various types you can choose from:
Open Container
An open container, such as a bucket or bowl, can work well but ideally only for your short-term needs, while you look at other options.
Not only is it open to pests and outside contamination, but you’re also likely to see a lot of wastage as the chickens will scratch around in it, sending food flying everywhere!.
Trough Chicken Feeder
This type of feeder is great if you have a larger flock since it allows all of your chooks to eat at the same time.
You can’t fill up these types of feeders too much, though, since you’re likely to have the same problem as with the open container.
Bell Chicken Feeder
These are great for cooped up smaller flocks, or you can use several of these for larger flocks.
You can also hang this feeder easily to help prevent wastage.
Treadle Chicken Feeder
If you have free-range hens, then treadle chicken feeders are great since your chooks can access the food, but not vermin.
Metal treadle chicken feeders will also have the added benefit of being waterproof so that the feed doesn’t spoil if it rains.
PVC Chicken Feeder
These chicken feeders have really good capacity and will help to minimize wastage from spills.
The only drawback is that you might need one of these for every chicken you have, as only one bird can feed at a time.
2. Material (Plastic/Steel)
The material your feeder is made from is important since it will affect how durable and long-lasting it is.
It may also affect the weight of the feeder, which is important if you plan on hanging it.
3. Size
Size or capacity is also essential since ideally, you’ll want all of your chicks to be able to eat at the same time, plus it will affect how often you have to feed them.
It is recommended that around six centimeters of feeder space is needed for each chicken you own.
4. Cost
As with everything in life, the cost of a feeder will be important.
But don’t let yourself automatically be drawn to the lowest cost feeder, as it may only be suitable for a single chicken.
Or, the lowest cost option may also be the flimsiest, and you’ll find that you have to replace it all the time because it keeps breaking.
Consider the cost in relation to how many feeders you’ll need, along with how long they’ll last.
Also, if it comes with a warranty on the product, guaranteeing its lifespan.
A feeder that lasts you a lifetime will be worth the extra money in the long run.
5. Pest-Proofing
Last but not least, consider how pest-proof the feeder is.
You don’t want a feeder that can be easily accessed by lots of insects and vermin as otherwise, you’ll end up feeding the whole neighborhood!
Feeding the wildlife will not only cost you a lot more, but it will also deprive your chickens of food.
Frequently Asked Questions Chicken Feeder
1. Should I Hang My Chicken Feeder?
Many people choose to hang their chicken feeders.
If you have somewhere appropriate to hang your feeder, then there are a couple of different reasons as to why this might be a good idea.
The main reason is that chickens can waste an awful lot of food by knocking their feeders over, and hanging the feeders can help to prevent this.
Being elevated off the ground also means that your feeder will be more protected from residue groundwater, insects, and your chickens themselves from defecating in their food.
2. Where Should I Put My Chicken Feeder?
The ideal place to put your chicken feeder is just inside the door of your chicken coop.
Inside the coop, the feeder will be more protected from the elements and will also help to encourage your birds to sleep inside the coop at night.
It’s important to do everything you can to encourage the birds to nest in their boxes so that you don’t have to go on an egg hunt every morning before breakfast.
3. How Many Chicken Feeders Do I Need?
Around six centimeters of feeder space per chicken over six weeks old is recommended, but it’s not quite as clear cut as that.
Unfortunately, it will depend from flock to flock and whether they are all comfortable eating together.
More timid chooks may lose out at dinner time from fear of approaching the feeder in larger flocks.
More aggressive chooks will also eat more than they need to, especially when they’re faced with competition for food.
This is why it’s so important that you have enough feeders for your flock.
The best way to work out how many chicken feeders you need is to watch your flock eat.
Make an assessment yourself as to whether they’re all eating enough and, if not, add another feeder.
4. How Many Times a Day Should I Feed My Chickens?
Throughout the day, you should give your chicken access to a constant supply of food.
Whether this means you feed them once in the morning or several times throughout the day will depend on you and the capacity of your feeder.
Depending on what brand of feed you are using, the food manufacturers may recommend an amount of food per chicken, around 120mg normally.
Ensure that you clean the feeding area regularly, especially if you’re feeding them scraps so that you don’t attract flies, insects, rats, and mice.
5. Do You Put Food and Water in Chicken Coop at Night?
When your chickens return to their roost, they should sleep pretty soundly all night with no need for food or water.
