Because we built our coop on the larger side and allow our birds to free-range, my maintenance schedule is very reasonable and easy to incorporate into our lives. Note that chickens are animals, and no coop will be clean all the time, but keeping a coop clean and free of moisture is vital to your flock’s health. Chickens poo where they roost, so keep this in mind when building a coop/placing roosting bars.
Everyone’s cleaning schedule looks a bit different based on their flock’s needs, but below I have outlined what works for us:
Daily:
My chickens have an auto door that opens and closes on a timer to allow them to free-range during daylight hours.
Remove eggs
Check Water in run
Fill feeders in run
Monthly:
Add a new layer of shavings to the coop (or as needed). Replace any nesting pads that are spent.
Scrub any poo-covered “touch” surfaces- now that I have added a ceiling to prevent my hens from roosting in the rafters, poo should stay out of the storage or contact spaces.
Add in dried herbs to freshen the coop. Or apply a coop spray.
Sprinkle First Saturday Lime and/or diatomaceous earth on surfaces to prevent unwanted buggies.
Bi-Annual:
I completely remove the shavings, leaving behind a small amount of the old so any existing good bacteria stay incorporated.
Add a new layer of mulch in the run
Annual:
Deep clean the coop with a pressure washer to remove any unwanted substances from walls, spray with a white vinegar/dish soap spray then scrub, rinse, and allow to completely dry.
Remove mulch from run (I place it in my in-ground beds) and lay a new, thick layer of mulch.
I find this schedule pretty easy to follow, and adapt as I see fit for the health of my flock-but I hope this helps give an insight into what to expect when owning chickens!
I personally think that chickens are extremely easy to maintain and super fun additions to a farm! Besides eggs, chickens can provide meat (if you choose) soil aeration, and compostable droppings (more on composting chicken manure here) to utilize in your garden! And you don’t have to have a fancy set-up to own chickens (although, it definitely makes chicken owning more appealing!)
Here are some things to think about when considering adding chickens to your farm:
Breed Selection:
I often get asked how you know which breed of chicken is right for you and that’s important to ask because not all chickens are made the same. The answer is simple: do your research and ask:
What is my climate? Do I need cold-hardy or heat-tolerant breeds?
How many eggs do I need? Some breeds are higher producers, others lower.
Do you care about size of the egg? Bantam and other small breeds lay smaller eggs.
Are you looking for a particular color of eggs? Egg color is determined by the genetics of a breed.
What size of coop do I have available? This determines how many hens you can keep (rule of thumb is 3-5 sq ft/bird).
How much run space can I provide? (Rule of thumb is at least 8-10 sq ft/bird-the more, the happier your chickens).
Shelter
Chickens need a clean place to roost that is off the ground, nesting boxes (preferably off the ground) to lay eggs, and to protect from the elements/predators. This space also needs to be well ventilated to prevent the buildup of dangerous fumes which can cause respiratory issues in your birds.
We put a fan in our coop to help circulate air in the hot Texas summers, but when it comes to the cold, the majority of the time chickens will hold their own without additional lamps due to the creation of air pockets under their feathers that will act as an insulating jacket!
Maintenance
Because we built our coop on the larger side and allow our birds to free-range, my maintenance schedule is very reasonable and easy to incorporate into our lives. Note that chickens are animals, and no coop will be clean all the time, but keeping a coop clean and free of moisture is vital to your flock’s health. Chickens poo where they roost, so keep this in mind when building a coop/placing roosting bars.
Everyone’s cleaning schedule looks a bit different but click HERE to see my yearly schedule.
Feeding
Primary feed, once chickens have reached laying age, is a layer feed. (we use Purina layer pellets). This will ensure your flock’s nutritional requirements are met.
You can supplement their diet with treats or fruits/vegetables but avoid potentially poisonous foods like:
citrus
rhubarb
avocado
uncooked beans
green potato skins
onions
nightshade leaves
My flock has access to pellets and fresh water at all times, and since allowing them to free-range/forage, I notice they don’t go through the feed as quickly!
My Flock
You can read about the breeds/temperaments of my current flock HERE.
Hope this shed some light on those questions to ask when preparing for chickens!
