Chickens are usually the gateway drug for people wanting to be a little less dependent on the system. Chickens are generally low maintenance and easy for people new to small livestock. Considering the fluctuating prices of eggs, keeping chickens makes sense for a constant egg supply.

When I started keeping chickens for eggs ten-plus years ago, I knew very little except that I had a good shelter for them to be safe and that they needed food and water. In the following year, I learned so much about their needs. I have changed shelters and made mistakes, but overall, keeping chickens has been a successful venture, and I plan to keep doing it no matter where I live.

Chickens need the same care as humans: shelter, security, food, and water. This series starts with shelter because you need a place to keep your chickens. When talking about shelter for chickens, I am also addressing security since their coop should be where they feel secure.

Shelter

When considering keeping chickens, you need to have sufficient space. Some people choose to keep them in a coop with an enclosed outdoor area, while others want their chickens to be free-range. Even if they are free-range chickens, they still need a coop to go to every night that can be closed and keep them safe for the night. After losing two flocks to a mink and coyotes, this lesson has been driven home for me.

The size of your coop depends on the size of your flock. If you live in town, check town ordinances for rules on how many chickens you can keep. Some towns will be three or six. Some towns will say none. Some towns will have no restrictions. Almost every town ordinance will not allow you to have roosters.

Ideally, you want enough space for the chickens to move around comfortably. Right now, I have an 8′ x 8′ indoor coop with an 8′ x 10′ outdoor space. This allows me to keep up to fifteen chickens comfortably. I have tried eighteen chickens, and there was not enough room for everyone to move around and roost. I do free-range my chickens, but there are days when having them outside the coop is not feasible. They usually have access to the enclosed outdoor area despite bad weather.

There are many different coop plans on the internet, and they all have their merits. Because I live in Iowa, I went with a simple 8′ x 8′ insulated building that could be used as a utility shed if I didn’t have chickens. You can get premade coops meant for 3-6 chickens. You can build a chicken palace if you choose. Friends have used utility sheds from places like Menards or Home Depot. The choice is yours.

With the wind and cold here, I needed something sturdy to hold its warmth in the winter. When considering the kind of coop you need, you must consider your year-round temperatures and conditions. It’s easy in the spring to forget that you must consider sheltering them in winter. If you have moderate or warm temperatures year-round, this is not as much of a concern, but the chickens still need a dry coop that keeps them out of the weather if they choose.

You need access to the coop to feed, water, clean, and collect eggs. I have a walk-in door, so I can do those things easily. I also have a small opening for the chickens to enter the outdoor area. You will also need ventilation in the coop to bring in fresh air and the smells and ammonia out of the coop. Vents work best in this situation, but screened-in open windows and doors also work well.

Inside the Coop

The inside of the coop can also be pretty basic. You need spots for them to roost, lay eggs, eat, and drink. People can be very rustic or fancy about this. Some people treat their chickens as pets and treat them accordingly, making their abode look nice with painted walls and curtains. Some people view their chickens as small livestock and give them what they need. At the end of the day, as long as they have the four things they need, they are cared for. For me, I wanted to be able to clean it easily and keep the chickens content.

They will need bedding on the ground and in their nesting boxes. People definitely have preferences in this area. You can use whatever is best for you. I use medium or large flake pine bedding on top of the concrete floor and have had no issue with it for the eleven years I have kept chickens. It is what I can get regularly from my local farm store. Some would rather have a dirt or sand floor to remove the droppings easily. Some people choose to use hemp or coconut fiber bedding. You could use straw or hay, but I don’t recommend it because it holds a lot of moisture and can start molding which is toxic to chickens.

Whatever bedding you choose, you must keep it dry inside the coop. In the winter, this can be difficult. To keep the coop warmer, I add an extra bag of bedding. I also use barn lime under the bedding to reduce the smell and keep the bedding drier. Cleaning the coop and regularly changing the bedding is essential for chicken health. I do this 3-4 times a year to keep the smell down and keep the coop clean. Some have developed ways to keep it cleaner, such as using a tray under the roost to catch the droppings.

Nesting boxes are necessary for laying chickens. They need a safe place to lay their eggs, even though it seems they will lay eggs anywhere and everywhere. The preference for the type of nesting boxes is yours. Depending on the size of your flock, you will need a nesting box for every six chickens. Most chicken keepers only need 2-3 nesting boxes. You will discover that most of your chickens will use the same one, ending up with multiple eggs in one box. There is no real science behind that, but that is their way. You must also hang the nesting boxes and keep them off the ground. It keeps the chickens and eggs safer.

If you plan on having a rooster and letting your layers go broody, you might need more nesting boxes. The layers can go broody and will sit on those eggs for at least twenty-one days to hatch the chicks. You might consider moving the broody layers to a spot of their own with fresh water and food. Some will find their own spots and you get to play hide and seek to find them.