So, no matter where you keep your feeder and waterer, whether it’s inside or outside, you don’t need to provide them with food or water at night.
Recommendation of the Best Chicken Feeder to Prevent Waste
All the feeders that made it to this list offer something slightly different to suit your needs and flock.
Our personal favorite for the best chicken feeder to prevent waste is the incredibly efficient and straightforward plastic feeder from RentACoop that sits at number one on our list.
We love the fact that it can sit on the floor or hang from its handle, indoors or outdoors, so it’s ready to go, right away.
It also has an extra-large capacity, holding 20 pounds of feed, so depending on your flock size, you only need to refill it every so often.
It’s really easy to refill and is completely waterproof so you can use its capacity to the maximum, without worrying about the food spoiling after rain.
You can choose whether you want the feeding ports to be on the corners, or opposite each other, depending on your chosen placement.
Upgrade your chicken feeder today to start saving money on wasted feed, and you won’t be sorry!
Best Wire for Chicken Coops – Setting up a chicken coop with a few chickens at home is a rewarding way to get your own supply of eggs as well as some fun and interesting pets that you can take care of.
Chicken ownership isn’t a lifelong dream for everyone, but it is a practical way to obtain home-grown eggs without too much work.
When setting up a coop, you would need the best wire for chicken coops.
Both the coop itself and your chicken run should be secured so that your chickens can live safely and happily.
Today, we will cover the top wire options you can use to build, repair, and manage your chicken compound.
These are some of the best options around, but they are each a bit unique.
Pay attention to the qualities in our buyer’s guide, as well as the answers to common questions so that you can choose the right option for your home and ensure you have a secure coop.
The ½-Inch Galvanized Welded Chicken Cage Wire is a high-quality roll of galvanized hardware cloth or chicken wire, which is long enough to set up most runs.
The 19-gauge wire used to make this fencing is easy to cut with scissors, and you can shape it up as needed by simply bending the fencing since it holds its shape very well.
The openings on this hardware cloth fencing are only ½” by ½”, so you can be confident that raccoons, foxes, and other predators will have a hard time bending the fence, reaching throw, or chewing it apart.
Amagabeli Galvanized Welded Chicken Cage Wire Pros and Cons
This long roll of high-quality chicken cloth is available in both 50 feet and 100 feet rolls, so you can save money by buying it in bulk and also make your overall construction easier since you won’t need to worry about running out.
This particular fencing has great strength and durability ratings because it is made from galvanized and welded 19-gauge wire that can stand up to the elements, protect your chickens from predators, and last for more than one or two years since the metal has been treated properly.
Some people have struggled with the huge roll because it gets looser when you unwrap it, and then you need to wrap it tighter to be able to store it easily again.
The best way to avoid this issue is to try not to buy much more fencing than you need to use or get a friend to help you rewrap it up before you put it into storage.
Different sized rolls available
Galvanized metals last longer than comparable rolls
Next, we will look at one of the YARDGARD Galvanized Fence products; specifically, the Poultry Netting item #308419B.
Let’s see what it has to offer for chicken owners looking to set up or secure their chicken coop and run.
The YARDGARD Poultry Netting is a true chicken wire made in the traditional hexagonal shape that chicken owners know and love when they want to improve or make their next chicken enclosure.
The wire used to make this fencing is a 20-gauge, hexagonal weave coated with zinc and silver for extra durability and rust-prevention.
The YARDGARD Poultry Netting comes in a 150-foot roll and is about 18 inches tall, so you may be able to finish your structure with just one roll depending on what size it is.
Good and Bad About YARDGARD Galvanized Fence
The wire used to create this particular poultry netting is galvanized before woven into the traditional hexagonal pattern, and that helps to prevent rusting.
Many types of chicken wire do the coating process after the weaving method, and this can lead to quality issues with the galvanization process, so it’s good to see this difference.
Additionally, galvanizing in this way helps to retain additional flexibility in the overall fence structure, which will make it easier to shape into place and stretch as needed.
With the high flexibility of the YARDGARD Poultry Netting, it needs to be secured for it to stand tall so you cannot use it as a standalone fence.
This fencing also isn’t an ideal choice for anyone who has a lot of strong predators in their area since the fence can be bent or broken through.