It has been one year with our cozy chicken coop (click to learn more about the process)! We have adjusted, we have learned, and we have made some adaptations to the coop. While I answer a lot of questions over on our Coop FAQ page, below I am highlighting a few more questions and sharing pics of our beloved chicken coop to date (with some winter decor and all because life has been a little too hectic to worry about changing our coop decor)!
This may contain affiliate links
As always, be the first to see updates on my Instagram: @theroostingplace
I’m wearing some of my favorite overalls and they are linked HERE.
Why chicken wire and not hardware cloth?
My chicken wire is extremely sentimental to me: it was on the chicken barns of my family farm. My father and grandfather were commercial chicken farmers; and when my father passed, my sister and I decided to liquidate the barns. I salvaged the rolls of wire from the debris and to me, it feels like a piece of home.
If you have large predators, yes hardware cloth will be a more secure option. We do not have large predators and I have found that on the rare occasion we have had a snake (once) they prefer to enter through the open chicken door.
We use pine shavings inside the coop and untreated local or cypress mulch in the run.
How much did the coop cost to build?
We did not keep perfect records of the receipts for the coop-bad practice on our side. But, after tallying it up we roughly spent $6000 on our coop, (give or take) not including any decorative lighting or electrical runs. We saved on a lot of costs by doing a majority of the labor ourselves and salvaging windows, wire, and doors.
Most of the cost came from our cement base and the standing seam metal roof. (We also built during the height of cost increase, so give or take on today’s cost).
What does maintenance look like?
Personally, I think chickens are extremely low maintenance as long as you are able to keep their coop clean of dampness, most bacteria or fumes won’t accumulate. While everyone’s cleaning schedule will vary based on flock needs-you can find a more detailed outline of my cleaning schedule HERE!
What are your favorite coop features?
I absolutely love our coop, so it is hard to pick just one! My personal favorite features are:
the walk-in ability for easy cleaning
cement floors (easy cleaning)
storage space
electricity for lights and fan
easy access to nesting boxes
AUTO CHICKEN DOOR
If you had to change/add anything, what would you do differently?
One of my biggest regrets was not finishing the ceiling-which I recently completed. My hens would roost in the rafters and poo into the storage side-making it difficult to touch anything without getting flakey poo on myself. That problem is now solved!
If I had to “change” anything, I would have made the run even larger. But now that we have the lama crew, my chickens are safe to free-range with added protection.
I currently do not have plans for sale on our coop. We modified purchased plans from Twelve On Main and as of right now I still point to Sara’s plans if you are looking to build a coop design similar to ours.
“What are the dimensions of your coop/run?“
The enclosed coop is divided into two parts: one for the chickens and one for storage. The entire area inside the coop is 10’x10′. The enclosed run is 12’x8′.
“How much did the coop cost to build?“
We did not keep perfect records of the receipts for the coop-bad practice on our side. But, after tallying it up we roughly spent $6000 on our coop, (give or take) not including any decorative lighting or electrical runs. We saved on a lot of costs by doing a majority of the labor ourselves, and most of the cost came from our cement base and the standing seam metal roof.
“What does maintenance look like?“
Personally, I think chickens are extremely low maintenance as long as you are able to keep their coop clean of dampness, most bacteria or fumes won’t accumulate. While everyone’s cleaning schedule will vary based on flock needs-you can find a more detailed outline of my cleaning schedule HERE!
Why chicken wire and not hardware cloth?
My chicken wire is extremely sentimental to me: it was on the chicken barns of my family farm. My father and grandfather were commercial chicken farmers; and when my father passed, my sister and I decided to liquidate the barns. I salvaged the rolls of wire from the debris and to me, it feels like a piece of home.
If you have large predators, yes hardware cloth will be a more secure option. We do not have large predators and I have found that on the rare occasion we have had a snake (once) they prefer to enter through the open chicken door.
Thompson WaterSeal Timberoil in Transparent Teak. This is a waterproofing seal that is used on outdoor decks and fencing for maximum protection on our run.
“What color is on the exterior of the coop?“
SW Pure White
“What type of roofing material did you use?“
Our roof is a black standing seam roof that we hired out to be installed.
