The Backyard Chicken Starter Kit

Before you get chickens

A few backyard hens give you fresh eggs, pest control, compost gold and genuinely good company — and they’re one of the friendliest animals to start with. A little planning now makes the whole thing calm instead of chaotic. Work down this checklist first.

Check your local rules FIRST — are backyard hens allowed, how many, and are roosters banned? (council / HOA / zoning, plus any coop setbacks)
A spot for a coop + run — see the space guide on Sheet 3
About 10 minutes a day, a weekly clean — and a plan for who minds them when you’re away
Budget for the setup (coop, feeder, waterer, brooder gear, chicks) and the ongoing feed + bedding
Predator-proofing: a lockable coop + a hardware-cloth run (foxes, raccoons, hawks, dogs, snakes)
A poultry-friendly vet found before you need one
Start with 3–6 hens — they’re flock animals; never keep just one
A quiet word with the neighbours (sharing eggs helps!)

Check your local rules first

Before you buy a coop or a single chick: many areas cap how many hens you can keep, ban roosters, or require the coop to sit a set distance from boundaries — and some HOAs forbid poultry entirely. One phone call or web search now saves a world of trouble later.

Words to know

Pullet: A young female hen under a year old (a young male is a cockerel).
Point of lay: Around 18–22 weeks, when a pullet lays her first egg.
Brooder: A warm, safe box or pen for chicks until they’re feathered enough for the coop.
Grit: Fine stone hens eat to grind food in the gizzard — needed once they eat anything but crumble.
Oyster shell: Extra calcium offered free-choice to laying hens for strong shells (kept separate from feed).
Broody: A hen set on sitting to hatch eggs; she stops laying while broody.
Roost: The raised bar hens sleep on at night — set higher than the nesting boxes.
Nesting box: A private cubby where hens lay their eggs.
Run: The enclosed outdoor space attached to the coop.
Molt: The yearly feather shed; laying pauses while it happens (perfectly normal).
Pasty butt: Droppings pasted over a chick’s vent — common and fixable (wipe gently with warm water).

General guidance, not veterinary advice. Check your local council / HOA rules before getting chickens, and consult a poultry vet if a bird seems unwell — especially for breathing trouble, injury, or a hen straining to lay.

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The Backyard Chicken Starter Kit

Beginner breed chart

Calm, hardy, productive breeds that suit small backyards and families. Egg numbers are a rough yearly guide.

Breed	Eggs / yr	Temperament	Hardiness	Good to know
Australorp	250–300	Calm, friendly	Heat & cold	Brilliant all-rounder; great with kids
Buff Orpington	200–280	Gentle, cuddly	Cold-hardy	Big & fluffy; often goes broody
Rhode Island Red	250–300	Confident, bold	Very hardy	Tough; reliable brown eggs
Plymouth (Barred) Rock	200–280	Docile, friendly	Hardy	Handsome striped; dependable
Speckled Sussex	240–260	Curious, friendly	Hardy	Good forager; pretty
Wyandotte	180–220	Calm, a bit aloof	Very cold-hardy	Laced feathers; sturdy
Easter Egger	200–280	Friendly, quirky	Hardy	Lays blue/green eggs — kid magic
Leghorn	280–320	Active, flighty	Heat-hardy	Top white-egg layer; less cuddly
Silkie (bantam)	~100	Extremely docile	Needs dry shelter	Superb pet/kid bird; often broody

You don’t need a rooster for eggs — and most suburbs ban them anyway. Mixing 2–3 breeds gives you a prettier egg basket and makes birds easy to tell apart.

General guidance, not veterinary advice. Check your local council / HOA rules before getting chickens, and consult a poultry vet if a bird seems unwell — especially for breathing trouble, injury, or a hen straining to lay.

haventheapp.com

The Backyard Chicken Starter Kit

How much space they need

Cramped birds squabble and get sick. These are sensible minimums — give more where you can.