Keeping chickens hydrated is essential all year round. I have used a 5-gallon galvanized chicken waterer for years until it rusted out. Now, I use a two-gallon bucket in warmer months and a two-gallon heated bucket in winter. I find them easy to use and keep clean. Again, this is your preference. You might want to use buckets or PVC with water nipples. A livestock water pan also works but will need to be cleaned regularly as chickens do not have an issue pooping wherever. That includes the waterer.

Feeders come in many forms and have some things to consider. I have used three different feeders over the years. You need to consider the space in your coop and the size of your flock. You may only need a small tough-style or pan-style feeder. You may want to look into bigger feeders if you have a medium or large flock.

I started with a livestock pan feeder and realized it wasn’t big enough for the twelve chickens I had at the time. I used a guarded trough feeder for several years and it worked fine. However, I changed that up this last fall and went to three PVC tube feeders. I like these the best because I can fill them and the feed lasts for a week for nine chickens. I still feed them food scraps, seeds, and other treats, but their main food is in the feeders.

The final thing to have inside your coop is a roost. Your chickens will want to be off the ground when they are resting or feel like they are in danger. A roost is their preferred spot for sleeping overnight inside the coop. A roost should be at least two feet off the ground but can be higher. My roost is roughly 3-1/2 feet off the ground. We used one landscaping timber, but that is almost too wide. My chickens handle it fine, but a pressure-treated 2″ x 4″ would work fine if hung so the narrow side is up. Some people use sturdy branches, wooden poles, or other lumber to make their roost. You do need a roost that will hold all the chickens. You might want to consider hanging two or more roosts, depending on the size of your flock. The roosts can be at varying heights. The chickens will fly up to the one they want.

Electrify the Coop?

Depending on where you put your chicken coop and what you decide to use inside of it, you might want to run electricity to the coop. You may be able to run a heavy-duty outdoor extension cord for anything you need inside the coop, but you might find life a little easier and your options greater if you run electricity to the chicken coop. You don’t have to, but it is nice to have.

We did this for various reasons, but mainly to be able to use a heater or a heated water bucket for the water. Many chicken owners may disagree for different reasons about this, but I could not keep the water from freezing in winter. The saltwater bottle trick did not work for me, but it may work for someone who lives south of Iowa. I live somewhere that gets very cold for several weeks, and I decided it wasn’t worth the battle.

I also wanted lights in the chicken coop. One, I like to see when I am doing chores, which can be before the sun rises or after the sun sets in the winter. Second (this will be controversial), I run a timer and a light in the winter months so my chickens keep laying eggs. My thought is that I am feeding them year-round, so I should be getting eggs. I know people who disagree with that, but that is what works for me. Some chicken owners prefer to be more natural, letting the ladies quit laying during winter.

Outside of the Coop

Having an enclosed outdoor area is a good idea for your chickens. They will feel safer and be less bored in it. Even though I like to free-range my chickens, I still have an enclosed outdoor area for the ladies. The outdoor area must be secure, or your local neighborhood critters will find a way to break in. You need to cover the overhead area and the area around it. I use chicken wire fencing, which has been effective, but I learned that the hard way. Hardware cloth or chicken wire is the best option for keeping the hawks, owls, weasels, opossums, minks, skunks, raccoons, coyotes, and dogs out of the coop. Otherwise, they will find a way to steal eggs and kill your chickens.

What you use on the ground of your outdoor area is also a matter of preference. I have concrete for my outdoor area and it works for me. I have used untreated mulch to cover the concrete in the past. Some people use sand or dirt so the chickens can scratch and peck. I also have two roosts in my outdoor area. They are nothing fancy – two concrete blocks with a board across – but the chickens like to use them.

To Heat or Not Heat The Coop

This is an age-old debate, but only in recent years. Before that, chicken owners rarely worried about heating their chicken coops or the chickens would be in the barn with the rest of the animals. Now that some people consider their chickens pets and are more conscious about animal comfort, we worry about chickens being safe and warm.

The truth is that chickens do not need heat in their coops. They can withstand temperatures down to -30 degrees Fahrenheit. Their body temperatures range between 104 and 107 degrees which keeps them warmer. Their feathers grow close to the skin to keep them warm. They can handle the cold just fine. If you close their small doors, the coop stays warmer (never close the vents!).

One thing I have done is put a thermometer inside the coop. When I check on the chickens, I know the temperature inside the coop. Rarely do I see a temperature lower than zero in the coop, even when it is -30 degrees Fahrenheit outside with worse wind chills. When the coop temperature is below -20 degrees, I will use an oil-filled electric heater on the lowest setting overnight. Usually, it is not necessary for more than 2-3 nights. I get some extremely cold snaps in Iowa, and I closely watch the chickens to ensure they are okay.

Keeping chickens sheltered and secured takes some work initially, but your effort will be worth it. Safe and secure chickens are happy chickens.

Thanks for reading,
Erica

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