Backyard Chickens 101 – Questions to Ask Yourself Before Jumping In!

Backyard Chickens 101 – Questions to Ask Yourself Before Jumping In!

So, you’re thinking about getting a small flock of backyard chickens, ha? Well, I couldn’t be happier to hear that! However, there are some details to think about before diving in head first like we did!

What I will offer you here is the opportunity to think, really think, about what it means to delve into the world of laying hens.  Not because I don’t want you to or because keeping backyard chickens is necessarily complicated, but because the act of going into caring for any animal should be (I believe) an act based on intention and some serious reflection.

Backyard Chickens 101 - questions

Laws, Codes and Neighborhood Associations

First things first! Check your City Codes to make sure you can even have chickens in your city or town. I have heard many a horror story about people who have purchased their chickens and gotten everything all set up only to find out later that they’re in violation of blah, blah, blah and must pay a fine of (ridiculousness) or who have actually had their chickens taken from them.

There are those of you out there that are happy to rage against the machine, but if you are more like me and like to play nice, be sure to do your homework. Know what’s allowed and not allowed, how many feet you need to be between your coop and your neighbors house, are you allowed to keep roosters, etc.  You’ll avoid potential harassment and heartbreak later.

Next, think about your relationship with your neighbors and how open they might be to the noises and smells that come with having chickens for neighbors. Most people are totally fine with having a few hens in the neighborhood (although roosters? not-so-much) and love the benefit of fresh eggs at their doorstep, but their reactions are definitely something to consider. Chat ’em up, see where they’re at, then go from there.

Backyard Chickens has a great resource for things law and ordinance related

backyard chickens

Cost

Chickens themselves aren’t very expensive, it’s everything else that adds up (as we learned very quickly when we did our Urban Farm Economics a few years ago).  Think about the materials and supplies that will go into your coop and run, into feeders and waterers, into actual feed.  Make a budget and then add an extra 5-20% on top of what you think it’ll cost you upfront and into the future.

Time commitment

Once you’ve built your coop and run and have established your chicken care routine, the keeping and care of your backyard chickens really doesn’t take that much time. But, it does take time and you have to be committed to spending some time outside with your feathered friends every single day. Here’s a brief run down of the time we spend with our feathered friends:

  • Daily – ~10 minutes for food and water refreshment, egg collecting and a brief scan of their behaviors (are they acting normal or scared, is anyone hurt, who’s at the bottom of the pecking order now, etc.)
  • Weekly – ~ 10-30 minutes for coop and run maintenance (checking for any breaches, etc.)
  • Monthly – ~ 30-60 minutes for coop clean up, inside and out, depending on your method of choice and climate

Now, the average life span of a chicken ranges from 3 to 10 years so think about what these time frames mean for you in the long run. Additionally, vacations become a bit more cumbersome because keeping chickens means finding a house sitter who can actually help care for your chickens while you’re gone. Payment in eggs and cash usually helps.

fresh eggs from backyard chickens

Before getting your first batch of chickens, consider a few things:

  • Disposition – Do you want to cuddle with your chickens or simply watch them from afar? (I recommend cuddling)
  • Heat & Cold tolerance – What is your climate like? Do you experience extreme flucuations in temperature and/or weather? This information will help you decide on a breed.
  • Hens vs. Roosters – When purchasing chicks, there is a chance you could have a rooster in your batch, what will you do with him when/if that happens?
  • Retirement home or stew – What will you do with your chickens as they age? Will you allow them to “retire” in the coop when their production goes down. This is a nice thought, but gets expensive very fast. Will you try to find another home for them? Research your options ASAP as this can prove challenging. Will you cull them and eat them? Who can you ask for help with the process? Where will this process be completed? Can you get someone else to do it for you? Can you handle it?

Keeping & Care

  • Food – What kind of food do you want to feed your chickens?  What kind of food can you actually afford?  There are tons of options out there, so think about it now…Traditional? Organic/non-GMO? Soy free? Sprouted? Fermented chicken feed?
  • Water – What kind of waterer will you get and will it work well no matter the season? (Those galvanized ones are great, but they prove troublesome in the winter.)
  • Brooders & Chick Care- Will you be keeping your chicks indoors until they feather out? Where will they be kept? Garage? Living Room? Guest Bedroom? Think about it. Your brooder can be as simple as a box or large tupper ware with a heat lamp or as complicated as ours but it must be thought about before purchasing your chicks. Will you hand raise them?  Are you OK with wiping a chicks fluffy butt?
  • Coop, nesting boxes and run – Where will your chickens live?  Will they have access to sun and fresh air?  Have you researched your options and designs for coops, nesting boxes and runs? Will you go with a simple chicken run or do want something fancy? How about your coop?  How big or small do you think it should be in relation to how many chickens you are planning to get this year and into the future?  Do you want a chicken mansion or a secure shanty?  How much space does a chicken need, anyway?  How will you keep t your coop and run clean?  Do you have a compost pile to put all of their waste into?  Will you use the deep litter method?  Do you have space for them to give themselves a dust bath?
  • Protection – What predators do you have in your area?  Do you have neighborhood cats who might be amused or hungered by your chickens?  What about coyotes, hawks, bears or bobcats?  How will you secure your coop and run so as to best protect your flock?  This can be be an easy task, or it can get quite complicated, but it must be thought about.
  • Free Ranging – Will you allow your chickens to free range in your yard?  How will that affect your current landscaping?  Chickens are brutal and don’t care about any of the work you’ve done, so be ready for Operation Tear Apart to begin.  Can you keep them secure?  Will you clip their wings or is your fence high enough that they won’t get out and onto the busy street?

broody chicken

Alright, let’s be honest now…

How are you feeling about this whole backyard chicken keeping thing?  My hope is that these questions have either solidified your decision to keep some backyard chickens, or they have given you the opportunity to re-access.

