Chickens are the easiest livestock to keep and the easiest to keep badly. The difference is almost never effort — it’s a handful of specifics that most guides either skip or get wrong. Space per bird. Protein. Grit and calcium. Where the real costs land.
This covers all of it, start to finish, with the actual numbers.
What’s in this guide
- Before you get chickens
- Choosing breeds
- The coop
- Feeding
- Daily and seasonal care
- Health
- Eggs
- Raising chicks
- Meat birds
Before you get chickens
Check your local rules first. Before anything else. Many municipalities cap flock size, ban roosters outright, require setbacks from property lines, or require a permit. Finding this out after you’ve built a coop is an expensive way to learn it.
Be honest about the daily part. Chickens need letting out, checking and shutting in every single day — in January, when you’re ill, and when you’d rather be away for the weekend. The work is light but it does not pause. Line up someone who can cover for you before you start, not after.
Start with three to six hens. Chickens are flock animals and a single bird does badly, so three is a sensible floor. Six is about as many as a first-time keeper wants to manage, and it’s more eggs than most households use.
Setup checklist — have all of this before the birds arrive
- Coop, built and predator-proofed, with roosts and nest boxes in place
- An enclosed run, or a plan for supervised free-ranging
- Feeder and waterer, plus separate containers for grit and oyster shell
- Feed — and the protein supplement if you’re mixing your own (see below)
- Bedding: pine shavings, straw or hemp. Not cedar, which is a respiratory irritant
- A plan for the manure. Chicken manure is strong and needs composting for six months or more before it goes near a bed
Choosing breeds
Pick for what you want out of them and for your climate. Everything else is preference.
| If you want | Consider | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum eggs | Leghorn (up to ~280 white eggs/yr), Rhode Island Red (~250 brown), Barred Plymouth Rock (~200 brown) | Leghorns lay hardest but are flighty and not especially friendly. Rhode Island Reds are the usual all-round answer |
| Meat | Cornish Cross, Freedom Ranger | Cornish Cross reach market weight in 6–8 weeks, which is fast enough to be startling. Freedom Rangers grow slower, forage better and are easier to keep alongside layers |
| A family flock | Orpington, Australorp, Wyandotte, Plymouth Rock | Calm, tolerant of handling, still lay well. The right answer if children will be involved |
| Cold winters | Wyandotte, Orpington, Brahma, Plymouth Rock | Heavier bodies and small combs. Large single combs are what gets frostbitten |
| Hot summers | Leghorn, Andalusian, Fayoumi | Lighter bodies and large combs, which is how they shed heat |
A mixed flock is fine and makes it easier to tell your birds apart, which matters more than it sounds when you’re trying to work out which hen has stopped laying.
The coop
Space, and why you’ll see two different numbers everywhere
You will find both “3–4 square feet per bird” and “8–10 square feet per bird” quoted for coop interiors, often on the same website. Both are right. They answer different questions, and almost nobody says which.
The coop figure depends on whether the birds get outside.
With access to a run or yard: at least 3 square feet per bird inside the coop. They’re only in there to sleep and lay.
With no outdoor access at all: 8 to 10 square feet per bird inside. The coop is now their entire world and it has to carry the whole job.
For the run, 8 to 10 square feet per bird is the usual recommendation. More is always better — crowding is behind most of the pecking, feather-pulling and disease problems people later blame on bad luck.
The fittings
- Nest boxes: one box per about four hens. Roughly 12 inches deep, 12 wide and 12 tall. More boxes than that gets you unused boxes — hens queue for the one they’ve decided is correct regardless of what you provide.
- Roosts: 5 to 10 inches of pole per bird. Chickens sleep off the ground; without a roost they’ll sleep in the nest boxes and foul the eggs.
- Ventilation: as much as you can build in without creating a draft. Passive ventilation is enough for most backyard coops, high up and out of the birds’ sleeping zone.
- Insulation: not needed. A coop should be draft-free, not sealed. Moisture build-up causes far more winter damage than cold does.
Hardware cloth, never chicken wire. Chicken wire keeps chickens in. It does not keep anything out — raccoons tear it, and weasels and rats go straight through. Use half-inch hardware cloth on every window, vent and run panel, and bury or skirt it outward at ground level so nothing digs under. This is the single most common and most expensive coop mistake, and you usually discover it in one night.
Three ways to build it
| Build | Cost | Time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pallet coop — 6 to 10 wooden pallets, set on cinder blocks or gravel for drainage | $0–150 | 1–2 days | Getting started cheaply, or a small flock in a mild climate. Check pallets are heat-treated (HT), not chemically treated |
| Mid-range timber coop — purpose-built, weatherproofed, properly predator-proofed | $300–800 | 2–4 days | Most people. The sweet spot |
| Insulated custom build — walk-in, insulated, with power | $800–2,000+ | 4–7 days | Hard winters, larger flocks, or if you want to stand up inside while you clean |
Whatever you build, make it easy to clean. A coop you dread cleaning is a coop that doesn’t get cleaned, and that’s where mites and respiratory problems start. A door big enough to get a rake and a wheelbarrow to is worth more than any clever feature.