Coop (indoor sleeping): about 4 sq ft (0.37 m²) per standard hen — 2 sq ft for bantams
Run (outdoor): about 8–10 sq ft (0.8–1 m²) per hen — more is always better
Roost bar: 8–10 in (20–25 cm) of perch per hen, set higher than the nesting boxes
Nesting boxes: 1 box per 3–4 hens, about 12 × 12 in (30 × 30 cm)

Quick space calculator

Flock size	Min. coop	Min. run
3 hens	12 sq ft (1.1 m²)	30 sq ft (2.8 m²)
4 hens	16 sq ft (1.5 m²)	40 sq ft (3.7 m²)
6 hens	24 sq ft (2.2 m²)	60 sq ft (5.6 m²)
8 hens	32 sq ft (3.0 m²)	80 sq ft (7.4 m²)

Build it predator-tight & airy

Use hardware cloth (½ in), never flimsy chicken wire; bury a wire skirt around the base against diggers; cover the run against hawks; and lock the pop door every night. Ventilate high and draft-free — damp, ammonia-heavy air must escape above roosting height without a draught blowing on sleeping birds.

General guidance, not veterinary advice. Check your local council / HOA rules before getting chickens, and consult a poultry vet if a bird seems unwell — especially for breathing trouble, injury, or a hen straining to lay.

haventheapp.com

The Backyard Chicken Starter Kit

The first 16 weeks

From day-old chick to point of lay — what to do, and when.

Week 0–1: Brooder at about 95°F / 35°C, chick starter + clean water. The chicks tell you the temperature: huddled under the lamp = too cold; panting at the edges = too hot.
Each week: Lower the brooder heat by about 5°F / 3°C (raise the lamp) until you reach room temperature.
Week 4–6: Feathering out. Short, supervised daytime outings when it’s warm. Offer chick grit once they eat anything but crumble.
Week 6–8: Fully feathered → they can move to the coop once nights are mild and they’re off the heat.
Week 8–16: Grower feed. Introduce them to any existing flock slowly — a week of “see but don’t touch” first.
Week ~18–22: Point of lay. Switch to layer feed and offer oyster shell. First eggs are small and sometimes odd-shaped — totally normal.

Feed by age

Age / stage	Feed	Protein	Plus
0–8 wks (chicks)	Chick starter (crumble)	~18–20%	Clean water; watch for pasty butt
8–18 wks (growing)	Grower	~15–16%	Add grit once on mixed food
18 wks+ / laying	Layer	~16% + calcium	Free-choice oyster shell + grit

Treats & kitchen scraps: keep under 10% of the diet (hens fill up on treats and lay less). Fresh water always. Never feed mouldy food, avocado, or anything very salty.

General guidance, not veterinary advice. Check your local council / HOA rules before getting chickens, and consult a poultry vet if a bird seems unwell — especially for breathing trouble, injury, or a hen straining to lay.

haventheapp.com

The Backyard Chicken Starter Kit

The care rhythm

Daily

Fresh water & feed topped up
Collect the eggs
A quick head-count & health glance
Shut the coop at dusk, open at dawn

Weekly

Refresh the bedding; scrub the waterer
Check feed stock
Look for mites/lice (vent & roost at dusk)

Monthly

Deep-clean the coop
Check for predator gaps & wear
Watch weights & behaviour

By season

Winter: unfrozen water, extra dry bedding, draft-free vents
Summer: shade, cool water, a dust-bath spot
Autumn: expect the molt — laying pauses, don’t worry

Call a vet if you see…

Hunched, fluffed-up, off food or water, or hiding away from the flock
Laboured breathing, sneezing, or discharge from eyes/nostrils
Pale comb with lethargy or weight loss
Runny or bloody droppings — act fast (can be coccidiosis, especially in chicks)
Limping or a swollen, scabby footpad (bumblefoot)
A hen straining with no egg (egg-bound) — urgent

When in doubt, isolate the bird somewhere warm and quiet, keep it drinking, and call a poultry vet.

General guidance, not veterinary advice. Check your local council / HOA rules before getting chickens, and consult a poultry vet if a bird seems unwell — especially for breathing trouble, injury, or a hen straining to lay.

haventheapp.com

The Backyard Chicken Starter Kit

Egg log & flock record

Print it, pin it up, and keep track of your birds and your eggs.

Weekly egg log

Week beginning	M	T	W	T	F	S	S	Total

Flock record

Name	Breed	Hatched / arrived	Notes

General guidance, not veterinary advice. Check your local council / HOA rules before getting chickens, and consult a poultry vet if a bird seems unwell — especially for breathing trouble, injury, or a hen straining to lay.

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