Chicken starter checklist

This is the list. It is shorter than most starter lists because a lot of what gets sold as essential is not, and longer in one place than you might expect — the predator hardware, which most first-time keepers buy only after losing a bird.

Before the birds arrive — the essentials

1. The coop

• Sized at 2 sq ft of interior floor per large hen (Penn State Extension). Check the actual dimensions, not the advertised bird count.
• Half-inch hardware cloth on every opening and the lower run, not hexagonal chicken wire.
• A two-step latch — a gravity latch or spring bolt, not a hook-and-eye.
• Vents above head height, which stay open all winter.
• Roosts at 6 in per bird, wooden, flat side up, 18-24 in above the floor.
• Nest boxes: two for the first four hens, then one per four more, mounted below the roost.
• A droppings board under the roosts. The single highest-value feature for cleaning.

2. The run

• 8-10 sq ft per bird (Penn State Extension).
• Covered if you have hawks, which you probably do.
• A hardware cloth apron laid flat round the perimeter against digging.

3. Feeder and feed

• A no-waste feeder — port type, or treadle if you have rodents. Sized for one to three weeks.
• Complete layer feed, 16% protein, in a bag your flock finishes in about a month.
• Insoluble grit in its own small dish, free-choice.
• Oyster shell in its own small dish, free-choice. Not the same thing as grit.
• A metal feed bin with a tight lid. A plastic tub is a rodent feeder.

4. Waterer

• Sized for hot-weather consumption, about 13 fl oz per bird per day.
• A heated waterer or heated base if your winters freeze. Not optional in that case.
• A dedicated brush for scrubbing it weekly, kept outdoors.

5. Bedding

• Pine shavings or hemp hurd. Not straw as floor litter, never cedar.
• Four to six inches deep, and 6-12 inches in winter (University of Minnesota Extension).
• Nest pads for the boxes, 13 x 13 in is the standard size.

The starter kit

A coop, a no-waste feeder, a waterer, layer feed, and the two minerals that go in separate dishes.

#1 · Four hens, and never scrubbing wood again

$549.99·on Amazon

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Hatching Time SnapLock Formex Standard Coop

Hatching Time

7.8/10★★★★☆Assessed on specs and owner reports

A double-wall structural-foam coop that assembles without tools and hoses out completely. The reason to pay plastic-coop money is mites: there is nowhere in the wall for them to hide.

Published specifications

Stated capacity	4 chickens
Material	Formex structural foam (double wall)
Assembly	Snap-together, no tools published
Ventilation	Built-in vents
Floor area	Not published by manufacturer

Specifications per Manufacturer figures as published on the Amazon product listing, as published at the date above.

What it does well

• Non-porous double-wall plastic gives red mite nowhere to breed — the single biggest argument against wooden coops
• Hoses out and dries in minutes instead of soaking into timber
• Insulating foam wall is genuinely warmer in winter and cooler in summer than thin ply
• Snap assembly means no half-day with a drill and a missing screw pack

Where it falls short

• Several times the price of a wooden coop of the same stated capacity
• Light enough that it must be anchored or weighted in wind
• Four birds really is the limit — there is no expansion path

Our rubric

Space per bird

7.0

Predator resistance

7.0

Ventilation

8.0

Cleaning access

10.0

Build

9.0

Value

6.0

#2 · Thirty pounds of feed in a lockable metal hopper

$29.98·on Amazon

$39.99 25% off

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Tgeyd 30 lb Feeder with 6 No-Waste Ports

Tgeyd

8.2/10★★★★☆Assessed on specs and owner reports

A heavy-duty 30 lb metal feeder with six no-waste ports, adjustable height and a locking lid. The locking lid is what lifts it above an ordinary port feeder — it keeps rain and raccoons out of the hopper.

Published specifications

Capacity	30 lb
Feeding ports	6
Lid	Locking
Height	Adjustable
Material	Heavy-duty metal

Specifications per Manufacturer figures as published on the Amazon product listing, as published at the date above.

What it does well

• Locking lid keeps the hopper dry and stops raccoons helping themselves
• 30 lb capacity means fortnightly refills for a six-hen flock
• Adjustable height lets you set the ports correctly as pullets grow

Where it falls short

• The ports themselves are still open at hen level, so rodents can reach the feed in them
• 30 lb of feed plus a metal hopper is heavy to reposition
• Port diameter is not published

Our rubric

Waste control

9.0

Capacity

8.0

Rodent resistance

6.0

Weather resistance

9.0

Value

9.0

#3 · Six automatic cups on one 5-gallon reservoir

$38.90·on Amazon

$45.99 15% off

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VEVOR 5 Gallon Automatic Waterer with 6 Cups

VEVOR

7.2/10★★★◐☆Assessed on specs and owner reports

Five gallons feeding six auto-fill cups. Cups keep the bulk of the water sealed inside the drum, which is the main reason cup systems stay cleaner than open founts.

Published specifications

Capacity	5 gallon
Water ports	6 automatic-fill cups
Operation	Automatic gravity, cup-fed
Handle	Carry handle fitted

Specifications per Manufacturer figures as published on the Amazon product listing, as published at the date above.

