Sharing is caring!

So you’ve decided you want to raise backyard chickens. How exciting!  I remember when I got my first chickens – man did I have a lot to learn!   

While chickens are relatively easy to keep, there are some things you will want to prepare for and stock up on before you bring your feathered friends home.  Things I sure wish I would have known!

First, why do you want to raise chickens?

• For eggs
• Meat
• Pets
• Selling baby chicks
• Natural fertilizer
• Pest control

Your reason for raising chickens will determine the breed of chickens and supplies you will need. For instance, if you want to raise chickens for eggs or to sell baby chicks, then you will want chicken breeds that are productive egg layers.

If you want to raise chickens for meat, then you will want meat chickens that are bred and raised specifically for meat production.  

Next, you will want to check your local ordinances for keeping chickens.  Many cities and towns allow backyard chickens, but laws and regulations vary.  

Now that you know why you want to raise backyard chickens and are aware of your local ordinances for keeping them, you can start to prepare to bring them home!

Some people choose to buy adult chickens to start, but it is more common to start by getting baby chicks and raising them in a brooder.  I started with baby chicks and I really enjoyed raising them in a brooder.  It can be a lot of work, but I found it to be a very rewarding experience.  It also gives you a chance to bond with them, which was important for me.  

Backyard Chickens 101: Essential Chicken Supplies

Supplies needed for bringing home baby chicks

1. Brooder
2. Bedding
3. Small feeders and waterers
4. Feed (Starter crumbles and grit)
5. Heat source
6. Feather duster
7. Little perches

Supplies needed for when your chickens are ready for their outdoor home

1. Chicken coop and predator-proof chicken run
2. Bedding
3. Nesting boxes and perches
4. Feeders and waterers
5. Feed (Starter, grower, and layer)
6. Dust baths

BROODERS

You will want your draft-free brooder ready and fully set up before you bring your baby chicks home.  I have seen some nice brooders online that you can purchase, or you can DIY one like I did.  I made mine of out a kiddie pool and cardboard.Quite fancy, I know.

Baby chicks need to be in a brooder for at least 6 – 8 weeks.  After that, they will be fully feathered and better able to regulate their body temperature.

Brooder Size

I have seen many different recommendations on the size your brooder should be, but the general rule of thumb is about 6 square inches of available space per newborn chick.  You will want to increase that to about ¾ square foot per bird around the 4-week mark.  

I have done both ways.  I’ve started small and increased the size of the brooder and I’ve also just started and stayed with the bigger size brooder.  I honestly don’t think one way is better than the other, but I think I prefer sizing up once they’re bigger.  I always have the best laugh watching them run around and explore their new surroundings.

I placed my brooder in my sunroom so they would have plenty of indirect sunlight.  At least that is what I told my husband.  Really it was really so I could easily keep an eye on them and hear anything that may cause for alarm.  I am always obsessed with baby chicks, so I am never far from them.

Once you have your brooder in place you can start to set it up.

Bedding

You will want to add a couple of inches of bedding.  I think that straw, wood shavings, and sand are the best bedding options.  I use large pine shavings from Tractor Supply in my brooders and inside my coop, but you can also find them at your local feed store.  Make sure you don’t use small or fine pine shavings because the baby chicks may mistake them for food and eat them.

Cedar should not be used as bedding as it is toxic to chickens.  Also, hay would not be a good choice as it can mold easily and harbor bacteria that is harmful to chickens.

Small feeders and waterers

You want to add feeders and waterers that are meant for baby chicks.  In my experience, they tend to poop in their food and water and kick/scratch their food everywhere.  Baby chicks are quite messy!  

I like the long, plastic feeders for newborn chicks.  The holes are small which keeps the baby chicks out.  This way they can’t climb in and get their food everywhere and poop in it.   Also, try to find one that is red if you can as all chickens instinctively want to peck at the color red.

As they grow and begin to eat more, I switch to a bigger feeder as it holds more feed for the growing baby chicks.  They’re growing so they eat a lot!  But they also kick their food around so it can be very wasteful if you just put food in a dish for them.

For the chicken waterers, I use the same waterer while the chicks are in the brooder.  However, after the chicks are a week or so old, you’ll want to set their waterer on something, so it isn’t sitting directly on the bedding.  Once the baby chicks start to get bigger and scratch, they’ll get the bedding in the water.  I found myself having to clean the shavings out of the water multiple times per day because the shavings would soak up the water and the chicks couldn’t get any for themselves.  *facepalm*

Feed

Baby chicks will need chick starter crumble for the first 6-8 weeks of their lives.  Starter crumble contains 20% protein, which they need to sustain their fast growth rate.  