“What “bedding” do you use inside the coop?“
I use a variation of the deep litter method with sand and pine shavings
“What “bedding” do you use in the run?“
We use untreated wood mulch and it is amazing. Highly recommend it because the poop will filter down underneath and compost itself pretty easily.
“How many nesting boxes do you have?“
A: We have 6 total, but they really only use 4.
“Where did you find your light fixtures-are they hardwired?”
Our exterior lights are the Arnette Outdoor lights (similar item linked here) from Lamps Plus and are hard-wired and set up on a smart system that connects to my phone.
What are your favorite coop features?
I absolutely love our coop, so it is hard to pick just one! My personal favorite features are:
the walk-in ability for easy cleaning
cement floors (easy cleaning)
storage space
electricity for lights and fan
easy access to nesting boxes
AUTO CHICKEN DOOR
If you had to change/add anything, what would you do differently?
One of my biggest regrets was not finishing the ceiling-which I recently completed. My hens would roost in the rafters and poo into the storage side-making it difficult to touch anything without getting flakey poo on myself. That problem is now solved!
If I had to “change” anything, I would have made the run even larger. But now that we have the lama crew, my chickens are safe to free-range with added protection.
I get tons of questions over the temperment and qualities of the chickens we have in our coop, so I think it is high time that these special ladies get to shine in the spotlight. But before I tell you about them, I need to let you in on a lesser-known term for first time chicken buyers: chicken math. That’s right, math for chickens. This is a phrase that we as first time chicken parents had no clue about, and have had the “pleasure” of learning about through experience.
So, what is “chicken math”?
Chicken math is the term used to describe being sent more chicks than you order, in the case that some do not survive.
With that preface, I want to share our chicken ordering experience, and I bet you can guess what happens. We built our chicken coop with an enclosed run to protect our babies from all the hawks that we have nesting in our trees. Humanely, chickens need approx 8-10 sq ft per chicken in the run area to avoid any agression or health issues. With this knowledge in our back pocket, we decided that we wanted to have 10-12ish chickens total (maybe more if I get brave enough to let them range outside the run as they get older).
We decided to order our chickens from Cackle Hatchery, a hatchery that will ship your selected chick breed/sexes to you as soon as they hatch (one day old chicks). We decided to purchase 15 chicks, 3 of 5 different breeds, and did this because we expected some to not survive the mail/adolesance for whatever issue that can arise in baby chicks. WELL. Apparently the breeder already takes these risks into account, and sent us 5 EXTRA in case any were lost due to the mailing process or sickness.
So now, we have 20, healthy, thriving, RAVENOUS, chickens. Supposedly they are all female, but we are waiting to see if any crow before we start to rehome some of them. There’s just no way we can keep them all. First to go will be any roos, because we live in the city limits and have a couple of neighbors that would probably report them…lame…I know. But that’s okay. We aren’t ready to tackle the whole fertilized egg process just yet. Maybe one day!
With all that being said, I chose my breeds of chickens based on these primary factors: temperment, and egg color, and production output, all paired with how the bird itself would look.
Meet Our Flock Breeds:
We have 5 different breeds- Cuckoo Maran, Buff Orpington, Black Laced Golden Wyandotte, Brown Leghorn, and Easter Egger. Check out the quick facts about each breed below.
Cuckoo Maran
Size: Hens- 7 pounds; Roos- 8 pounds
Temperment: Friendly, Docile, Easily Handled
Egg color: Dark Chocolate Brown
Egg Production: 150/year
These are actually my easiest to catch and best handled chickens. Every single one of them is well-held, and may be my favorite breed in the coop for that reason.
These birds are huge, which makes sense that they are great dual purpse birds. They’re extremely calm, howeve, I can’t catch one. These big girls have some speed!
SUCH pretty birds. I love how the black in thier feathers refelcts blue/green in the sun. They have been some of my more difficult birds to catch, but when I do they are well handled and calm.