A small solar setup handles a light or an automatic door without running a trench for mains power.
Feeding
This is where most of the money goes, and where most homemade-feed advice quietly falls apart. So let’s do it properly.
What a laying hen actually needs
A laying hen needs a ration of 16 to 19% protein. Not 12%, not “whatever grains I had.” Protein is what she builds eggs and feathers out of, and underfeeding it shows up as fewer eggs, poor feathering, and a bird that moults badly and takes forever to come back into lay.
She also needs about 4% calcium — far more than any grain mix supplies — and grit, which isn’t a nutrient at all but the gravel she grinds her food with.
Methionine is the limiting amino acid in nearly every home-mixed ration. Chickens can’t synthesise enough of it, so it has to come from feed. Sunflower, safflower and sesame meal are good sources; so is fish meal.
The DIY organic grain mix
This makes about 30 lb of base grain mix. Read the section after it before you feed it — on its own, this is not a complete ration, and that’s true of essentially every homemade chicken feed recipe on the internet.
- 10 lb organic cracked corn
- 10 lb organic wheat or barley
- 5 lb organic oats
- 3 lb split peas or lentils
- 2 lb black oil sunflower seeds
- 1 cup kelp meal
- ½ cup flax seed
Optional additions: brewer’s yeast, garlic powder, and dried oregano, thyme or parsley.
Keep flax under about 10% of the total ration — above that it starts to affect the flavour of the eggs. At half a cup in 30 lb you’re nowhere near it.
Here’s the part nobody tells you: that mix is about 12–13% protein.
Run the numbers using standard feed composition values — corn 8.5%, wheat 13%, oats 12%, field peas 23.5%, sunflower seed around 16% — and 30 lb of the mix above comes out near 12.6% protein. Your hens need 16 to 19%.
That gap is the single most common problem with home-mixed chicken feed, and it’s why people who switch to “natural” feed often report their hens laying less and blame the season. Grain plus peas is not enough on its own.
Closing the gap
Add one of these to each 30 lb batch of base mix. The amounts are calculated from published feedstuff averages, so treat them as close rather than exact — actual protein varies by crop year and supplier, and a composition chart for your own grain will get you closer.
| Protein supplement | Add per 30 lb batch | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Roasted soybean meal (~48% protein) | About 3 lb | The standard answer. Must be roasted, not raw — raw soy contains a trypsin inhibitor that blocks protein digestion |
| Sunflower or safflower meal (~47%) | About 3 lb | Best methionine source of the three. Good choice if you want to avoid soy |
| Fish meal (~60%) | About 2½ lb | Excellent protein and methionine. Can carry into egg flavour if overdone |
Any of these brings the batch to roughly 16% — the bottom of the laying range, which is the right target for a backyard flock that also forages.
One practical warning about mixing: if the supplement is loose in with the grain, hens will pick the grain out and leave it. Either mix thoroughly enough that they can’t sort it, or use separate feeders. Don’t let whole grain exceed about half of what’s in a single feeder.
Grit and calcium go in their own containers. Never in the feed.
This is worth being exact about, because the two get muddled constantly.
Grit is insoluble stone. It sits in the gizzard and grinds food. If you’re feeding whole grains, grit must be available at all times whenever the birds aren’t out on pasture where they’d find their own — without it they can’t digest what you’re feeding them.
Oyster shell (or limestone) is soluble calcium for eggshells. It is not grit and doesn’t do grit’s job.
Both go out free choice, in separate containers, so each bird takes what she needs. That matters: a hen in full lay needs a great deal of calcium, while a moulting hen, a young pullet or a rooster does not, and forcing it into all of them through the feed can damage kidneys over time. Hens self-regulate accurately when you let them.
What it costs — work it out with your own numbers
Organic grain prices vary enormously by region and season, so a cost table copied off someone else’s blog is decoration. Here’s the structure; fill in what your supplier actually charges.
| Ingredient | Qty per batch | Your price/lb | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organic cracked corn | 10 lb | ||
| Organic wheat or barley | 10 lb | ||
| Organic oats | 5 lb | ||
| Split peas or lentils | 3 lb | ||
| Black oil sunflower seeds | 2 lb | ||
| Kelp meal | 1 cup | ||
| Flax seed | ½ cup | ||
| Protein supplement | 2½–3 lb | ||
| Total | ~33 lb |
FILL IN: your own prices above, then divide the total by 33 lb for a cost per pound and compare it against a bag of organic layer feed where you shop. Include the protein supplement in the comparison — leaving it out is what makes homemade feed look cheaper than it is. Mixing your own may well still win on price, and it definitely wins on knowing what’s in it, but quote the honest number.
