- 1). Check with any city or county ordinances or covenants applicable to your area. Ensure that you have adequate space in your backyard. Make a list of needed supplies to start your chicken coop.
- 2). Decide if your chickens are going to be free range (they wander around) or fenced in, and decide on the size of a chicken coop (small, medium or large). Confine very young chicks in some type of fenced-in area so they will be safe from predators.
- 3). Make sure you have the following for the first 60 days: supplies for clean housing, adequate temperature, and of course food and water. Note that chicks must be kept inside (or in a heated brooder using a light bulb and reflector) until their feathers grow, at around five to eight weeks of age, depending on the weather in your area.
- 4). Set up the chicks first home, called a brooder; you can use a cardboard box, an aquarium or a rabbit or guinea pig cage. Cover the bottom of your container with pine shavings or kitty litter (newspaper is not recommended).
- 5). Get a feeder (galvanized steel is said to be the best) and fill and clean it often. Feed your chicks age-appropriate food (younger chicks are usually fed a specialized diet called crumbles).
- 6). Give your chicks clean, fresh water at all times.
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