What it does well

• Six cups means six hens drink at once without a queue
• The reservoir is sealed, so bedding and droppings cannot get into the bulk water
• 5 gallons on a carry handle is a sensible format for a shed-to-run trip

Where it falls short

• Cups freeze solid before the reservoir does — this is a summer solution
• Cup valves stick if grit gets into them; they need a weekly flick
• Plastic body, so no heated base

Our rubric

Capacity

8.0

Stays clean

9.0

Freeze resistance

2.0

Ease of refill

8.0

Value

9.0

#4 · The standard bag for a six-hen flock

$35.98·on Amazon

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Purina Layena Layer Crumbles, 25 lb

Purina

8.3/10★★★★☆Assessed on specs and owner reports

25 lb of complete layer crumble — roughly a month for six hens. Crumble suits mixed-age flocks and bantams that find full pellets awkward.

Published specifications

Type	Layer crumbles, nutritionally complete
Weight	25 lb
For	Laying hens
Protein	Not published by manufacturer

Specifications per Manufacturer figures as published on the Amazon product listing, as published at the date above.

What it does well

• Complete layer ration from the most widely stocked brand in the US
• Crumble is easier for bantams and smaller breeds to eat than pellets
• 25 lb is about a month for six hens — fresh all the way down the bag

Where it falls short

• Crumble generates more dust and more billed-out waste than pellets
• Protein percentage is not stated on this listing
• Needs an airtight bin once opened or it absorbs moisture

Our rubric

Fit for purpose

9.0

Mess and waste

7.0

Quality

9.0

Value

8.0

#5 · Insoluble grit for hens eating anything but pellets

$19.02·on Amazon

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Manna Pro Poultry Grit with Probiotics, 5 lb

Manna Pro

9.0/10★★★★◐Assessed on specs and owner reports

Insoluble crushed granite — the grinding stone a hen's gizzard needs to process grass, scratch and kitchen scraps. It is not a calcium supplement and does not replace oyster shell.

Published specifications

Type	Insoluble crushed granite grit
Weight	5 lb
Added	Probiotics
Function	Gizzard grinding material

Specifications per Manufacturer figures as published on the Amazon product listing, as published at the date above.

What it does well

• States 'insoluble crushed granite', which is exactly what grit should be
• 5 lb lasts a small flock a very long time — it is offered free-choice, not mixed in
• Essential the moment hens eat anything other than a complete pellet

Where it falls short

• Routinely confused with oyster shell; they do different jobs and you need both
• Not needed at all for birds fed only complete crumble indoors
• Offer it in a separate small dish, not mixed into feed

Our rubric

Fit for purpose

10.0

Mess and waste

9.0

Quality

9.0

Value

8.0

#6 · Eggshell strength, offered free-choice

$19.99·on Amazon

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Mile Four Oyster Shell for Laying Hens, 4 lb

Mile Four

8.8/10★★★★◐Assessed on specs and owner reports

Crushed oyster shell as a free-choice calcium source. Layer feed already contains calcium; a separate dish of oyster shell lets the individual hens that need more take more.

Published specifications

Type	Crushed oyster shell
Weight	4 lb
Function	Calcium for egg-laying hens
Feeding	Free-choice

Specifications per Manufacturer figures as published on the Amazon product listing, as published at the date above.

What it does well

• Free-choice calcium is self-regulating: hens laying hardest take the most
• Directly addresses thin and soft shells
• 4 lb lasts a small flock months

Where it falls short

• Not a substitute for grit — oyster shell dissolves, so it cannot grind
• Should never be fed to chicks or non-laying pullets
• Must go in its own dish, not mixed into the feed

Our rubric

Fit for purpose

10.0

Mess and waste

9.0

Quality

9.0

Value

7.0

Worth having early

• A zeolite coop refresher for the droppings board. Cheapest smell control there is.
• A small first-aid kit: poultry-safe antiseptic spray, vet wrap, disposable gloves.
• A dog crate or large box for isolating a sick or injured bird.
• A headtorch, for the evenings you close up after dark.
• An egg basket. More useful than it sounds, and dropping eggs is annoying.

What can wait

• An automatic coop door. Worth it if you are not home at dusk; a latch and a habit does the same job.
• Electric poultry netting. Only if you free-range over an area.
• An incubator. A whole separate project. Hatching.
• A coop heater. Extension guidance generally advises against it. Why.
• Roll-away nest boxes. An upgrade, not a starting requirement.
• Nesting herbs, supplements, apple cider vinegar. Pleasant, not necessary.

If you are starting with chicks rather than hens

A brooder setup is a separate list and it is needed first, for about six weeks:

• A brooder heat plate (not a heat lamp) and a draft-free box with a secure lid
• A shallow chick waterer and a chick-height feeder
• Chick starter crumble — non-medicated if the chicks were vaccinated for coccidiosis
• Pine shavings, never newspaper, which causes splayed legs
• Chick grit if they get anything other than crumble

What baby chicks need and Extension's brooding guidance cover it fully. Note that half of any batch of unsexed chicks will be cockerels, which needs a plan before they arrive.

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