Flexible
Easy to unroll and shape into place
Lightweight
Galvanized, durable wire used to make the hexagonal shape
Cannot keep strong predators out due to high flexibility
Next up is another super-strong option built for chicken owners who need to prevent all sorts of predators from breaking in the coop: the Fencer Wire 19-Gauge Galvanized Hardware Cloth.
This is a hardware cloth chicken fencing you can use to protect chickens in their coops or run with ease.
The Fencer Wire is a 19-gauge hardware cloth with ½” by ½” holes.
Many chicken owners feel that this small size is ideal when dealing with predators.
The material used is a double-dipped, galvanized hardware cloth that is sure to stay strong, durable, and rust-free for longer than comparable options.
Fencer Galvanized Hardware Cloth
This brand offers hardware cloth rolls in many different heights and sizes, so it is effortless to choose an option that will save you money or fit your project perfectly.
The best way to buy is to make sure that you buy enough fencing but also consider how big of a roll you will be able to maneuver while setting up your coop.
Some owners have had issues with their Fencer Wire 19-Gauge Galvanized Hardware Cloth arriving dented, which can happen during transit even to the most durable fence types.
Thankfully, this fencing can be bent and molded in various ways without causing much damage to the fence itself, so you can easily reshape the fence using your hands or a pair of pliers with pretty good success.
This hardware cloth option has a ½-inch mesh opening that is perfect for setting up a chicken coop that needs the ultimate protection from potential predators in the area.
The fencing is galvanized and double-zinc coated, which means that it is very rust-resistant and should last for a long time.
While the weave is tight and well supported, it still has some flexibility to it so it can be wrapped and bent where needed.
Amagabeli Hardware Cloth Galvanized Welded Wire Roll
This is 19-gauge fencing that comes in a roll of 100-feet and a height of 36 inches.
This is enough to set up nearly any coop with some fencing to spare for repairs.
Thanks to the large roll size, this chicken fencing is a great value and will help to protect your chickens for years thanks to the high durability it offers.
Some owners had problems with production issues with the ½-Inch Hardware Cloth Galvanized Welded Wire Roll, such as some large caps because of missing crosswires.
While uncommon, you can repair this type of issue easily by layering on another piece of the fencing for an extra durable section.
This chicken wire is a two-inch mesh opening wire, which means that all of the hexagonal openings have a diameter of two inches.
The fencing is made from a 20-gauge galvanized wire that has a good balance of durability and flexibility.
Amagabeli Garden Hexagonal Chicken Wire
The Two-inch Hexagonal Chicken Wire 20-Gauge Mesh is perfect for protecting certain areas of your yard from your chickens.
The wide openings are big enough to deter your chickens, but not so large that they are constricting for other activities around the yard.
While the big openings are great for keeping chickens where you want them to be, they can be easy for certain types of predators to get into your coop area.
Thus, it is best to use this type of chicken wire in conjunction with a smaller mesh on or in limited areas.
All chicken wire can, at first glance, seem to be created equally.
Chicken wire is chicken wire, right? Wrong!
This wire may all seem similar at first, but there are actually quite a few important differences that you should be paying attention to when shopping around for the right chicken coop wire for your setup.
The following are the features that we believe to be most important when determining which you want to invest in:
Chicken Wire Size
The first thing that you want to consider about chicken wire is the size.
When talking about the size of chicken wire, you are referring to the size of the wire openings.
There are many different sizes of chicken wire available.
Small chicken wire is usually around ½ inches, and larger varieties can be one or two inches.
The pattern on the chicken wire is nearly always hexagonal, and the most common chicken wires are 18 or 20 gauge in weight.
The ½-inch chicken wire is most commonly used because it is pretty small and may help to prevent some predator break-ins, but you should go as small as possible.
If you can find a ¼-inch chicken wire or double up chicken wire layers to make the holes even smaller, that is a good idea to keep your chickens safe.
Chicken Wire Material
Most chicken wire is made out of some type of metal.
You can find chicken wire made from metal, steel, bare steel, galvanized steel, and other coated metals, as well; the galvanized chicken wire is most common.
Galvanized metal is coated with zinc to prevent corrosion and rusting, so it is good to have galvanized items when there is a possibility of exposure to elements causing such.
When you choose a chicken wire made from galvanized steel or iron, it will be less likely to rust or corrode.
