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Stuff Every Backyard Chicken Owner Should Know

Backyard chickens: coop, feed, eggs, predators, local rules and staying healthy (salmonella).

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  1. In cities that allow chickens, what do the rules often limit?
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    How many chickens you can keep. Mississippi State Extension says to follow city or county ordinances that may limit flock size and roosters. Minnesota Extension says some cities limit the number of animals. Check the number before you buy chicks.

  2. In North Carolina, can local rules restrict sales of backyard eggs?
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    Yes, local and state rules may apply. NC State Extension says some North Carolina home-flock ordinances prohibit egg sales, and state rules may add requirements. Check both local and state rules before selling.

  3. Compared with buying eggs at the store, backyard eggs usually...
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    Cost more to produce. Penn State Extension says producing eggs in small flocks will always cost more. Oregon State adds that chickens are not a big money saver. People keep hens for fresh eggs and fun, not savings.

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  1. In cities that allow chickens, what do the rules often limit?
  2. In North Carolina, can local rules restrict sales of backyard eggs?
  3. Compared with buying eggs at the store, backyard eggs usually...
  4. According to UGA Extension, what is the greatest cost of raising chickens?
  5. What should you locate before a backyard chicken gets sick?
  6. How often do backyard chickens need fresh food, water and egg collecting?
  7. You are going away for a week. What do your chickens need?
  8. Which twice-a-day chore helps protect chickens from predators?
  9. According to Minnesota Extension, how often should you clean the coop and pen?
  10. When does Minnesota Extension say the big yearly coop cleaning is usually done?
  11. According to Kentucky Extension, how long do new chicks need a heat source?
  12. Which way to start a flock costs least but is the riskiest and most work?
  13. What does it mean to buy 'straight run' chicks?
  14. If you buy grown hens for eggs, about how old should they be?
  15. What flock size does Oregon State Extension suggest for first-time chicken keepers?
  16. Should a backyard chicken be kept all by itself?
  17. What should decide how many hens you get?
  18. What is a flock's 'pecking order'?
  19. NC State says a flock smaller than how many hens should not have a rooster?
  20. At about what age do young hens start laying eggs?
  21. During her first laying year, what rate does NC State give for a hen?
  22. What happens to a hen's egg numbers as she gets older?
  23. When do backyard hens usually lay fewer eggs, or stop for a while?
  24. How many hours of light a day are recommended for steady egg laying?
  25. In mild-winter areas, which chicks lay more in their first year?
  26. Penn State says commercial sex-linked hybrid hens lay about how many eggs a year?
  27. What decides the color of a chicken's eggshell?
  28. Roosters crow, but does that mean hens are always quiet?
  29. Before you start a flock, who does Mississippi State Extension say you should talk to?
  30. About how much of the feed a hen eats comes back out as manure?
  31. A kid helps care for the family chickens. Who is ultimately responsible for the flock?
  32. Should you give baby chicks to a young child as a gift?
  33. How much of their day do chickens naturally spend scratching and pecking for food?
  34. What is the minimum indoor coop space for each laying hen?
  35. What is the minimum outdoor run space per hen?
  36. What makes a good roost for cold winter nights?
  37. How much linear roost space does each standard hen need?
  38. Where should roosts sit compared with nest boxes?
  39. How many nest boxes suit a flock of 10 laying hens?
  40. About what size nest box suits most standard laying hens?
  41. Why does a coop need ventilation?
  42. Where should coop vents go so roosting birds are not chilled?
  43. Which coop bedding soaks up moisture best?
  44. Why must coop bedding stay dry?
  45. What can a raccoon do even when it cannot get inside the coop?
  46. Which mesh best keeps raccoons, rats and weasels out of a coop?
  47. How can you stop predators from digging under a run?
