10 Things You Should Know Before Getting Started With Backyard Chickens

Do you have homesteading dreams of caring for your own flock of chickens and gathering farm-fresh eggs for breakfast every morning? Raising chickens might be for you. But before you set up your coop and purchase your birds, there are some important factors to consider to avoid surprises and mistakes down the road. Here are 10 things you should know before getting started with backyard chickens.

1. Know your local laws.

The first thing you need to do is research your local laws and ordinances to make sure raising backyard chickens is even allowed in your city or neighborhood. There may also be a limit on the number of birds you can keep at once or laws that only permit raising hens and not roosters. If raising chickens in your neighborhood is allowed, you’ll also need to find out if you need a permit to have them or to build the coop. Before you invest any more time in researching or money in startup costs, take your time to understand the rules and determine if raising chickens is even possible for you.

If you’re planning to sell eggs in the future, make sure to check out those laws too. Rules on handling and labeling eggs vary from state to state.

See more: How to Get Started Raising Backyard Chickens

 2. Chickens don’t lay eggs year round.

Before you get too excited about having your own fresh eggs readily available whenever you want them, you should know that you likely won’t get many (or any) in the wintertime. Spring and summer are the main laying seasons when you might get eggs every day from good layers, but as the days get shorter and your hens aren’t getting the 14 to 16 hours of daily daylight needed to lay, your egg supply will slow and likely stop until early spring.

3. Decide how many birds to raise.

Chickens are very social animals, so plan on keeping at least three to six birds to start. An adult hen lays about two eggs every three days, so this number should keep you with a steady supply of fresh eggs during the laying seasons and keep your chickens happy. Three to six chickens is also an ideal flock size for a suburban backyard and for beginner chicken keepers to get started.

See more: How to Start a Vegetable Garden From Seeds

4. Estimate your start-up and maintenance costs.

Before you get started with backyard chickens, know how much they’re going to cost you, both upfront and on a regular basis. Startup costs will include building and furnishing a coop, fencing in a run and purchasing your chicks. These costs can greatly vary depending on the breeds you choose, coop materials and how you build your coop. If you choose not to build it yourself and hire professional help instead, you’ll also have to factor in labor costs.

In general, you can expect to spend anywhere from $500 to $1,000 to get started, and then you should take other maintenance costs into account such as coop upkeep and chicken feed. A mature chicken needs about 1.5 pounds of feed weekly (which costs about $0.50 -$0.75 per pound), although they may need less if they can free-range for some of their food or if you give them kitchen scraps. Other costs to consider include bedding (such as straw, wood shavings or hemp), water and pest control.

5. Know how much space you need.

In addition to startup costs, you also need to estimate how much space you need for backyard chickens. The henhouse or coop will need to be large enough to fit about 3 to 5 square feet of floor space per chicken, a feeder and water containers, one roosting box for every three or four chickens, and about 8 inches of roosting bar space per bird.

Outside the coop, you need to plan space for a fenced-in chicken run that will give your chickens plenty of time to roam freely outdoors and protect them from predators. For medium-sized birds, the general rule of thumb is to give them about 8 to 10 square feet of run space per bird. Overcrowding can lead to disease, so the more space, the better (and the happier and healthier your chickens will be).

See more: How to Start Homesteading in a Small Space

6. You don’t need a rooster.

Contrary to what some backyard chicken beginners might think, you don’t need a rooster for your hens to lay eggs. Happy and healthy hens will lay eggs with or without a rooster around. The only difference is that the eggs will never be fertile, so they won’t hatch into chicks.

Besides the possibility of raising your own chicks, having roosters around can also be useful for protecting the rest of the flock from predators. Regulations in some areas, however, don’t allow owning backyard roosters. But if fresh egg production is your goal and you have a secured chicken run, that won’t be a problem.

7. Consider the breed (or breeds) you want to raise.

Research a few of the best beginner chicken breeds to determine which ones might be best for you. The best options will depend on your available space, your climate, how many eggs you’ll want and other factors. A few excellent and low-maintenance breeds for beginners to consider include Rhode Island Reds, Plymouth Rocks and Australorps and many others. Do your research in advance to learn about their different needs, personalities and laying habits before deciding which chicks to buy.

See more: 5 Chicken Breeds That Are Perfect for Beginners

8. You have to protect them from predators.

You’ll need to protect your backyard chickens from many types of predators. Depending on where you live, this could include foxes, birds of prey, raccoons, bears, coyotes, and even pets like cats and dogs. This means planning ahead to design and build a secure, enclosed area for your chickens to keep them safe while they roam outside the coop. If you have pets, you should also plan to keep your chickens safe from them and neighbors’ pets that may not be familiar with chickens.

9. Understand the commitment.

It’s important to understand the day-to-day routine of keeping chickens before you dive in. Chickens will require food and water each day, care and attention, treats and kitchen scraps from time to time, a clean coop, time to roam in a safe, enclosed yard, and periodic health checks for common problems like ticks, fleas, lice and worms. You can also expect to spend a lot of time researching, especially in the beginning as you start reading about different breeds, learning how to raise chicks and solving problems along the way. Know what you’re getting into before you build your coop and purchase your chicks to ensure a long and successful journey raising backyard chickens.

10. Hens won’t lay eggs forever.

Chickens lay the most eggs during the first two or three years of their lives, after which the production will drop by about 20% each year until it stops completely. However, healthy chickens can live 10 years or more. They can continue to make excellent pets, but if egg production is your goal, you should expect to introduce more chicks into your flock after the first few years.

Sources: The Hen House Collection, Almanac.com, Lehman’s Simpler Living Blog