You can also find chicken wire that is galvanized and also coated in plastic.
The plastic coating will ensure even more additional years of use from the wire, so that can be a good choice.
Chicken wire usually rusts in about five years when used in a dry climate, and it may need to be replaced more frequently in damp climates.
Durability
The size of the overall chicken wire holes isn’t the only size-related aspect that you want to think about; there is also gauge size to consider.
Gauge is the width of the wire used to create the chicken wire fence.
This usually ranges from 19 to 22 when looking at the wire.
Durability and strength increase with gauge when looking at the galvanized wire, but the gauge isn’t the only thing that affects strength.
The overall strength of the chicken wire will depend on how tight the weave is; chicken wire that has a high gauge and small holes, such as a ½-inch wire, will be solid.
Strong chicken wire is important for ensuring that it won’t get bent out of shape easily, it won’t break down easily, and will help to keep predators out.
Should you need to find something even stronger than chicken wire to protect against extra-determined predators, using hardware cloth can be a good choice.
You’ll find a few examples of that powerful material on today’s list.
Cost
It would be best if you consider what your budget is for chicken wire.
You must also know how much is reasonable to pay for each foot of wire.
The cost is usually related to weave tightness, and the gauge of the wire used to make the fence.
Chicken Coop Wire FAQs
1. How Do You Attach Chicken Wire to a Coop?
When using chicken wire, you need to be sure that you attach it to the coop properly so that the chickens won’t escape their designated areas and also so that predators are not able to easily move it and break into the coop.
If using a T-post to attach your wires, you can hook the wire into the tabs on the post and then use pliers to squeeze those same metal tabs shut for a secure attachment.
If you are attaching chicken wire directly to a coop or something like a fence post, you can also use staples to attach each row of chicken wire, provided that you make sure the fence is level and taut.
2. What Is Stronger Than Chicken Wire?
Chicken wire is not always going to be the right option for your chicken coop even though its name might make it seem like that is the best option.
In many areas, the chicken wire wouldn’t be strong enough to keep predators out of the coop, but there are workarounds that you can try, such as extending the wire out from the coop or digging it into the ground.
However, you might just need a different material altogether.
Another option that you can use to protect your chickens is hardware cloth, another type of wire mesh fencing that is commonly used with chicken coops and runs.
Hardware cloth is a very durable wire mesh made from thick gauge wire, has small openings, and is welded at the corners to ensure that it cannot be easily ripped or torn by animals trying to break into your coop.
If you need to find something stronger than chicken wire, we recommend hardware cloth; you could even use a combination of both!
3. Can Chickens Stand on Chicken Wire?
Chickens can stand on chicken wire, but there is a chance that it will begin to hurt their feet over time.
Additionally, their nails won’t wear down naturally since they would be on a flat, hard surface, so having a mesh floor isn’t always going to be the best idea depending on your chickens and their needs.
Ideally, you want to use something soft and natural for them to walk around on, such as pine shavings or other types of shavings.
4. How Do You Make Chicken Wire Tighter?
To be able to attach and secure the chicken wire with the right tension is a real skill, and it will take some practice to get it right.
The chicken wire itself is quite flexible, and it doesn’t lend much support to you when you are trying to get it into place.
This means that while you are attaching it to a coop, fence, or other boards, you will need to know how to stretch it so that it is taut and secure.
Here are some tips and tricks that you should use when you are trying to get your chicken wire attached properly.
They will help to ensure that it is as tight as it needs to be:
Get some help. Having one person on each end of a wire section will make stretching easier.
Set your posts before you cut any pieces so that they don’t get cut too loose.
Lay the wire next to where you will put it up after you unroll it and walk on it to get the kinks out and begin the stretching process.
Only unroll as much as you need for each post section, and stop to walk on it between those moments.
If that method doesn’t work for you, don’t despair; there are other ways to build your wire sections, too.
In this video, the chicken owner demonstrates how he is making a single fence section and making the chicken wire tighter than before:
5. Can Raccoons Bite Through Chicken Wire?
There are ways for raccoons to get through chicken wire, and it is even possible for them to chew through the chicken wire if they are really determined to get into the coop.
This, however, won’t always be their first choice.
If the holes are big enough or the wire isn’t strong enough, some raccoons will be able to pull the wire apart with their tiny hands; they are quite strong!