Oyster shell and grit are separate purchases and last a long time — don’t fold them into the per-pound feed cost.
Feeding rate
Roughly ¼ lb per hen per day, more during heavy laying and through a moult. Feed in the morning, and don’t leave wet feed out — it moulds fast and mouldy feed makes birds genuinely ill.
Growing some of it yourself
You won’t grow a complete ration without serious acreage, but you can meaningfully cut the bill and improve what they eat. Worth growing for the flock: kale, lettuce, pumpkins and squash (seeds and all), corn, basil and mint.
Letting them forage is better value than anything you can grow deliberately. Birds on grass and insects eat measurably less feed, and the eggs are visibly different.
What not to feed
- Onions, garlic in quantity, and leeks — the thiosulphate compounds in alliums can damage red blood cells in poultry. A little garlic as a supplement is widely used and fine; onions as a feed crop are not a good idea.
- Avocado — persin is toxic to birds. Skin and pit especially
- Raw or dried beans — contain phytohaemagglutinin, which is genuinely lethal to chickens
- Green or sprouted potato peel — solanine
- Anything mouldy, salty, or heavily processed
- Raw soybeans — roast them first, as above
Daily and seasonal care
Daily
- Let them out, shut them in at dusk. An automatic door is the single best quality-of-life purchase you’ll make
- Fresh water. Every day, non-negotiable — a hen off water stops laying almost immediately
- Feed, and a quick look at each bird while they eat
- Collect eggs
Weekly
- Refresh bedding, especially under the roosts where most droppings land
- Scrub the waterer — biofilm builds up faster than you’d think
- Check nest boxes for broken eggs and mites
Monthly
- Full clean-out, or turn the deep litter
- Check the whole run perimeter for new digging or gaps
- Pick up a few birds and look them over properly — vent, feet, under the wings
Winter
Don’t heat the coop. Heat lamps in wooden coops full of dry bedding are a leading cause of barn fires, and a flock that’s acclimatised handles cold far better than a flock that’s dependent on a lamp and then loses power. Cold-hardy breeds, a dry draft-free coop and good ventilation are the answer.
What actually matters in winter:
- Keep water liquid. This is the real winter job, and a heated base is worth every penny
- Ventilation, not sealing. Moisture is what causes frostbite and respiratory illness. A sealed coop is a damp coop
- Deep litter — build bedding up over the season and let it compost in place for gentle warmth
- Expect fewer eggs. Laying is driven by daylight and drops off naturally. You can add light to push production, but a rest over winter is good for the birds
Summer
Heat kills chickens far more often than cold does. Shade over part of the run, water in more than one place, good airflow, and frozen treats on the worst days. Watch for open-beak panting and wings held away from the body — that’s a bird in trouble, not a bird relaxing.
Health
The thirty-second daily check
Do this while they’re eating, when everyone is out and visible:
- Behaviour — is anyone standing apart, hunched, or not interested in food? That’s your first and best signal
- Eyes and nostrils — clear, no bubbling or discharge
- Feathers and skin — bare patches, scabs, or anything moving at the base of the feathers
- Weight and output — a hen who feels suddenly light, or a flock whose egg count drops sharply, is telling you something
The four problems you’ll actually meet
Mites and lice
Check at night with a torch, around the vent and under the wings. Clean out and replace all bedding, treat the birds and the coop together, and pay attention to roost ends and cracks where mites hide during the day.
Digestive trouble
Usually diet-related or a grit problem. If you’re feeding whole grain and there’s no grit available, start there.
Egg problems
Soft shells, shell-less eggs, or a hen straining and distressed. Soft shells usually mean calcium, which is what free-choice oyster shell is for. A hen who is straining, standing penguin-upright and not passing an egg is egg-bound, and that is urgent.
Respiratory illness
Sneezing, rattling breath, discharge, swollen face. Contagious and moves through a flock fast. Separate the affected bird immediately and get a diagnosis rather than guessing.
Two things worth being straight about, because both get repeated constantly in natural-keeping circles.
Apple cider vinegar is not an antibiotic. A tablespoon per gallon of water is a harmless, cheap practice that mildly acidifies the water and may help limit algae in the waterer, and plenty of good keepers use it. What it will not do is treat an infection. Treating a respiratory illness with vinegar is how a treatable problem becomes a dead bird. Don’t use it in galvanised metal waterers, where the acid leaches zinc.
Diatomaceous earth has real limits. It works by abrading the waxy coating of an insect’s shell, which means it only works dry — damp bedding renders it inert. It’s a fine respirable dust, and in an enclosed coop that is a genuine irritant to your birds’ lungs and to yours; wear a mask when you apply it and keep it out of the air the birds are breathing. And the evidence for feeding it as an internal dewormer is weak. Use it as a dry dust in the coop and in a dust-bathing area if you like. Don’t rely on it as a parasite programme.