Brown Leghorn
Size: Hens-6 pounds; Roos: 7 pounds
Temperment: Friendly, Bears Confinement well, Calm, Flighty, Noisy, Shy, Very Active
Egg Color: White
Egg Production: 300-320/year
While I haven’t noticed a major noise issue, these birds are extremely curious, but very flighty. They run at most sudden movements.
Easter Egger
Size: Hens- 4 pounds; Roos-5 pounds
Temperment: Calm, Hardy, Friendly, Docile, Easily Handled, Bears Confinement Well
Egg Color: Blue/Green
Egg Production: 200-280/year
Fun fact: these chickens are named purely for their egg color, and no two birds are guaranteed to look alike!We have 2 fawn colored ones, a white one, and this beautiful grey one!
So as you can see, if we kept all 20 chickens, we would have SO MANY eggs on our hands (I’m talking average 5,000 eggs a year). All of these birds are either medium or high producers, and there is just too many of them.
Rumor is, we can 100% accurately sex anywhere between 4-6 months,we are just waiting for the crows! As a plus, any day now these ladies should start paying their rent! I hope to be able to name them once we rehome and get to our final number, and I will officially introduce the whole flock when that time comes!
Did you know that there are several plants and herbs that are totally safe and beneficial to your chicken’s health? By adding the following herbs in/around your chicken coop, or by including them in your chicken’s diet, you can reduce the probability of several health risks. I have placed several of these inside my coop, and plant to add more over time!
Sage:
Sage in high in Vitamin K, which aides in blood clotting. Sage also serves as a cleaning agent, pesticide, and antioxidant, which can help in the prevention of salmonella.
Oregano:
Oregano has several antibiotic factors, and is packed with several nutrients such as Vitamin K, manganese, iron, Vitamin E, tryptophan and calcium. Becasue of this, oregano helps fight e.coli, salmonella, coccidiosis, and avian flu! This herb is being studied as a broad-spectrum natural antibiotic on large poultry farms! You go oregano!
Lavender:
Lavendar is high in Vitamin A (useful for eye health), calcium (bone strength), and iron. Not only does it smell lovely and can act as an air freshener, it is known to be a natural insect repellant, and contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which can reduce stress.
Rosemary:
Benefits: Rosemary is high in manganese (useful in metobolic health). Not only does rosemary smell great, it is known to be a natural insecticide, has antioxidant properties, assists with pain/stress relief and can enhance respiratory health. Studies have shown that the carnosic and rosmarinic acids in rosemary have powerful antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties.
Mint:
Mint contains trace elements of Vitamin A, iron, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus. Mint is a great insecticide and also can keep mice away. Any of the mint varieties (including catmint, peppermint, and spearmint) can be fed to chickens, and also can have a calming effect.
Lemon Balm:
Lemon balm is high in flavonoids, which can have an antioxidant effect. Due to several chemical properties that attribute to scent, (one being citronellal) lemon balm is a natural mosquito repellant,can keep rodents away, and may relieve stress in flocks.
Thyme:
Thyme contains thymol and small amounts of other nutrients such as potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C, and magnesium. Thyme is a natural insect repellant, has antibiotic properties, and also aides in respiratory health.
Basil:
Basil provides macronutrients, such as calcium and vitamin K, as well as a range of antioxidants, which aide in overall immune health.
Comfrey:
Comfrey is rich in vitamins A and B12 and can aid in a rich yellow color to yolks. Comfrey is high in protein and low in fiber, making it a great addition to your chicken’s diet.
These are just a few of the nutrient rich herbs you can add to your coop to aide in chicken health! Feed them dried or fresh to your chickens, add them to nesting boxes, or hang them around the coop to freshen the air!
Talk soon!
xx, Lanna
“The birds are capable of…break[ing]… nutrients… down to their individual pieces and reassembl[ing] them into something that we enjoy eating. This is only possible if we provide them with all of the nutritional building blocks necessary for the job.”
Singh, Manpreet, et al. “Nutrition for the Backyard Flock.” University of Georgia Extension, 1 Apr. 2020, extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C954&title=Nutrition+for+the+Backyard+Flock#:~:text=Calcium%2C%20phosphorus%2C%20and%20salt%20are,eggshell%20formation%20in%20laying%20hens.