Chicken owners plagued with raccoon thieves stealing their eggs may want to add hardware cloth to their chicken wire fences.
Hardware cloth is a tougher type of fencing that has even smaller holes than chicken wire, usually around ¼ inches, and this type of fencing is nearly impossible for raccoons to get through if it is secured properly.
Best Wire for Chicken Coops Recommendation
Now that you’ve learned about what is the best wire for chicken coops building, it is time for you to choose your own chicken wire.
This hardware cloth is stronger than traditional chicken wire, and that is why it is the chicken fencing that most chicken owners turn to when they are setting up and securing their coop.
This type of solid fencing is sure to keep your chickens in place while also ensuring their safety from any passing predators, and that is key when you want to have a successful chicken operation!
Review of the Best Garden Hose Splitters – Have you ever tried to water your plants only to find that the hose isn’t long enough to cover your whole garden?
This happens frequently, and most people wonder what to do about it or if there is a solution.
A hose splitter is an excellent product because it can help you connect your hoses to each other, making it easier to get to hard-to-reach places.
Since there are hundreds of choices on the market, it can be challenging to find the right product, so we reviewed 5 options to help you choose the best garden hose splitter.
Best Garden Hose Splitter Reviews
You will also find that we included a Garden hose splitter buyer’s guide and FAQs section to help you understand what splitters are and how to choose one.
Twinkle Star LLC is a top-rated seller on a popular third-party e-commerce website.
The company sells products for the kitchen, patio, garden, lawn, and home improvement departments.
It’s not as well known as some of the other brands, but this up-and-coming company has a variety of items designed to make life easier for a busy household.
The company has been in business since 2017.
This two-way splitter from Twinkle Star is a ¾-inch splitter designed for use with all standard faucets and hoses.
It’s made of brass, so it is highly durable and solid.
What’s more, you get three connectors and two valves, so you can hook up hoses to your outside or inside spigot.
The adjustable flow control has large plastic handles, which means it is easy to grip and turn on and off.
The splitter itself can handle water pressures of up to 80 PSI, making it strong enough to handle most home connections.
Twinkle Star Garden Hose Splitter Pros and Cons
We like how easy it is to install this hose splitter; all you have to do is hand-tighten the top connector to the spigot at the base.
You don’t need tools and, in fact, should not use them because they can damage the connector or strip it.
Though the product is made of brass, the metal seems a bit thin.
As such, we do worry that it could start leaking or break completely with time.
However, with normal use, we do not think it is an issue.
Eastrans is a newer company and has only been in operation for a few short years.
Nevertheless, it offers a variety of high-quality products for the home and garden.
You can find hose splitters, hose hangers, PVC tubing, and items for the swimming pool, as well.
Currently, it only sells its products on popular third-party e-commerce websites; it has no website or social media presence at this time.
Those who want an all-brass construction are going to like this Eastrans splitter.
It is completely made of brass, which ensures durability, and it can withstand high water pressure without rusting, breaking, or failing.
It’s quite easy to turn the grip handles on the outlets, and you aren’t going to need pliers or other tools; just use your hand to open or close the spout.
The ball valves are high-quality, as well, so you get a tight seal to prevent dripping and leaks.
What We Like and Don’t Like About the Eastrans Garden Hose Splitter
We like that this product is designed to be used on both indoor and outdoor appliances.
Plus, it has a ¾-inch connector, which means that it is compatible with standard hoses and spigots.
Though the all-brass construction is nice, we did find that it could lead to rust or corrosion with time.
Since water is going to flow through it, it might have been better to use durable plastic on the inside where water might go.
Still, it is a decent design and doesn’t seem to have many issues.
You can also find a three-way splitter, which is highly popular because you get one extra port for another hose.
Though the two- and three-way splitters are the most common, you can also find multi-channel options with four-way splitters.
Just remember that if you buy one of these, you are going to need excellent water pressure so that the third and fourth hoses have a steady water stream, as well.
Splitter Material
Most manufacturers use plastic with some metal parts.
Generally, modern plastic is quite sturdy and durable, and you also have the benefit of it not corroding like traditional metal.
There are also metal splitters, which can be better if you are going to use them as stationary objects without having to remove the hoses or unscrew the splitter.
Metal splitters do have one significant issue; attaching a hose to it is ultimately going to result in the hose leaking because the splitter is going to corrode with all that water running through it.
