Chicken Care
How Many Chickens Should I Start With?
Why three to six hens is the sweet spot for most beginners, plus how to match flock size to space, eggs, and budget.
6 min read
Backyard chicken keeping
Backyard Chicken Care Made Simple
Honest, easy-to-follow guides for raising a healthy backyard flock. Coop plans, breed advice, feed and laying tips, and practical chicken keeping help, all in one place.
- Beginner friendly
- Written by chicken keepers
- No fluff, no upselling
Where to start
Pick a category and dig in
Every part of chicken keeping has its own learning curve. Start with whatever you need most right now.
Chicken Care
Daily routines and seasonal care for a healthy flock.
Explore guides →Chicken Breeds
Pick the right birds for eggs, temperament, and climate.
Explore guides →Chicken Coops
Plans, predator-proofing, and ideas for a safe coop.
Explore guides →Egg Laying
Get more eggs and understand laying cycles.
Explore guides →Chicken Health
Spot problems early and keep your flock thriving.
Explore guides →Chicken Feed
What to feed at every age and season.
Explore guides →
Coming soon
What I Wish I Knew Before Getting Chickens
By Amy Schmelter — What Actually Worked for Us and What We Learned the Hard Way
A practical Chicken Homestead guide for new backyard chicken keepers, covering the lessons, mistakes, and simple routines that make raising a flock easier from the start.
What’s inside
- Daily flock check (water, feed, egg collection)
- Weekly cleaning routine for the coop and run
- Monthly health and supply review
- Seasonal care reminders through the year
Printable, one-page PDF
Free PDF download
Free Chicken Care Checklist
Get our printable Chicken Care Checklist for daily, weekly, and monthly flock care. Print it, keep it near your coop, and use it to stay consistent with the basics.
Start here
Six guides every new keeper should read
A short tour through the questions almost every beginner asks, with one anchor guide for each main topic area.
Chicken Breeds
Best Chickens for Beginners: 8 Breeds Worth Considering
Eight beginner-friendly breeds compared on temperament, egg laying, and climate, with a simple guide to choosing yours.
7 min read
Chicken Care
How Long Do Chickens Live?
Most backyard hens live 5 to 10 years. Breed, predators, nutrition, and coop safety all change the number. Here is what affects chicken lifespan.
7 min read
Chicken Feed
What Do Chickens Eat? Daily Feeding Guide for Beginners
A simple daily feeding guide covering complete chicken feed, grit, oyster shell, water, safe treats, and foods to avoid.
7 min read
Egg Laying
When Do Chickens Start Laying Eggs?
Most hens start laying around 18 to 24 weeks, but breed, season, daylight, and nutrition all shift the timing. Plus the signs a pullet is close.
6 min read
Chicken Coops
What Should Be Inside a Chicken Coop?
A beginner setup guide covering roosts, nest boxes, bedding, ventilation, feeders, waterers, and what to leave out of the coop.
7 min read
Chicken care
Popular chicken care guides
Practical answers to the day-to-day questions backyard keepers run into most often.
Chicken Care
How Much Does It Cost to Raise Chickens?
Realistic startup and monthly costs for a small backyard flock, broken down by what to spend on and where to save.
7 min read
Chicken Care
Can Chickens Fly?
Most chickens can fly short distances, but not like wild birds. Here is what to expect by breed, age, and size, plus fence heights and wing clipping basics.
6 min read
Chicken Care
Chicken Waterer Guide: Picking One That Stays Clean
Nipple, cup, and gravity waterers compared, plus winter waterer tips and how much water chickens really drink.
6 min read
Chicken feed
Feeding and treat safety
What to feed at every life stage, plus calm, clear answers on which fruits and kitchen scraps are safe.
New tool
Chicken Feed Calculator
Estimate how much feed your flock needs per day, week, and month. See cups, pounds, ounces, bag duration, and monthly feed cost.
Chicken Feed
Can Chickens Eat Apples?
Yes, in moderation. How to serve apples to backyard chickens safely, what to do about seeds and cores, and how apples fit into a balanced diet.
5 min read
Chicken Feed
Can Chickens Eat Tomatoes?
Ripe tomatoes are fine in moderation. Green tomatoes, leaves, and stems should be avoided. Here is how to serve tomatoes safely.
5 min read
Chicken Feed
Chicken Feed Guide by Age: Starter, Grower, and Layer
What to feed chicks, pullets, and laying hens at each life stage, plus how to handle mixed-age flocks.
6 min read
Chicken breeds
Pick the right breeds for your flock
Honest profiles and beginner-friendly comparisons covering eggs, temperament, climate, and homestead suitability.
Chicken Breeds
Best Chicken Breeds for Eggs
The most reliable backyard layers compared on egg output, temperament, climate, and beginner suitability.
8 min read
Chicken Breeds
Friendliest Chicken Breeds
Calm, docile backyard breeds that handle well, tolerate kids, and tend to stay quiet in suburban yards.
7 min read
Chicken Breeds
Heritage Chicken Breeds
What heritage chicken breeds are, why homesteaders keep them, and which ones make sense for a beginner backyard flock.
8 min read
Egg laying
Understand the egg basket
When pullets start laying, how often hens lay, and how to handle eggs cleanly once the basket fills up.
Egg Laying
How Many Eggs Does a Chicken Lay a Day?
Most laying hens lay no more than one egg per day, and many lay four to six per week. Here is what actually drives daily egg production.
6 min read
Egg Laying
How Often Do Chickens Lay Eggs?
Most hens lay four to six eggs a week at peak, with predictable skips. Here is what shapes the rhythm: breed, age, daylight, molting, and stress.
6 min read
Egg Laying
How to Wash Fresh Eggs
When to wash backyard eggs, how to clean them safely, and how to store washed and unwashed eggs so they keep their freshness.
6 min read
Chicken coops
Build a coop that lasts
Inside layout, predator protection, build plans, and the cleaning rhythm that keeps a coop healthy.
Chicken Coops
Chicken Coop Cleaning Schedule
A practical daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal cleaning routine for backyard chicken keepers. Less work, healthier flock.
7 min read
Chicken Coops
Chicken Coop Plans for Beginners: What to Look For
What every beginner-friendly coop plan needs, what to skip, and how to evaluate a plan before you start cutting lumber.
8 min read
Chicken Coops
DIY Chicken Coop: A Practical Beginner's Guide
A grounded walkthrough of building your first coop, from materials and tools to ventilation and predator-proofing.
10 min read
Printable bundle
The Chicken Homestead Checklist Bundle
Eleven printable PDF checklists covering daily care, feeding, coop cleaning, egg collection, seasonal routines, and flock records. Designed to print and pin near the coop or keep in a binder.
- Daily and seasonal routines
- Feeding and egg collection
- Flock record keeping
- Beginner setup checklist
Instant PDF download. Secure Stripe checkout. No physical product ships.