Please don’t get me wrong, I would love to see backyard chickens in every neighborhood in every town!  I’d love to see pictures of kids holding hens on every mantle and fresh eggs cooked for breakfast every day!  I just want to see it done intentionally.

Have I forgotten anything?

Do you keep a backyard flock?  What questions did you ask yourself before jumping in?  Or, did you simply jump in like we did and wish you would have asked yourself a few questions beforehand?  Please feel free to comment below with any tips, tricks, questions or insights you have about backyard chicken keeping!

xoxo,
M

Linking up to Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways #107, From the Farm, Homestead Barn Hop #147the HomeAcre Hop #58, #ThrowbackThursday

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Written by Melissa @ Ever Growing Farm

25 Comments

  1. Iris

    Silly question: how do you know if the eggs your collecting to eat for breakfast is not a chick inside?

    1. Melissa @ Ever Growing Farm

      Hi Iris! If you have a rooster, then your eggs are probably being fertilized by him and you have the potential for chicks. However, if you collect the eggs regularly, they won’t have the opportunity to begin forming under the heat of a warm Mama Hen. Now, if you don’t have a rooster, you never even have to think about it 🙂

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  3. Denise

    It’s crossed my mind, but my HOA won’t allow it. That’s good though because the amount of work is too much for me now. LOL! Thanks for linking up for #Throwback Thursday!

    1. Melissa @ Ever Growing Farm

      Ha! Well, as fun as they are, they do require a commitment 🙂 Sounds like you know your priorities!

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  5. Helene

    me and my boyfriend have for a long time wanted backyard chickens, and has come to the decision that it should be time for it in the near future, in a year or two maybe.

    all the questions you asked, I think there is only one or two we haven’t asked ourselves, fx the dusting pad. but everything else we have talked over 🙂
    but I think it is very helpfull with these questions, because it is sort of to do list and thing to remember, I will certainly pin this to my backyard chicken coop, so I can read this again, and be sure I have everything I need for the chickens 🙂

    thank you for an amazing list 🙂

    Dearest Regards Helene

    1. Bee Girl

      Helene, I am so glad to hear that you have found this post helpful, even with all of the thought and intention you’ve already put into your future flock! I hope you are enjoying a fabulous weekend! 🙂

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  8. Jessica @ The 104 Homestead

    This is a very inclusive and well thought out post. It’s awesome that you touched on topics that many don’t. I have had chickens for three years now and it’s the best decision I could have made. This year I am branching out with ducks and quail. If it’s right for you and your lifestyle, poultry-keeping can be very rewarding.

    Share with me! Blog Hop every Friday (entries accepted until Thursday at noon).
    www,104homestead.weebly.com

  9. Erin Blegen

    Some great advice for those looking to embark upon chicken keeping. I think you have to have a true genuine love for them, because they truly do end up costing more than they can give. I wouldn’t change my chicken-crazy self for anything! 😉

    Visiting via the Homestead Barn Hop 🙂

    Erin
    http://yellowbirchhobbyfarm.blogspot.com

  10. Danielle

    I never hear anyone talk about histoplasmosis. How does everyone feel about this, especially if you have young children? If you do a chicken tractor or let the chickens free range a few times a week, is there going to be chicken poo all over the yard to worry about?! Thanks for any information! This is my only concern about getting chickens….

    1. Bee Girl

      To be honest, histoplasmosis is not something I’ve worried about at all. I will, however, take your question to my facbook community for their thoughts and opinions and do some research of my own for a post here in the near future 🙂 Thanks for the question and the inspiration! Stay tuned!

  11. Andrea

    Thank you for this very comprehensive list of things to consider. I admit I’m still a bit wary of diving in, even though I’m 95% ready and my soul calls out for some hens. I am going to print this and put it in my binder. Yes, I’m old-school like that. 🙂

    1. Bee Girl

      Ha! I love that you print things off to save! I still love actually writing things down (imagine that?!) and keeping binders and such. Does that mean we’re old? 😉

  12. Janet G

    Well done! I love being informed before hand and helping others to know what they are getting into. I will be sharing this because it has many things to think about.

  13. Anna

    Thank you for this post. We are thinking about getting a small flock of backyard chickens this spring. So excited! Pinning your post so I can read it again.

  14. thehomesteadinghippy

    just a thought…if you happen to have kids in 4H, have them join poultry club…most counties will give a variance, even if chickens are normally not allowed, so that kids will stay in the 4H programs.

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  16. Danielle Z.

    I had done ENDLESS research before we made the leap into chickens but still feel like we jumped in with both feet, lol! I had been “considering” chickens so long there came a point I couldn’t wait any more and it didn’t matter we had JUST moved cross-country onto our little piece of homestead with NO outbuildings or existing animal infrastructure. We made it work and I’m happilly collecting more than 1/2 dozen eggs a day now but it sure was an adventure to get here, haha!!

    Visiting via the From the Farm Blog Hop!

    Danielle
    TheHandcraftedHomestead.com

    1. Bee Girl

      Ha! Look at you! So glad everything went well 🙂 There really is nothing like fresh, delicious eggs in the morning!

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