None of this replaces a vet. Poultry vets are thin on the ground in a lot of places, so find out who yours is before you have a sick bird at 7pm on a Sunday.
Eggs
- Don’t wash them unless they’re dirty. A freshly laid egg has a natural coating called the bloom that seals the shell against bacteria. Washing strips it. Unwashed eggs keep well on the counter for a couple of weeks; washed eggs belong in the fridge
- Collect daily, twice in very hot or very cold weather
- Laying starts around 18–24 weeks, depending on breed and season
- Production drops in the moult and through short winter days. Both are normal
- First eggs are often odd — small, shell-less, double-yolked, strangely shaped. A new layer’s system takes a few weeks to settle
Raising chicks
- Brooder: draft-free, with heat at one end only so chicks can move away from it. Watch the birds rather than the thermometer — huddled under the heat means too cold, pressed to the far corners means too hot, scattered and busy means right
- Heat: reduce by about 5 °F a week as they feather out
- Feed: chick starter, which is higher protein than layer feed. Do not give chicks layer feed — the calcium level is harmful to birds that aren’t laying
- Outdoors: at about 6–8 weeks, once they’re fully feathered and night temperatures are reasonable
- Introducing them to an existing flock: let them see each other through wire for a week before they share space, and expect some sorting-out afterwards
Meat birds
If you’re raising birds for meat, the husbandry above mostly applies — with two differences. Fast-growing breeds like Cornish Cross need more protein and carefully managed feed, because they grow quickly enough that unrestricted feeding causes leg and heart problems. And they’re ready remarkably fast: 6–8 weeks for Cornish Cross, longer for slower breeds like Freedom Rangers, which many people find easier to keep alongside layers.
Processing is its own job with its own equipment and its own food-safety requirements.
→ How to butcher a chicken at home — the full step-by-step, including scalding temperatures and humane handling.
Related guides
- How to butcher a chicken at home
- Raising meat rabbits for a backyard homestead
- Starting a compost bin — where the manure goes
- Oyster shell in the garden and the coop
- Solar power in the garden — for coop lights and auto doors
Common questions
How much space do chickens actually need?
At least 3 square feet per bird inside the coop if they have a run to go out into, or 8–10 square feet per bird inside if they don’t. Plus 8–10 square feet each in the run. That’s why you see both numbers quoted — they answer different questions.
Is homemade chicken feed actually cheaper?
Often, but less than people claim, because most comparisons leave out the protein supplement that makes the mix a complete ration. Price your own grain, include the supplement, and divide by the finished weight. The stronger argument for mixing your own is control over the ingredients, not cost.
Can I just feed my chickens grain?
No. A whole-grain mix runs around 12–13% protein and laying hens need 16–19%. Grain plus peas still isn’t enough. Add a proper protein source — roasted soybean meal, sunflower or safflower meal, or fish meal — or you’ll see it in your egg basket and in your birds’ feathers.
Should I mix oyster shell into the feed?
No. Offer oyster shell and grit free choice in separate containers so each bird takes what she needs. A hen in lay needs a lot of calcium; a moulting hen, a pullet or a rooster doesn’t, and forcing it on them through the feed isn’t good for them over time.
What’s the difference between grit and oyster shell?
Grit is insoluble stone that grinds food in the gizzard — a digestive tool. Oyster shell is soluble calcium for making eggshells — a nutrient. They are not interchangeable, and if you’re feeding whole grains your birds need grit available constantly whenever they aren’t out foraging.
Do I need to heat the coop in winter?
No, and it’s better not to. Heat lamps in wooden coops are a serious fire risk, and birds that depend on supplemental heat cope badly if the power fails. Choose cold-hardy breeds, keep the coop dry, draft-free and well ventilated, and put your effort into keeping the water from freezing.
How many chickens should I start with?
Three to six. Chickens are flock animals and shouldn’t be kept singly. Six hens is already more eggs than most households get through.
Do I need a rooster to get eggs?
No. Hens lay without one. A rooster only makes the eggs fertile — and many municipalities ban them, so check before you acquire one by accident with a batch of chicks.
When will my hens start laying?
Usually 18–24 weeks. The first eggs are often small or oddly shaped while her system calibrates, which is normal and passes.
Sources
- Oregon State University Extension. Backyard Chicken Coop Design (EC 1644). — floor space, nest box ratio, roost space, ventilation.
- Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. Feeding Whole Grains to Chickens (Fact Sheet #13). — protein requirements, limiting amino acid, protein supplements, calcium and grit.
- PoultryHub. Feed ingredient composition tables. — crude protein values used in the mix calculation.
General information for backyard keepers, not veterinary advice. For a sick bird, contact a veterinarian.