  48. Which predator usually attacks chickens from above in daytime?
  49. Which animal does Kentucky Extension call the most common predator of poultry?
  50. Can a family or neighbor dog be a danger to chickens?
  51. When does most predation on backyard chickens happen?
  52. Above about what air temperature do chickens start to feel heat stress?
  53. What parts of a chicken are most at risk of frostbite?
  54. In winter, which sign means your coop needs more ventilation?
  55. What is the biggest danger of a heat lamp in a chicken coop?
  56. Which signs suggest heat stress in chickens?
  57. How should you help chickens in a heat wave?
  58. What protein level is typical in layer feed?
  59. How should laying hens get extra calcium?
  60. Why do chickens need grit?
  61. What should newly hatched chicks eat?
  62. When do most pullets switch to layer feed?
  63. Which feed condition is unsafe for chickens?
  64. Which kitchen scrap is toxic to chickens?
  65. How much scratch and table scraps should chickens get?
  66. Why should scratch grains be limited?
  67. When do chickens usually drink the most water?
  68. How often should you change your chickens' drinking water?
  69. How should opened chicken feed be stored?
  70. How high should roosts be from the coop floor?
  71. How often should you collect eggs from your hens' nest boxes?
  72. What should you do with a cracked egg from your flock?
  73. What is a safe way to clean a little dirt off a fresh egg?
  74. If you do wash a fresh egg, how warm should the water be?
  75. What is the natural "bloom" on a freshly laid egg?
  76. Is "water glassing" (storing unwashed eggs in a liquid) a recommended way to keep eggs?
  77. How cold should your refrigerator be for storing eggs?
  78. How long can covered eggs be safely kept in the refrigerator, according to USDA?
  79. How should eggs from your flock be cooked to be safe?
  80. What is the right way to freeze extra eggs?
  81. When should you wash your hands with soap and water around backyard chickens?
  82. Is it OK to kiss or snuggle your backyard chickens?
  83. What does the CDC say to do with the shoes you wear to care for your chickens?
  84. Can backyard chickens come inside your house?
  85. Should children younger than 5 touch chicks or chickens?
  86. Besides young children, who is more likely to get sick from chicken germs?
  87. Where should you clean chicken feeders, waterers and other coop gear?
  88. Where does the CDC suggest buying chicks to lower the Salmonella risk?
  89. A chicken pecks you and breaks the skin. When should you see a doctor?
  90. How long should new chickens be kept apart from your flock?
  91. What is the correct order for cleaning and disinfecting coop equipment?
  92. What bird flu risk can wild birds bring to your chickens?
  93. Who does USDA say should receive reports of sick or dying chickens?
  94. Which of these can be a sign of bird flu in chickens?
  95. Is there a treatment for highly pathogenic bird flu (HPAI) in chickens?
  96. What should you do before touching a sick or dead bird?
  97. How often does bird flu infect people?
  98. When do poultry red mites feed on chickens?
  99. Why do chicken lice treatments need to be repeated after about 10 days?
  100. A chicken gets Mycoplasma gallisepticum, a respiratory disease. What is true afterward?
  101. Infectious bronchitis is a contagious respiratory disease. What can it do to eggs?
  102. How do chick owners protect against Marek's disease?
  103. What is often the first sign of disease in a laying flock?
  104. How do you find out if a nearby vet will treat your chickens?
  105. How do US owners obtain former OTC antibiotics affected by FDA Guidance 263?
  106. Your hen loses lots of feathers and stops laying. What is probably happening?
  107. Your hen has small bare spots, not an all-over molt. What usually causes them?
  108. Your hen sits in the nest all day and stops laying. How can you stop the broodiness?
  109. If a broody hen sits on fertile eggs, about how long until chicks hatch?
  110. In most small backyard flocks, about how long do chickens live?
  111. What should you expect when an older hen permanently stops laying?
  112. Do hens need a rooster to lay eggs?
  113. In North Carolina, what do modern city ordinances allowing hens usually prohibit?
  114. What should you check first before getting backyard chickens?
  115. Your city allows hens. What else might still stop you from keeping them?
  116. Besides allowing chickens, what might your city require before you keep them?