Chickens have great digestive systems, but since they don’t have teeth to chew up their food, they rely on grit to help them digest their food.  When chickens are outside, they naturally get grit in the form of tiny pebbles as they forage.   

If you feed your baby chicks anything besides starter crumble, you will want to add some chick grit that is designed for chicks 8 weeks old and younger.  I think it’s best to keep the grit in a separate container next to their food.  Chickens are very intuitive and will eat it when they need it. To learn more about chicken grit, check out this article.

Heat Source

Newly hatched chicks are unable to regulate their own body temperature.  Normally the momma hen will keep her chicks warm by keeping them under her.   But when brooding baby chicks, we have to mimic the warmth of the momma hen.

I have raised 3 different broods of baby chicks, 2 baby ducks, and 1 group of keets in brooders.  The first few times I used a brooder heat lamp, but after learning of the dangers of them, I would never use them again.  

Brooder heat lamps are a fire hazard as they get extremely hot and brooder bedding is extremely flammable.  Combine that with the type of material your brooder is made of, and you could have yourself a very dangerous combination.  To learn more check out The Dangers of Using a Heat Lamp for Your Chickens.

Heat plates and heat panels, in my opinion, are the best and safest option.  Heat plates, most closely mimic the momma hen.  The chicks can go under it when they are cold, and then come out when they want to eat, drink, or simply explore.

As the chicks get bigger and require less heat, I switch to a heat panel.  Heat panels don’t heat the entire brooder, just a small surrounding area.  You can even touch them and not get burned.  I tend to put little perches next to them, so the baby chicks have the option to roost while staying warm.

The standard rule of thumb out there is to have the brooder temperature at 90-95° for the first week, and then decrease by 5° every week thereafter.  But in my experience and watching how my momma hens raise their baby chicks, this seems to be too much heat.  If your chicks get pasty butt, you’ll know your brooder is too hot.  Pasty butt is not fun to deal with for both you and the baby chick – trust me! To learn more about pasty butt, check out this article.

Feather duster

This isn’t a crucial need, and one most people don’t utilize, but I find it gives a safe place for the baby chicks.  I like to put feather dusters around the heating plate to mimic the safety of being under their momma hen.  

When something startles the chicks, they always run straight under the feather duster, so I know it brings them comfort.  Which in turn makes me feel like a good chick momma.

Little perches

Chickens instinctively seek high places to roost to avoid predators, so perches help them to feel safe and secure.   Baby chicks will begin to roost when they’re just a few weeks old.  You can make your own perches with small sticks, or you can buy small perches.

Once you have your brooder completely set up, it’s time for the best part: Bringing home the baby chicks!!

MOVING CHICKENS TO THE COOP

When the chicks are about 6-8 weeks old and fully feathered, they can start to make the transition to their outdoor home depending upon the outdoor temperatures.  However, you want to have your ventilated coop and predator-proof run ready to go well before they are ready for it.

This point I can’t stress enough.  

We didn’t have our coop and run fully ready when the chicks were ready to be outside which made for extra work.  The chicks were getting too big for their brooder, so we had to come up with an interim while completing the coop and run.  

We ended up buying a covered pen.  They needed space to run and move about.  So I had to move them outside in the morning and bring them back in at night for a few weeks until the coop and run were completed.  It was stressful for all humans and birds involved.  

Coop and run size

Just like the brooder, you will need to determine the size of the coop and run you will need.  For standard chicken breeds, you will want approximately 4 square feet of space per bird for the coop and approximately 8 square feet of space for the run. To learn more, check out this article.

Even if you plan to free-range your chickens, you still need a predator-proof run for chickens to safely roam during the day when they’re not free-ranging.

Predator proofing

You will also want to ensure your chicken coop and chicken run are predator-proof, so you don’t lose any of your backyard flock.  To learn more ways to protect your chickens from predators, check out this article.

1. Ensure you don’t have any openings in the coop or run larger than a quarter.  That is all the space that is needed for some predators to get it and take out an entire flock.
2. Cover your entire run with ¼ inch of hardware cloth.  This includes the top.  If you use chicken wire, you will be feeding predators.  Raccoons have been known to reach their hands through chicken wire and pull an unsuspecting chicken’s head through.
3. Use door latches and locks.  Believe it or not, raccoons are clever and can easily open doors to get in at night.

