FREE Guide

FREE PERSONAL GUIDE

How to Keep Your Chickens Happy, Healthy & Productive

1. Provide the Proper Feed for Your Chickens

This is an area of keeping chickens that you cannot skimp on. Providing improper feed can make your flock unhealthy and less productive. For optimum egg laying, chickens need to be fed a nutritionally balanced feed for their age.

Depending upon a chickens age, its calcium and protein requirements vary quite a bit. This is why they sell chicken feed as “chick starter,” which provides increased protein and “layers crumbles” or “layers pellets” which provides increased calcium.

WHAT SHOULD I FEED MY CHICKENS

2. Provide Enough Food and Water for Your Chickens

Use the Chicken Feed Calculator below to determine how many cups of feed you should be offering your flock daily.

Chicken Feed Calculator

Chicken Feed Calculator

Number of Chickens Amount of Feed Needed (cups)
0 cups

Backyard Chickens Mama Shop

#CHICKENSHOW MUCH FEED/DAYHOW MUCH WATER/DAY
AVERAGE DAY/HOT DAY
11/4 LB1 PINT (2 CUPS)/ 2 PINTS (4 CUPS)
41 LB1/2 GALLON / 1 GALLON
61 1/2 LBS3/4 GALLON/ 1.5 GALLONS
82 LBS1 GALLON/ 2 GALLONS
123 LBS1.5 GALLONS/ 3 GALLONS

This is an area of keeping chickens that you cannot skimp on. Providing improper feed can make your flock unhealthy and less productive. For optimum egg laying, chickens need to be fed a nutritionally balanced feed for their age.

Depending upon a chickens age, its calcium and protein requirements vary quite a bit. This is why they sell chicken feed as “chick starter,” which provides increased protein and “layers crumbles” or “layers pellets” which provides increased calcium.

Chickens can have “treats” such as various types of table scraps, but it should be fed in moderation and only after they have had their regular feed for the day.

Use the Chicken Table Scraps Calculator below to see the maximum amount of table scraps that you can safely offer your chickens each day.

Chicken Table Scraps Calculator

Chicken Table Scraps Calculator

Number of Chickens Maximum Amount of Table Scraps/Day (TBS) Equivalent (Cups)
0 TBS 0 cups

Backyard Chickens Mama Shop

A chicken will be happy eating treats all day, but it isn’t healthy for them and it will decrease egg production. Feeding the improper feed will also lead to all kinds of medical issues, including obesity, high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.

Use the Chicken Daily Water Requirement Calculator below to see the MINIMUM amount of water you should be offering your flock.

Chicken Daily Water Needs Calculator

Chicken Daily Water Needs Calculator

Number of Chickens Water Needed (Quarts) Water Needed (Gallons) Water Needed in Hot Weather (Quarts) Water Needed in Hot Weather (Gallons)
0 quarts 0 gallons 0 quarts 0 gallons

Backyard Chickens Mama Shop

Keep in mind that your chickens will drink up to twice as much water during extreme heat.

I always make it a point to replenish my flocks water during the hot summer days. 1/ way through the day I dump their water into my garden and give them fresh, cool water.

3. Provide Enough Space for Your Chickens

It is important to have both enough space inside the chicken coop, where they roost at night, and also a large enough chicken run that they can get the exercise that they need to stay happy and healthy.

Chicken Coop Size Calculator

Chicken Coop Size Calculator

Number of Chickens Minimum Coop Size (Square Feet)
0 sq ft

Backyard Chickens Mama Shop

Chicken Run Space Calculator

Chicken Run Space Calculator

Number of Chickens Minimum Chicken Run Space (Square Feet)
0 sq ft

Backyard Chickens Mama Shop

How much space do chickens need?

#CHICKENSMINIMUM SQ FT
IN RUN
MINIMUM SQ FT
IN COOP
220 SQ FT or 5′ X 4′4 SQ FT or 2′ x’2′
440 SQ FT or 10′ X 4′8 SQ FT or 2′ x 4′
660 SQ FT or 10′ X 6′12 SQ FT or 3′ x 4′
880 SQ FT or 10′ X 8′16 SQ FT or 4′ x 4′
10100 SQ FT or 10′ X 10′20 SQ FT or 4′ x 5′
MINIMUM AMOUNT OF SQUARE FOOTAGE REQUIRED FOR CHICKENS

To see what the recommended amount of roosting space for the size of your flock, enter the number of chickens you have in the Roosting Space Calculator below.

