How Much Roost Space per Chicken
Short answer first: give every standard laying hen 10 inches of roost space — 8 inches for bantams and 12 inches for large breeds like Orpingtons and Brahmas. And size the bar for a summer night, not a winter one.…
Ethan Cole
How Much Do Chickens Eat a Day
Short answer first: a laying hen eats about 1/4 pound of feed a day — roughly 110 to 120 grams. In a scoop, that comes out to around 3/4 to 1 cup of pellets depending on pellet size, but weigh…
How Many Nesting Boxes Do You Need
Short answer first: plan on one nesting box for every 4 hens, and always round up to a minimum of 2 boxes, even for the smallest flock. Two boxes for 4, 6 or 8 hens. Three for 10 or 12.…
How to Predator Proof a Chicken Coop
Short answer first: a coop is predator proof when five things are all true at the same time. Half-inch hardware cloth covers every opening instead of chicken wire, a buried apron of that same mesh runs around the base so…
Backyard Chickens for Beginners: The Complete Guide
Here is the short version of everything in this guide: start with 4 to 6 hens, give them 4 square feet each in the coop and 10 in the run, protect them like every raccoon in the county already knows…
How Much Space Do Chickens Need? Coop, Run & Roost Sizes
Short answer first: a standard laying hen needs at least 4 square feet inside the coop and 10 square feet in the run, about 10 inches of roost bar to sleep on, and a share of one nesting box for…
Brooder Temperature Chart: Week by Week Guide for Chicks
New chicks cannot control their own body temperature. Tap your chicks’ age below to see exactly how warm the brooder should be — then lower the heat by about 5°F every week. 95°F (35°C) Week 1: chicks sleep near the…
Chicken Cost Calculator: What Do Chickens Really Cost?
Chickens are not expensive to keep, but they are not free either. Put in your own numbers and see your real monthly cost, your true cost per dozen eggs, and when your coop pays for itself. Number of hens Coop…
Chicken Feed Calculator: How Much Feed Do Chickens Eat?
Enter your flock size and this calculator shows exactly how much feed your chickens eat per day, week and month — plus how many bags to budget for. Number of chickens Type of birdsChicks (0–8 weeks)Growers (8–18 weeks)Laying hensMixed flock…
Coop Size Calculator: How Much Space Do Your Chickens Need?
Tell us how many chickens you plan to keep and this calculator works out the minimum coop size, run space, roost length and nesting boxes for your flock. Number of chickens Bird sizeBantam (small breeds)Standard laying hensLarge breeds (Orpington, Jersey…