As such, brass is likely going to be the best choice for metal.
A word of caution here, though, is that if you do purchase a metal splitter of good quality, you should remove the hose from it after each use to help prevent rust formation.
Remember, a metal hose splitter is going to be more durable and last longer than plastic.
Price and Warranty
The price you pay is an important factor when looking for the best hose splitter.
It is a good idea to compare the prices between two or three top products, but you must ensure that you’re comparing them correctly.
For example, a plastic splitter is going to be less expensive and less reliable, while metal is going to be slightly more costly and more durable.
Of course, you have to consider your budget, but most splitters, even expensive ones, are only less than $30.
You should also consider the product’s warranty and whether or not it comes from the manufacturer itself or a reliable seller.
Most products come with a one-year warranty, but it is possible to find two- or three-year guarantees, as well.
Some manufacturers even offer a lifetime warranty, but that is mostly for products made of brass or other metals.
Often, the warranty for a hose splitter involves replacing the product or refunding your money.
Garden Hose Splitter FAQs
1. How does a hose splitter work?
A hose splitter works by attaching to your hose spigot.
This is often located somewhere on the house, where water can run through it.
It has an on and off valve, similar to that of your kitchen sink, which turns in one direction or the other.
Once it is connected to the house spigot, you can then connect the hoses to it.
To do this, you are going to take two hoses and connect them to the splitter; then, you just open the spigot.
You can control the water’s flow with the shutoff valves located on the splitter.
Usually, they are designed to be flip switches.
2. Can you hook up a washing machine to a garden hose?
Yes, you can hook your washing machine up to your garden hose.
You may need to do this if you don’t have a washer hookup inside the house, or you don’t have the proper hose for the washing machine.
Regardless, the steps are easy, and you aren’t likely to need many parts to do it.
Usually, the couplings used on your washing machine hose are the same as those on the garden hose.
This means that the threads needed to attach the hose to the washing machine are the same for both products.
The first step is to wrap some plumber’s tape around the male end threads of your garden hose.
Then, you are going to insert that end into the cold-water inlet connector of your washing machine.
You’re going to have to hold the hose in place while twisting the coupler connection clockwise around the hose.
Do this until it is tight, and then turn another quarter turn for safety to prevent leaking.
Now, you’re going to have to wrap plumber’s tape around the cold-water interior hookup threads of the washing machine or the threads of your exterior water spigot.
Take the female end of your garden hose, and tighten it to the washing machine’s water hookup.
Now, it’s time to wrap some more plumber’s tape around the male end threads of your hot water hose; insert this end into the hot water inlet connection of the washing machine.
Again, twist the coupler’s connection around the hot-water hose while holding the hose in place; make sure it is tight.
You’re also going to wrap some plumber’s tape around the hot water interior hookup threads of your washing machine to the exterior spigot for hot water.
Make sure to tighten the female connection of the hose to the water hookup for your washing machine.
Lastly, open the valve for the cold water and hot water hookups.
3. Can you connect two garden hoses?
Yes, you can connect two different garden hoses, and it isn’t difficult to do.
If both of your hoses have standard fittings already, all you have to do is screw one hose’s male connector to the female connection of the other.
However, it can become more difficult if one or both hoses don’t have the right connections.
When that happens, you need to cut one hose end straight off with a utility knife.
After that, force a barbed rod into your hose until it is flush with your connector.
Take a crimp and fit it around the end of your hose, joining both halves using the provided screws.
Tighten everything to ensure that the connection is leak-proof.
4. What is a female hose connector?
Generally, garden hoses use a male and female thread connection, which is called a hose union.
You can find fittings for 1/2-inch, 3/4-inch, and 5/8-inch hoses.
Usually, in the US, thread sizes are 3/4-inch GH for female ends of the garden hose.
There are two different options to connect here.
Fit the brass female ¾-inch threaded connectors to the hose, which have a bayonet or barbed section to push into the tube.
Of course, you can also screw in a ¾-inch plastic fitting to the tap so that the hose connector can be pushed onto the fitting.
5. Are all hose connectors the same?
Yes and no.
All of the hose connectors are the same size, but they are specified by the internal dimensions of the hose.
Therefore, typical fittings are either 5/8-inch (internal diameter) with an 11.5 thread pitch or ¾ inches in diameter with the same thread pitch.