Roosting Bar Calculator

Roosting Bar Calculator

Number of Chickens Feet of Roosting Bars Needed
0 ft

Backyard Chickens Mama Shop

Give each adult chicken at least 12" of roosting space.

4. Eliminate Stress in Your Chickens Environment

Stressors of any sort not only will make a chicken unhappy, but it will also lead to a drop in egg production and predispose them to developing health issues.

Cooling Herbs for Chickens Beat the HEAT!

  • INGREDIENTS: PEPPERMINT, HIBISCUS, LEMON BALM, CHAMOMILE, ROSE PETALS/BUDS
  • Helps to lower chicken core body temperature.
  • Improves Chicken Health and Well Being
  • Releases muscle tension.
  • Helps to calm chicken during stressful events(such as excessive heat).

What are some triggers of stress in your chickens environment?

1EXTREME HEAT IN CHICKENS

2EXTREME COLD IN CHICKENS

3LACK OF FOOD OR WATER

4CHANGE IN FAMILIAR SURROUNDINGS

5PREDATORS

6ISOLATION

7CRAMPED HOUSING

8NOT BEING EXPOSED TO SUNSHINE

9ILLNESS- PARASITES

10INJURY

11BEING BULLIED

12BROODING, RAISING CHICKS

13MOLTING
13 Things that are Stressful to a Chicken

5. Provide a Clean Chicken Coop for Your Chickens

To decrease the chance of spreading harmful bacteria, spores and viruses, get on a good coop cleaning maintenance schedule. Don’t let excessive droppings build up and if the coop floor gets wet, it’s time to change the bedding material. Bacteria thrive in warm, moist environments.

Can Cleaning a Chicken Coop Make You Sick? (9 Tips)

Dirty chicken coops are more likely to also breed parasites, which are easily passed onto your chickens. Chickens that are infested with mites, lice, fleas or other parasites can be miserable and most often decrease or stop laying eggs all together.

If it is difficult to find the time to clean out your chicken coop, consider using the Deep Litter Method. Using the deep litter method, you will only have to do a thorough cleaning 1-2 times a year.

How to Use the Deep Litter Method in a Chicken Coop(Easy Cleaning!)

  1. Start with adding 4-6 inches of large flake pine shavings to your coop floor.
  2. Over time this will decompose as your chickens poop and turn the bedding.
  3. Over the next several months continuously add more bedding to maintain the 4-6 inch depth.
  4. You do not need to turn the bedding. Your chickens will do the work for you!
  5. Deep litter method generates heat. So it helps to keep the chickens warmer at night when they are roosting.
  6. Plan to clean the chicken coop in the Spring, when the weather begins to start warming up again.

6. Have the Proper Nesting Box Setup

Nesting Box Herbs for chickens

Nesting Box Herbs

Increases egg laying naturally.

  • Improves chicken health.
  • Deters parasites: mites, lice, fleas, flies & rodents.
  • On SALE!
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Nesting Box Location: Hens like to lay eggs in an area that is dark and doesn’t have a lot of noise or foot traffic by it.

Nesting Box Size: The ideal nesting box size for the average size hen is 12″ x 12″, slightly bigger for larger breeds and smaller for the bantam breeds. You will notice that if you provide too large of a nesting box, more than one hen will try to lay at the same time in there. This can even happen if the nesting box is the right size. They are just like kids and all seem to want to lay in the same box and have a difficult time waiting for their turn!

HEN SIZENESTING BOX SIZE
AVERAGE SIZE HENS12″ X 12″
LARGER BREEDS:
GIANT COCHINS,
ORPINGTONS
12″ X 14″
BANTAM HENS12″ X 10″

Nesting Material: Hens prefer a nice soft, clean place to lay eggs. So, if you want to encourage your hens to lay, add pine shavings, straw or hay and make sure it stays clean at all times.

