Guides
The questions every keeper asks, answered with numbers.
Real ranges, no fluff, and a free calculator at the end of each one.
How much does it cost to raise backyard chickens?
Setup costs, monthly feed and bedding, and what a dozen eggs from your own hens really costs compared with the store. Real ranges for a small flock, and when the coop pays for itself.
Read the guide → Calculator: Cost per egg & break-evenHow many eggs does a chicken lay?
Eggs per week and per year by breed, when pullets start laying, why production drops in winter and during molt, and what to expect from a hen in her second, third and fourth year.
Read the guide → Calculator: Cost per egg & break-evenHow much feed does a chicken eat per day?
A laying hen eats about a quarter pound of feed a day. What that means per week, per month and per 50 lb bag, how bantams and heavy breeds differ, and how to cut feed waste.
Read the guide → Calculator: Chicken feed calculatorHow much space do chickens need?
Coop floor space, run area, roost length and nest boxes per hen for bantam, standard and large breeds, with the rules of thumb extension offices use and the mistakes that cause pecking.
Read the guide → Calculator: Coop & run sizeWhy did my chickens stop laying?
The nine reasons a hen stops laying, from most to least common: daylight, molt, age, heat, broodiness, feed, stress, parasites and hidden nests. What to do about each one, and when to simply wait.
Read the guide → Calculator: Cost per egg & break-evenHow long does molting last, and what should I do?
Molt lasts 6 to 12 weeks, usually in fall, and laying stops for most of it. How to tell a molt from a problem, hard vs soft molts, what to feed (protein, not calcium), why you should not pick up a molting hen, and when the eggs come back.
Read the guide → Calculator: Cost per egg & break-evenDo backyard chickens save money?
On the monthly bill, usually yes: a small flock on bagged feed lands near $3 a dozen against $4 to $7 at the store. Counting the coop, it takes one to four years to break even. The numbers, the three things that decide it, and when the answer is no.
Read the guide → Calculator: Cost per egg & break-evenHow long after medication can I eat the eggs?
A reference table of egg withdrawal periods for the medications backyard keepers actually use: Corid (amprolium), Safe-Guard (fenbendazole), ivermectin, permethrin, Tylan (tylosin), oxytetracycline and others, with the source for each and why labels differ.
Read the guide → Calculator: Cost per egg & break-even