What I Wish I Knew Before Getting Backyard Chickens

Let me paint you a picture.

It's 7:30 at night. I'm standing in my backyard in pajamas and rain boots, holding a feed scoop, staring at seven chickens who have absolutely no intention of going back into their coop. One of them is on top of the coop. One of them is eating something she definitely should not be eating. And I am questioning every decision that led me to this moment.

This is backyard chicken keeping. And I would not trade it for anything.

But here's the thing — nobody really told me what I was getting into. I did my research, I watched the YouTube videos, and I read the blog posts. And somehow I still showed up completely unprepared for about half of it. So if you're sitting on the fence about getting chickens, or you just fell in love with the baby chicks at your local feed store, had the impulse to bring them home, and you're already second-guessing yourself, this post is for you. Consider this the honest conversation I wish someone had with me.

They are louder than you think — and I'm not talking about roosters

Everyone warns you about roosters. Nobody warns you that hens have a lot to say, too. There's the egg song (a dramatic announcement every single time someone lays an egg), the alarm call (reserved for hawks, suspicious leaves blowing in the wind, and apparently nothing at all), and just general chicken commentary on the state of the world.

If you have close neighbors, have that conversation before your flock of backyard chickens arrives. We're lucky to have some space between us and the next house, but I was still shocked at the noise every time the girls got going. In the beginning, I thought it was because something was wrong and would run outside to see what the hullabaloo was. Nothing. Just the ladies fighting over a juicy grasshopper. In short, if you have close neighbors or are in a neighborhood, just know what to expect even with your rooster-free flock.

The coop matters more than the chickens

I spent a lot of time researching chicken breeds and not nearly enough time thinking about the coop. Rookie mistake. Your coop is everything — it determines how easy your morning routine is, how safe your birds are at night, and how much you dread (or don't dread) daily chores. And no - it doesn't mean you need to drop two grand on a picturesque, straight-from-your-Pinterest-dreams coop.

A few things I wish I'd known from the start:

• Ventilation is non-negotiable. Chickens produce a lot of moisture and ammonia. A poorly ventilated coop leads to respiratory problems fast. We have a DIY special for our coop, with plenty of ventilation, and the smell still smacks you in the face when you walk in.

• Bigger than you think you need. The general rule is 4 square feet per bird inside the coop and 10 square feet per bird in the run. I'd go bigger if you can. Cramped chickens are stressed chickens, and stressed chickens peck each other. Trust me on this one.

• Predator proofing is serious business. We have only lost one bird to a predator in our first year, which is amazing because our flock free ranges. However, I underestimated how determined a predator can be. The fox that snatched our girl in the early morning came back for another within the HOUR! (We were waiting for Mr. Fox to scare him off.) So, coop security is no joke. Hardware cloth (not chicken wire — hardware cloth) on every opening, a secure latch that a raccoon can't figure out, and a solid floor or apron buried around the perimeter is essential. I now use a heavy-duty double-locking coop latch, and it has given me genuine peace of mind.

  
  

We did, in fact, use the forbidden chicken wire to wrap our coop, but again, to keep it predator-proof, I would only recommend using hardware cloth.

What you actually need to get started

Here's the thing about chicken keeping — you can spend an absolute fortune on it if you let yourself. Or you can be smart about it and keep your startup costs reasonable. Here's what I consider the non-negotiables for new chicken keepers:

• A good feeder that doesn't waste feed. Chickens are messy eaters by nature (messier than your toddler eating a granola bar), but a bad feeder makes it so much worse. We switched to a gravity feeder early on, and it made a noticeable difference in how much feed we were going through — and how many pests we were attracting. These are also super DIY friendly to make!

• A reliable waterer. Chickens need constant access to clean water, especially in the heat. We're in Georgia, so summer is no joke. A larger capacity gravity waterer means I'm not refilling it twice a day in July. In winter, a heated waterer base is worth every penny if you're somewhere that freezes frequently and for long periods.

• The right starter feed. Chicks need chick starter (non-medicated or medicated — that's a whole other post), and laying hens need layer feed with the right calcium levels. Don't skip the oyster shell on the side once they start laying. Soft shells are a calcium problem, and it's an easy fix.

• Bedding that works for your situation. We've tried a few things and landed on pine shavings for inside the coop. They're absorbent, they smell good, and they compost beautifully later (i.e., save these for your garden!). I buy pine shavings in bulk because I go through them faster than I ever expected.

Chickens truly are full of personality. Take Ninja, for example; she had no issue hitching a ride on the back of our Nigerian dwarf goat, Waylon.

The learning curve is real — and that's okay

I made mistakes. A lot of them. I didn't quarantine a new bird properly before introducing her to the flock, and ended up with a respiratory illness spread through my girls. Two months, no eggs, snotty-nosed chickens—it was not a fun time. I misjudged how quickly a hen can go from "a little off" to "needs intervention."

Every one of those hard moments taught me something. And the chicken-keeping community is genuinely one of the most helpful, generous communities I've found online. When I didn't know what was wrong with my hen, I posted a photo in a Facebook group and had a plethora of experienced keepers walk me through it within minutes. I cannot recommend joining some local chicken-keeping or farming groups enough. You will learn so much from real questions from real people learning, just like you and me.

You will mess up. Your chickens will probably be fine. And you will learn faster than you think.

The part they don't put in the brochure

Chickens are prey animals. That means at some point, you will likely lose one — to a predator, to illness, to something you couldn't have predicted or prevented. That first loss hits hard, especially if your kids are involved and have named every single bird (ours have. Every single one.). We have held funerals for some of the most beloved chickens for my kids.

I'm not saying this to scare you away from chickens. I'm saying it because knowing it ahead of time means you're not blindsided by it. You grieve, you figure out what happened if you can, you improve your setup, and you keep going. That's just part of it.

Sometimes you forget the chicken egg-collecting basket and find a pile of eggs.

So, should you get backyard chickens?

Yes. A hundred times yes — with realistic expectations.

They are entertaining in a way I didn't anticipate. They have personalities. They will follow you around the yard, hoping you're carrying something good. They will produce eggs that make you never want a grocery store egg again. And there is something genuinely grounding about the rhythm of caring for animals, even when it's inconvenient.

Just go in with your eyes open, build (or buy) a better coop than you think you need, and be ready to learn as you go.

And maybe don't let them free range on a rainy morning if you have anywhere to be. Getting seven wet, uncooperative chickens back into a coop is a whole thing.

Want to carry around a chicken in your backpack? Go for it!

What questions do you have about getting started with backyard chickens? Drop them in the comments — I answer every one.

A few things I mentioned in this post (affiliate links — I only recommend things we actually use):

• Gravity feeder

• Heavy-duty double-locking coop latch

• Larger capacity gravity waterer 

• Heated waterer base (for winter)

• Pine shavings bedding