Chicken Keeping Guides
Practical how-to guides for backyard chicken keepers: starting a flock, supplies and costs, eggs and laws, seasonal care, and everything in between to help you keep a thriving flock.
Backyard Chicken Supply Checklist
Everything you need before bringing chickens home: coop, feeder, waterer, feed, bedding, grit, first-aid, and extras.
Read guide →How to Start a Backyard Flock
A step-by-step beginner's guide from checking local laws to choosing breeds, setting up, and raising your first hens.
Read guide →Gift Guide for Chicken Keepers
The best gifts for backyard chicken keepers, from automatic doors and egg baskets to books and cozy upgrades.
Read guide →How Much Does It Cost to Raise Chickens?
A realistic breakdown of startup costs, monthly feed and bedding, hidden expenses, and how to keep a flock affordably.
Read guide →Raising Chickens for Eggs
Best laying breeds, when hens start laying, feed and calcium needs, nesting boxes, and keeping eggs coming year-round.
Read guide →Backyard Chicken Laws
How to check local ordinances and HOA rules, flock-size limits, rooster bans, permits, and egg-selling regulations.
Read guide →Naming Your Chickens
Whether to name your hens, how to tell them apart, teaching them their names, and creative name ideas by theme.
Read guide →Chicken Keeping Monthly Calendar
A month-by-month and seasonal checklist for coop care, winter and summer prep, molt support, and health checks.
Read guide →Selling Backyard Eggs
How to sell your surplus eggs legally: state rules, pricing, washing and storage, carton labeling, and where to sell.
Read guide →Free-Ranging Chickens Safely
Protect free-range birds from hawks and ground predators with netting, cover, supervised ranging, and a secure coop.
Read guide →How to Clip a Chicken's Wings
A painless step-by-step on which flight feathers to cut, clipping one wing for balance, the tools you need, and when to re-clip.
Read guide →How to Make a Chicken Dust Bath
Build a simple DIY dust bath that controls mites and lice naturally, with the right sand, wood ash, and diatomaceous earth mix.
Read guide →How to Keep Chickens From Flying Over the Fence
Stop escapes with wing clipping, the right fence height, overhead run netting, and removing the launch points birds use.
Read guide →How to Build a Cheap Chicken Coop
Build a safe, low-cost coop from salvaged materials: space needs, predator-proofing with hardware cloth, ventilation, and roosts.
Read guide →How to Build a Chicken Run
Build a spacious, predator-proof run: sizing per bird, hardware cloth and welded wire, overhead netting, and dig-proofing.
Read guide →How to Keep Chickens Quiet for Neighbors
Keep the peace: skip the rooster, use a no-crow collar, automatic doors, and reduce boredom noise with smart management.
Read guide →How to Keep a Coop From Smelling
Stop coop odor for good with moisture control, absorbent bedding, proper ventilation, a cleaning schedule, and zeolite deodorizers.
Read guide →How to Keep Flies Away From the Coop
Control coop flies with sanitation, moisture control, reusable traps, diatomaceous earth, and natural herb deterrents.
Read guide →How to Keep Mice and Rats Out of the Coop
Rodent-proof the coop: secure feed, rodent-resistant feeders, sealing gaps with hardware cloth, and safe trapping methods.
Read guide →How to Tame and Hold Chickens
Tame skittish birds with patience and treats, then learn the safe way to pick up and hold a hen so she stays calm.
Read guide →How to Trim Overgrown Beaks and Nails
Safely trim overgrown beaks and nails: avoid the quick, the right tools, holding the bird, and preventing overgrowth naturally.
Read guide →How to Fence In Free-Range Chickens
Fence in free-range birds with movable electric netting or welded wire: the right height, predator protection, and night security.
Read guide →Backyard Chicken Keepers Planner
10 printable worksheets to track your flock's health, eggs, feed, and coop care.
Get the Planner for $39