They are not all the same because they can be made of different materials and may require the use of various fittings or couplings to get them to attach to the splitter.
Best Garden Hose Nozzles – When it comes to watering your garden, washing your car, or doing other outside chores that need water, you need a hose.
Then again, most jobs require a different spray pattern.
For example, washing the car may require you to use a spray pattern with some pressure behind it, while spraying delicate plants means using a fine mist.
To achieve this, you need the best garden hose nozzle possible.
Best Garden Hose Nozzle Reviews
We are going to talk about five products, all of which are designed to make using the hose easier.
INNAV8 LLC has proven its innovative style with its name.
While the company has only been around since 2016, it has taken the online world by storm.
It primarily sells INNAV8 and Pura Vida products.
Since it is such a new company, it only sells on third-party e-commerce websites, with Amazon being the top platform.
This company chooses to sell garden hoses and accessories at this time.
With the INNAV8 Garden Hose Nozzle, you are going to have 10 different spray patterns.
This means that you can use whichever one is best for your watering needs.
There is a high-pressure jet of water that can clean hard surfaces, and you’ve also got a soft shower option to wash your dog, water the garden, and much more.
This product looks a little different than others because it doesn’t have a lever to push; instead, there is a thumb control, which is very easy to use.
This is a no-squeeze version, which makes it ergonomic and doesn’t require a lot of pressure on the button.
You also get easy flow control to help you with your needs.
Simply adjust the dial at the front of the nozzle (where the water comes out) to get the right spray pattern.
The ergonomic handle features a soft rubber grip, so it’s comfortable to hold for long periods.
Plus, your hands won’t slip if they happen to get wet from the spray.
What We Like and Don’t Like About the INNAV8 Heavy Duty Garden Hose Nozzle
We were impressed with the precision thread connection with the rubber gasket included.
This makes it so much easier to connect your nozzle to the hose.
Also, you get a water-tight seal, so the nozzle isn’t going to leak.
There are no spare rubber gaskets or washers that come with the purchase, and the one included can fall out.
While this isn’t a huge concern, it does mean being extra careful when disconnecting the nozzle from the hose.
You may want to do so in good light and on a light-colored surface just in case.
Washing your vehicle or watering your garden can mean that you have to hold the garden hose for a long period.
Many other outside watering chores also take a long time, and for that reason, it’s important that you can easily hold the nozzle.
We also considered the ease of holding it for people without a strong grip.
Particularly, we looked at nozzles that “locked” into place.
This means that the water could continue flowing, even if the nozzle wasn’t being squeezed by a hand.
Of course, every nozzle had a different locking mechanism, so we made sure that our finalists locked into place.
Comfort was also another factor here.
If you’re holding the nozzle for an extended period, you need to be quite comfortable.
The locking mechanism also had to be easy to lock into place and switch between modes.
Functionality
When testing the nozzles, we also considered functionality for each.
In practice, most people purchase garden hose nozzles for various reasons.
There’s no single set of features that work best for each application.
With that said, we looked at specific functions for each nozzle.
The most important ones were locking mechanisms, spray patterns, and ease of use.
Plus, we looked at how far the nozzle could spray using the jet configuration.
Of course, we also have to determine how easy these functions were to use, and if they worked well together.
Longevity
In most cases, garden hose nozzles are generally inexpensive.
Therefore, most people believe they are going to have to replace them each year around spring or summer.
However, the cost of the product should not mean that you have to settle for something that breaks after moderate or light use.
This is a waste of money and time.
Price
Again, many of these nozzles we reviewed are inexpensive.
Price is a concern, but it shouldn’t be the only one.
Plus, you may think it’s a good idea to buy the most expensive one you can afford, but that might not be ideal either.
If you only go by price, you may not get the features you want, or it might be uncomfortable to use for long periods.
Take price into consideration, but don’t use it as the only factor to help you decide.
Garden Hose Nozzle FAQs
1. What is a hose sprayer?
A hose sprayer is an excellent tool to spray water from a garden hose.
In some cases, it can also be attached (in some cases) to liquid gardening products to spray directly from the bottle.
In a sense, the hose sprayer is used to siphon out water from the hose and spray it in the pattern of your choosing.
It makes it much easier to get an even spray or stream when using a hose sprayer rather than using the water directly from the garden hose.