Bedding

The same type of bedding you use in the brooder can also be used in the chicken coop.  I use large flake pine chips in my coop.  They keep the coop dry, they’re inexpensive, and they don’t break down easily. To learn more about the different types of bedding you can and can’t use, check out this post.

Nesting boxes and perches

Nest boxes are where the chickens will lay their eggs.  They need to feel dark and private so the chickens will feel safe laying their eggs there.  A good rule of thumb is 1 nesting box for every 4 chickens. You can build your own or buy one.

I already mentioned how perches are important for chickens to feel safe.  We have perches in our coop for the chickens to roost while sleeping and several perches in our run as well.

Feeders and waterers

There are many different options for chicken feeders and waterers.  You just want to make sure they can hold enough food and water so that you’re not having to fill them up daily.  We made our own feeders with PVC pipes. 

This has 2 great benefits.  

First, it has a cap, so it keeps the food dry from the rain and moisture in the air. If the feed gets damp at all, it molds quickly. Second, it is a high-capacity feeder so it allows us to be able to go on vacation and not worry if the chickens run out of food while we’re away.  

Feed

Chickens will need to be solely on starter feed until they are 6-8 weeks of age.  Between the ages of 6-18 weeks, they can transition to grower feed if you prefer.  Grower feed has a lower protein content than starter feed.  I find it easier to just stick with starter feed until they are ready for layer feed.

You can begin to give your chickens layer feed at 18 weeks of age, or when they lay their first egg.   For chickens to produce an egg each day, they need much higher levels of calcium.  If you have other chicken food you need to use up, you can always add oyster shells in a container next to their food for the chickens to eat for extra calcium.  

Dust baths

Dust baths are extremely important for chickens.  Dust baths help keep their feathers clean and prevent parasites.

Watching a chicken give themselves a dust bath can be quite comical.  When I first saw one of my chickens giving themselves a dust bath, I thought she was hurt!  She was lying on her side and kicking her legs around, so I thought she was hurt and flopping around.  I tried to pick her up to look her over, but I just made her mad.

When chickens give themselves a dust bath, they lay down – sometimes laying on their side – and try to kick up as much dirt onto themselves as they can.

You’ll need to build or buy a container that is at least 12” deep, just as wide, and long enough for a few chickens to fit in.  You can fill it with clean soil, sand, or wood ash. Some people use Diatomaceous Earth for chickens, but it has been known to cause respiratory issues in chickens. To learn more about the best ingredients for a dust bath, check out this article.

We repurposed an old planter box that was left over from the previous owner. It’s not pretty, but it works great!

Miscellaneous supplies

There are other supplies you may want to consider for your new flock.

1. Automatic door opener.  This will help keep your chickens safe and they won’t have to wait for you to open the door.
2. Vitamins.   If you don’t plan on free-ranging your chickens, I would suggest adding poultry vitamins to their water.  In the winter, my chickens don’t get to free range, so I always make sure to add vitamins to their water during that time.
3. Treats.   My chickens love meal worms so I always keep them on hand.  I have also trained them to come running when they hear me shake the bag.  So, if they are free-ranging and I want to put them back into the run, all I have to do is shake the bag!  
4. Chicken toys.  These are a great way to keep your birds occupied and entertained.  This is especially important during the winter when they can’t get out as much.  When I have chicks in a brooder, I like to put little mirrors in there.  They love to see themselves and it’s a hoot to watch them try to figure it out!  In the run, I have a Xylophone and plan to try out a chicken swing soon!
5. Chicken coop cameras.   I have a camera on the inside of my run that I turn on at night and when I am out of town.  That way I can keep an eye on my lovely birds.
6. Egg trays.  You will need an egg crate of some sort to store all the eggs you will be getting! To learn more about how to store and preserve your fresh eggs, check out this article.

Using this list of poultry supplies can get you off to a great start for raising healthy chickens.  Be patient and give yourself some grace as you learn the best ways to keep your flock happy and healthy. And most of all, enjoy the process.  My chickens give me so much joy every day!

Do you still have questions? Let me know in the comments!

• Facebook
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Pinterest
• Mail

Related Posts:
Best Chicken Breeds for Beginners
The Dangers of Using a Heat Lamp for Your Chickens
What is Chicken Grit?
How to Store and Preserve Fresh Chicken Eggs
Ways to Keep Chickens From Leaving Your Yard
Ways to Protect Your Chickens From Predators

To get more tips and lessons learned, join my Farm Life Community by signing up with your email address below!