Backyard Chickens
Backyard chickens give you a gentle reason to get outside every day, fresh eggs from your own yard, and the simple company of friendly birds with real personalities. A few hens are quiet, affordable, and easy to care for, and they fit beautifully alongside a garden. The one rule to remember: always check your local rules first and start with just a few hens.
What you need to start
- A predator-proof coop and an enclosed run with proper hardware cloth (not flimsy chicken wire)
- Three to six friendly hens of a calm, cold-hardy breed to start
- A feeder, a waterer, and good-quality layer feed plus a little grit and oyster shell
- A few minutes each morning and evening for food, water, and collecting eggs
At a glance
Your learning path
Three stages, taken at your own pace. Start at the top, get comfortable, then move down as you grow. There is no rush, and no wrong place to begin.
Start right here. These four walk you through the whole picture of raising a small backyard flock: what it really takes, how to pick the right hens, setting up a safe coop, and the simple daily feeding and care routine that keeps them happy.
Becky's Homestead 25: All About Chickens
Becky's HomesteadBest Chicken Breeds For Beginners (And My Flock Expansion!)
Epic Homesteading5 Chicken Coops that Work | 5 Brilliant Ways
Justin RhodesMy Chicken Care Routines After 5 Years | Daily, Weekly, And Yearly
Jacques in the GardenOnce your hens are settled, these build real confidence: collecting and handling eggs, keeping the flock healthy, seeing them safely through winter and summer, guarding against predators, and understanding the pecking order that runs every flock.
Collecting THOUSANDS of Chicken Eggs from our SUPERB Laying Boxes
Farm UpWhen Your Chicken is Sick, Follow These Simple Steps.
Welcome to ChickenlandiaPreparing Your Chickens For Winter!
The Happy Chicken CoopFlocks Guardian Animals to Protect Chickens
The Happy Chicken CoopThe Chicken Pecking Order Explained!
Victorias_life_adventuresWhen the basics feel easy, these deepen your skills: hatching your own chicks, the fundamentals of breeding, automating the coop, handling health problems and first aid, and safely adding new birds to an established flock.
How to Incubate and Hatch Baby Chickens (Beginner's Guide)
Drip DepotBreeding Chickens in a Free Range Flock; My System and Goals
Once Upon A FarmWe Built A Fully Automatic Chicken Coop - self feed!
Wild We RoamCHICKEN FIRST AID KIT - What You Need For Sick or Injured Chickens
Bock Bock BouquetHow to Integrate New Chickens | Complete Flock Integration Guide
Once Upon A FarmWhy backyard chickens is wonderful after 50
Backyard chickens are one of the gentlest, most rewarding hobbies you can take up later in life. They give you a small, cheerful reason to step outside each morning, fresh eggs that taste far better than store-bought, and the easygoing companionship of birds that quickly learn your voice and follow you around the yard. The daily rhythm of feeding, watering, and collecting eggs offers gentle purpose without any pressure, and it pairs perfectly with gardening, since the hens happily turn your kitchen scraps and garden trimmings into rich compost and eggs. There is no rush and no scoreboard, just the quiet pleasure of caring for animals that give something back every single day.
Your first month, week by week
Check your local rules first. Before anything else, confirm your town or HOA allows hens, how many, and whether roosters are permitted. Then read up on a couple of calm, cold-hardy breeds and plan a small flock of three or four hens.
Set up a safe home. Buy or build a predator-proof coop with an enclosed run, using sturdy hardware cloth rather than flimsy chicken wire. Add nesting boxes, a roost, bedding, a feeder, and a waterer so everything is ready before the birds arrive.
Bring home your hens. Start with just a few friendly, point-of-lay hens from a reputable local source. Settle them into the coop, keep them confined for a day or two so they learn where home is, and get into a simple morning and evening routine.
Find your rhythm and enjoy the eggs. Feed, water, and check on your hens daily, collect eggs each morning, and watch their little personalities emerge. Pick one video above to learn the next skill, whether that is winter care, keeping them healthy, or understanding the pecking order.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Building or buying too small a coop. Crowded hens get stressed, dirty, and sick. Give each bird plenty of room inside the coop and in the run so they stay calm and healthy.
- Skipping real predator-proofing. Flimsy chicken wire keeps hens in but does not keep raccoons, foxes, or hawks out. Use sturdy hardware cloth, bury it around the perimeter, and lock the coop every night.
- Overcrowding the flock. Adding more birds than your space can comfortably hold leads to bullying, mess, and disease. Start small and only expand if you have the room.
- Feeding the wrong food. Table scraps and scratch grains are treats, not meals. Laying hens need a proper layer feed plus grit and oyster shell to stay healthy and lay well-shelled eggs.
- Not checking local ordinances first. Many towns limit flock size or ban roosters, and some neighborhoods forbid hens entirely. Confirm the rules before you buy a single bird.
- Ignoring winter and summer extremes. Hens need shade, ventilation, and fresh water in heat, and a dry, draft-free (but not sealed) coop in cold. Plan for both seasons before they arrive.
Make it easier on your body
Simple ways to keep backyard chickens comfortable and safe with arthritis, low vision, or limited mobility.
- Choose a raised coop with waist-height nesting boxes so you can gather eggs and refill feeders without bending down or crouching.
- Fit automatic feeders, automatic waterers, and an automatic coop door so the birds are fed, watered, and let out and shut in each day with almost no daily effort from you.
- Keep a small, manageable flock of just a few hens. Fewer birds means less feed to lift, less mess to clean, and a routine that stays easy on your body.
- Use a rolling garden cart or wagon to move heavy feed bags, bedding, and water containers so you never have to carry anything awkward across the yard.
- Lay down non-slip, level paths from the house to the coop so the walk stays safe and steady in wet or icy weather.
- Reach for easy-grip, long-handled tools for scooping feed and cleaning bedding, which take the strain off your hands, back, and knees.
Words you'll hear
- Pullet
- A young female chicken, under about a year old, that has not yet started laying or has only just begun.
- Brooder
- A warm, safe enclosure with a heat source where baby chicks are raised until they are feathered enough to live outside.
- Roost
- A raised bar or perch inside the coop where chickens naturally sleep at night, up off the floor.
- Nesting box
- A small, cozy box, usually filled with bedding, where hens go to lay their eggs.
- Molt
- The natural yearly period when a chicken sheds and regrows its feathers, during which egg-laying usually slows or pauses.
- Pecking order
- The natural social ranking within a flock that decides who eats, drinks, and roosts first. Understanding it helps you keep peace in the flock.
- Coop
- The enclosed, predator-proof house where chickens sleep, shelter, and lay their eggs, usually attached to an outdoor run.
Where to find your people
- Local poultry and backyard chicken clubs, where experienced keepers share advice, swap birds, and help newcomers get started.
- Your neighborhood feed store, which is a goldmine of local knowledge on breeds, feed, and what works in your climate.
- The BackYard Chickens forum (backyardchickens.com), the largest online community for chicken keepers, with friendly help on every question imaginable.
- Your county extension office, which often offers free, science-based guidance on flock health, rules, and safe chicken keeping.
- Local Facebook groups for backyard chicken keepers, where members trade tips, photos, spare birds, and quick answers close to home.
Start learning Backyard Chickens
Sign up for our free, friendly lessons and we will help you take the first step. Tell us where you are starting from and we will meet you there.