You can find many styles available, such as the pistol grip, fireman, and turret versions.
Pistol Grip
The pistol grip is a nozzle that’s shaped similar to a gun, and it features a trigger or lever to turn on the water and control the rate of flow.
Often, it’s found on the front of your handle so that the fingers can depress it.
Generally, a pistol grip nozzle is made of plastic or aluminum; they have many moving parts, so quality is essential to prevent it from wearing out or breaking too soon.
Turret or Dial
You’ve also got the turret or dial version, which is a type of nozzle that is also often a pistol grip style, but they have one key difference.
You adjust the spray pattern by turning a dial, which is often found on the front of the sprayer.
Often, they’re made of plastic, but you can find some that are made of aluminum.
Still, it’s important to focus on quality to ensure that the product lasts a relatively long time.
Fireman
This version often features high pressure and a lot of water at once.
They’re perfect for washing vehicles but might not be best for tender seedlings and plants.
Generally, they are made of metal with a rubber coating to protect it from getting dropped.
With that said, you can expect that they are often more expensive.
2. How do you use a garden hose nozzle?
The way to use a garden hose nozzle varies, depending on the style.
With the pistol-grip version, you just point the nozzle in whichever direction you want to spray and then pull on the trigger.
It’s easy to turn off the water by releasing the nozzle’s trigger, and you can control the flow rate of the water based on how hard you depress the lever.
If you buy the turret or dial nozzle, the way to use it is similar to that of the pistol grip version.
You can still point and shoot the same way; the only difference is that you control the spray pattern using the dial on the front of the nozzle.
In this style, the flow rate can also be adjusted based on how hard the level is depressed.
Those who want a fireman nozzle are going to find that it works similarly to the others.
You can attach it directly to the garden hose, just like you do the others, but you hold the nozzle in one hand while turning the dial with the other hand.
Generally, there is no “Off” feature to this nozzle; water just continues to flow until you shut off the hose at the source.
3. How do I get the nozzle off my hose?
In most cases, it is best to remove the nozzle from the hose after each use.
In that way, there is less risk of it getting dropped or damaged.
Keep the nozzle in the house or a shed away from direct sunlight and the elements.
To remove the nozzle from the hose, hold the connector for the hose’s end and grip it tightly.
Generally, turning to the left is going to loosen the fitting (righty-tighty, lefty-loosey).
Make sure that you are loosening instead of tightening; else, you could damage the threads that attach the hose to the nozzle.
Often, this is all you have to do, and you probably aren’t going to need tools.
If, for some reason, the nozzle becomes stuck, you may need to use pliers and appropriate force to remove the nozzle.
Just remember that too much force could do damage.
If you can’t get it off otherwise, you may just have to remove it with whatever force possible and purchase a new one.
4. Can you leave the hose on with the nozzle?
Yes, it is possible to leave the hose on with the nozzle attached, but you are going to waste a lot of water by doing this.
Even if you put the nozzle in the “Off” position, the water can still leak out of the nozzle’s head.
It is a safety mechanism so that the hose does not have too much pressure to spring a leak.
Often, though, leaving the hose on is going to cause a leak.
The hose is stretchy and bendable, so it can swell to take on that extra pressure.
However, this is only possible for a short time before it becomes detached from the tap (base at the house), the nozzle breaks off, or the hose springs a leak.
Always remember to remove the nozzle from the hose and turn off the garden hose after each use.
5. How do I keep my hose nozzle from getting stuck?
Often, your hose nozzle is going to get stuck because of corrosion and calcium deposits.
While this is natural, there are ways to prevent it.
The first thing to do is always remember to remove the nozzle from the hose after using it.
You can then let it dry and then store it in the house or shed.
Consider using Vaseline or Automotive Grade Anti-Seize.
Just put a bit on the threads of the hose, and it can keep the nozzle from getting stuck.
For those who water their gardens, this option may add some toxins to the water.
If you worry about this issue, you can always put some Teflon tape to the inside of the hose nozzle to prevent it from getting stuck.
Our Best Garden Hose Nozzles Recommendation
When it comes to buying the best garden hose nozzles, we found that we were quite impressed with the INNAV8 Garden Hose Nozzle.
This product features an ergonomic handle and a button to start the water spray, and we also liked that it has 10 water patterns.
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