1. Check the rules before you spend money
- Look up your city, village, or town ordinance (start with our local law finder). If you live outside city limits, check county zoning too.
- Write down the flock limit, rooster rule, coop setbacks from property lines and neighbors, and any front-yard ban.
- Find out if you need a permit or license, how much it costs, when it renews, and whether neighbors must be notified.
- Check HOA rules, deed restrictions, or your lease. A landlord may need to sign the application.
- In some states, such as Wisconsin, you must register your property with the state livestock premises program before a city will issue a chicken license.
2. Plan a flock you can actually care for
- Pick a number within your local limit. Three to six hens is a practical first flock for most families.
- Choose calm, hardy breeds that fit your winters and summers (try the breed quiz).
- Decide on day-old chicks (cheaper birds, more setup and about 6 to 8 weeks indoors) or started pullets (more per bird, less work, eggs sooner).
- Buy from a clean source: an NPIP-participating hatchery, a feed store that orders from one, or a local breeder who lets you see the birds.
- Skip the rooster unless your rules allow one and your neighbors are fine with crowing.
3. Coop and run basics
- Coop floor space: plan about 4 square feet per standard-size hen.
- Run space: plan about 10 square feet per standard-size hen. More is better.
- Roost bar: about 8 to 10 inches of roost per bird, higher than the nest boxes.
- Nest boxes: about 1 box for every 3 to 4 hens, in a darker, quiet spot.
- Ventilation high on the walls, above the birds' heads, so moist air can escape without drafts on roosting hens.
- Use 1/2-inch hardware cloth (not chicken wire) on windows, vents, and the run.
- Add a buried or flat "apron" of wire around the run edge to stop digging.
- Use two-step latches. Raccoons can open simple hooks and slide bolts.
- Put the coop on high, dry ground and plan a path for winter chores.
4. Supplies to have before birds come home
- Feeder and waterer sized so you are not refilling every day.
- Heated waterer or heated base if your area freezes in winter (plus a safe outdoor-rated outlet).
- Feed for the bird's age: chick starter, then grower, then layer feed once laying starts.
- Grit if birds eat anything besides complete feed, and oyster shell in a separate dish for laying hens.
- Bedding such as pine shavings, and nest box liners or pads.
- A sealed metal or heavy plastic bin for feed storage.
- Basic first-aid kit: gloves, saline, wound spray made for poultry, a dog crate or box for isolating a sick bird.
- Dedicated chore boots or boot covers for biosecurity.
- A headlamp for evening lock-up checks.
5. If you are starting with chicks
- Brooder box with draft-free sides, set up and warmed a day before chicks arrive.
- Heat source with a thermometer at chick level. Start around 95°F the first week and lower about 5°F each week until they are feathered or it matches room temperature.
- Watch the chicks: huddled under heat means too cold; spread far from heat and panting means too hot.
- Chick waterer with a shallow lip, chick feeder, and chick starter feed.
- Paper towels over bedding for the first few days so chicks learn what food is.
- Check for pasty butt (droppings stuck to the vent) daily during the first week.
- Plan to move chicks to the coop once fully feathered, usually around 6 to 8 weeks, depending on weather.
6. The first week with your flock
- Keep new birds in the coop and run (not free-ranging) for the first several days so they learn where home is.
- Check feed and water twice a day until you know how fast they use it.
- Lock the coop every night, or confirm the automatic door actually closed.
- Watch each bird for a few minutes a day: eating, drinking, moving normally, clean vent, bright eyes.
- Keep new birds separate from any existing flock for about 30 days before mixing.
- Wash hands after handling birds, eggs, or equipment, and keep young children supervised.
7. Through the first year
- Weekly: scrub waterers, remove wet bedding, check latches, wire, and for digging.
- Monthly: look for mites and lice under feathers around the vent, top off bedding, check feed for mold.
- Spring: expect more eggs as days get longer. Watch for broody hens.
- Summer: shade, extra water, and airflow. Hot weather is harder on chickens than cold.
- Fall: expect molting and fewer eggs. Hens often slow down or stop as days shorten.
- Winter: keep water thawed, coop dry and ventilated, and watch combs for frostbite.
8. Know who to call before you need them
- A veterinarian near you who sees chickens (call before an emergency to ask).
- Your county extension office for local poultry help.
- Your state veterinarian or the USDA at 1-866-536-7593 to report sudden deaths or signs of bird flu.
- Your city or county office that handles chicken permits.
This checklist is general guidance for beginners. Local rules vary a lot, so always confirm with your city or county before buying birds or building a coop. Ask a veterinarian about any sick bird.