Tips for keeping healthy and happy chickens

As you’ve probably gathered from this article, there’s a lot to know about keeping chickens.

Like all hobbies, you’ll learn as you go along. Here are a few tips and lessons I’ve learned over the years that might be helpful for new chicken owners:

• Invest in an automatic, predator-proof door. This will make your life much easier. We use this product, which opens and closes automatically at sunrise and sunset.
• Overestimate space requirements. The more space chickens have to roam, the better. If possible, make a large run with plenty of room for exploring. Ample space will make your chickens happier and less prone to fighting.
• Enrich their environment. Chickens love to explore and perch on things. We dragged a huge apple tree branch into our run for our chickens to hide under and perch on.
• Keep their coop clean. This is important. Although you can use the deep litter method (explained in this video), we prefer to clean our coop regularly by emptying the droppings board underneath their roosts and refreshing their bedding when needed.
• Provide fresh, clean water and feed. We feed our chickens twice a day, but if you have a covered run you can leave food out in feeders. Clean their water source regularly to prevent illness.
• Go easy on scraps. We give our chickens a lot of healthy table scraps and veggies from our garden. However, you shouldn’t feed chickens foods high in sodium and sugar. Here’s a list of foods that chickens can’t eat.
• Create a storage space. We sectioned off a part of our shed/coop to make into a storage room for straw, feed, and other necessities. Use a large metal trash can with a tight-fitting lid to protect the feed from rodents.
• Find a local vet who treats chickens. It’s important to locate a local veterinarian who treats chickens, as your birds can get injured or become sick.
• Don’t heat your coop. Chickens don’t need supplemental heat. In fact, heating a coop can make chickens sick. It gets well below 20℉ (-6℃) during winter nights where I live, and my hens are perfectly fine. Keep in mind that I have cold-hardy breeds.
• Let your chickens free range. Let your chickens roam if you have the room — and if it’s safe, of course. Chickens love being able to scratch on grass, eat pests like ticks, and dust bathe.
• Consider a larger run. If you don’t have enough space to let your chickens roam free, that’s okay! Just make sure they have a larger run to keep them happy.