Number of Nesting Boxes: The general rule of thumb is to provide 1 nesting box for every 4-5 laying hens. It is a common practice for hens to have a favorite place to lay their eggs. Sometimes they will all squabble for the one in the nesting box to hurry up. Impatient hens will just pile up on top of each other.

Use the Nesting Box Number Calculator below to see what the recommended amount of nesting boxes is for your size flock of laying hens.

Nesting Box Calculator

Nesting Box Calculator

Number of Hens Number of Nesting Boxes Needed
0

Backyard Chickens Mama Shop

# LAYING HENS# NESTING BOXES
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7. Provide Nesting Box Herbs to Boost Egg Production

Nesting Box Herbs for chickens

Nesting Box Herbs

Increases egg laying naturally.

  • Improves chicken health.
  • Deters parasites: mites, lice, fleas, flies & rodents.
  • On SALE!
  • SHOP NOW

Consider using natural herbs to help improve your flock health, happiness and egg production. They can be sprinkled into nesting boxes, chicken coops and in dust bathing areas.

NESTING BOX
HERB
EFFECT ON
CHICKEN EGGS
1. MARIGOLD⬆ EGG LAYING
DEEPER ORANGE YOLKS
⬇ MONOUNSATURATED FAT
⬆ SATURATED FAT
STRENGTHENS EGG SHELLS
2. ROSEMARY⬆ EGG LAYING
LARGER EGGS
LARGER EGG YOLKS
⬇ TRIGLYCERIDES
⬇ LDL
⬆ HDL
3. FENNEL⬆ EGG LAYING
⬇ TRIGLYCERIDES
⬇ CHOLESTEROL
4. CHAMOMILE⬆ EGG LAYING
⬆ CALCIUM
STRONGER EGG SHELLS
5. PEPPERMINT⬆ EGG LAYING
LARGER EGGS
⬇ CHOLESTEROL
6. PARSLEY⬆ EGG LAYING
THICKER EGG SHELLS
HEALTHIER CHICKS
7. MARJORAM⬆ EGG LAYING
8. DANDELION
LEAF
⬆ EGG LAYING
DEEP ORANGE YOLKS
STRONGER EGG SHELLS
9. LAVENDER⬆ EGG LAYING
9 BEST NESTING BOX HERBS FOR EGG LAYING CHICKENS

CONCLUSION: How to Raise Happy, Healthy & Productive Chickens

How to Raise Happy, Healthy and Productive Chickens. FREE chicken guide.
HAPPY AND HEALTHY CHICKENS WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH AN ABUNDANCE OF FARM FRESH EGGS!

As a chicken owner, it is your responsibility to provide an environment that allows them to thrive. There are several things that you can begin doing right away.

  • Provide a nutritionally balanced chicken feed for their age.
  • Always allow them access to fresh, clean, cool water.
  • Provide enough space for them to move around freely.
  • Eliminate any stressors in your flocks environment(see the list above).
  • Provide a clean and safe environment for your flock.
  • Provide the proper number of nesting boxes that are the proper size and in a quiet, dark location.
  • Use nesting box herbs to help improve your hens health, well-being and egg production.

By doing this, you are able to raise happy and healthy chickens. Happy and healthy chickens will reward you by providing you with an abundance of farm fresh eggs!

Read 10 Best Tips- How to Raise Healthy Chickens for more great tips and additional calculators to tailor your setup to the size of YOUR flock.

About the Author

Jenny is a chicken enthusiast and has raised a variety of different breeds of chickens in her Northern California backyard for the past 27 years.

She enjoys using incubators to incubate and hatch fertile chicken eggs so she can raise baby chicks from day 1.

Some of her favorites include Crested Cream Legbars, Marans, Silkies, Orpingtons and Olive Eggers. These breeds make a beautiful basket of farm fresh eggs!

Both she and her husband built their own chicken coop and she and her Dad built her current chick brooder.

Jenny likes to share tips and tricks that she has learned over the years to make it easier for others to raise happy, healthy and productive chickens.

Two years ago, Jenny released a Special 9 Herb Chicken Nesting Box Blend that helps to increase hen egg production as well as keep chickens happy and healthy.

Last year she released Cooling Herbs for Chickens that helps to lower chicken core body temperature during extreme heat.

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