Guides & Tools
13 guides to help you buy and build smarter
Start here if you are new to chickens: the beginner's guide covers the gear list, space, feed and daily chores, and the coop size calculator turns your flock size into floor, run, roost and nest box numbers.
Raising Chickens for Beginners
A beginner's guide to backyard chickens: the gear you need, how much space, what to feed, daily chores and the mistakes that cost new keepers birds.
Chicken Coop Size Calculator
Free chicken coop size calculator: coop floor, run area, roost length and nest boxes for any number of standard hens and bantams, from extension guidelines.
How to Hatch Chicken Eggs in an Incubator
Step-by-step: how to hatch chicken eggs in an incubator, with the temperature, humidity and turning schedule from university extension sources.
How to Predator-Proof a Chicken Coop and Run
How to predator-proof a chicken coop: hardware cloth vs chicken wire, how deep to bury an apron, raccoon-proof latches and covering the run against hawks.
How to Keep Rats and Mice Out of a Chicken Coop
How to keep rats and mice out of a chicken coop: lock up feed, remove it at night, use a treadle feeder, clear cover and close gaps with hardware cloth.
The Best Chicken Coops (and How Many Hens They Really Hold)
The best chicken coops on Amazon, from plastic to solid wood, with the space math the listings leave out: how many hens each coop really holds.
The Best Chicken Runs and Pens
The best walk-in chicken runs on Amazon, sized by how many hens each one fits, plus the hardware cloth upgrade most runs need.
The Best Chicken Feeders (Rat-Proof and No-Waste)
The best chicken feeders for cutting feed waste and keeping rats out: treadle feeders, covered gravity feeders and port feeders, compared.
The Best Chicken Waterers
The best chicken waterers: insulated cup waterers, 5-gallon hanging founts and DIY bucket cups, plus how much water a flock drinks.
The Best Chicken Feed for Laying Hens
The best layer feeds for backyard hens, what protein and calcium they need, when to switch from starter, and why oyster shell goes in a separate dish.
The Best Egg Incubators for Backyard Hatching
The best egg incubators for backyard hatching: fan-assisted models with automatic turning, from 7-egg Brinsea minis to the 22-egg Nurture Right 360.
The Best Chicken Nesting Boxes
The best chicken nesting boxes, including roll-away and metal boxes, plus how many boxes your flock needs and how big they should be.
The Best Automatic Chicken Coop Doors
The best automatic chicken coop doors: solar, battery and plug-free openers that close the coop at dusk so you do not have to.