Raise Happy Hens
Everything you need to raise healthy, happy backyard chickens, breeds, coops, egg production, feeding, flock health, and more.
trending
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Deworming Your Chickens: What the FDA Actually Approves
If you’ve been scrolling BackYardChickens.com this week, you’ve probably noticed that deworming is everywhere right now. The site made it an official featured community …
H5N1 Reaches Every Continent: What It Means for Your Flock
Is NPIP Certification Worth It for Backyard Flocks?
Egg Prices Crashed But Chicken Keepers Are Staying Put
Compare chicken breeds by eggs, temperament, and climate hardiness.
breeds
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Australorp Chickens: 364-Egg Annual Layers Explained
364 eggs. That’s the all-time world record for annual egg production from a single hen, set by an Australorp named “Buttercup” at the 1922-23 Australian trials, …
Heritage Breed Chickens: Why Farmers Are Raising Them
Ameraucana Chickens: Blue Eggs and Hardy Backyard Birds
Leghorn Chickens: 350 Eggs Yearly From One Bird
coop
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90% of Chicken Losses to Raccoons: Prevention Guide
Raccoons kill more backyard chickens than any other predator in North America. Not foxes, not hawks, not neighborhood dogs. Raccoons. The USDA’s National Agricultural …
Electric Fences for Chickens: Protection That Actually Works
Hawks and Chickens: 12 Proven Ways to Protect Your Flock
Keep Your Chicken Coop Clean: A Simple Monthly Schedule
Calculate the coop and run size your flock needs to stay healthy.
feeding
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Best Herbs for Chickens: Boost Health and Egg Production
My first flock was three Buff Orpingtons and a production Rhode Island Red who was, frankly, kind of a bully. I’d read exactly one book about chickens and thought I had …
Nipple Drinker Chickens: Setup, Benefits, and Best Practices
Free Range Chicken Feeding: What to Feed for Best Health
Chicken Scratch Grains: Choosing the Best Pecking Mix
health
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Chicken First Aid Kit: Essential Supplies for Backyard Health
Most chicken keepers don’t think about first aid until a hen is bleeding in their arms and they’re frantically Googling “how to stop a chicken from …
When Your Backyard Chicken Gets Sick: Finding A Vet
Protect Your Flock: Newcastle Disease Warning Signs
Protect Your Backyard Flock From Avian Influenza
Estimate what it costs to feed your flock each month.
eggs
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Hatching Chicken Eggs at Home: A Complete Incubation Guide
Most incubation guides will tell you to “keep temperature steady” and “turn eggs regularly” and leave it at that. Which is about as useful as a recipe that …
Soft Shell Eggs in Chickens: Causes and Solutions
Egg Incubator Settings: Temperature, Humidity & Turning Guide
When To Candle Chicken Eggs And What To Look For
flock
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Chicken Dust Bathing: Why Birds Need It and How to Help
My first spring with chickens, I stood at the coop window watching my hens throw dirt all over themselves and genuinely thought something was wrong with them. They were flopping …
12 Hens Per Rooster: The Ideal Flock Ratio Explained
Why Chickens Peck Each Other and How to Stop It
Keeping Chickens Cool in Summer Heat: 7 Essential Strategies
Track incubation days and get your exact hatch date.
chicks
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How to Tell Male and Female Chicks Apart
I’ll be honest: this is the question that haunted my first year of chicken keeping. I ordered six “pullets” from a hatchery in April, and by August, I had four …
How To Prevent And Treat Pasty Butt In Baby Chicks
Essential Vaccinations For Backyard Chicken Health
How To Tell Male Chicks From Female Chicks
Can Chickens Eat
View all 7 →Can Chickens Eat Potato Peels? What 100 Farmers Know
Solanine is the number that stops most people cold: at concentrations above roughly 20 mg per 100g of plant material, it can be lethal to chickens. And potato peels, depending on …
Can Chickens Eat Banana Peels? 90% Safe For Flocks
Can Chickens Eat Rice? A Complete Feeding Guide
Can Chickens Eat Watermelon? 96% Safe and Refreshing
Estimate how many eggs your flock will lay each week.
basics
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How To Keep Chickens Cool During A Heat Wave
At 95 degrees Fahrenheit, a chicken is already in trouble. At 104 degrees, you can lose one within hours. I don’t say that to scare you, but because most people don’t …
Start Raising Chickens: A Beginner's Complete Guide
Your First Chickens: A Beginner's Complete Guide
The Right Flock Size For Your Backyard
Chicken Health
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Why Your Chicken Is Lethargic and Fluffed Up: 5 Causes
Seventy-two hours. That’s roughly how long a sick chicken has before what starts as “a little off” can turn into something you can’t come back from. …
Why Your Chicken Is Limping: Common Causes and Fixes
Why Your Chicken Is Losing Feathers: 5 Common Causes
Why Is My Chicken Sneezing? 6 Causes and What to Do
products
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Automatic Chicken Coop Doors: Save Time & Protect Your Flock
My flock of six Black Australorps started free-ranging in 2017, and by the second spring I’d lost two hens to a raccoon that got in while I was traveling. Not because my coop …
$300 to $900 Chicken Coops: What You Actually Get
Best Chicken Waterers for Backyard Flocks
The Best Egg Incubators For Backyard Flocks
sustainability
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Egg Production by Chicken Breed (2026): Annual Yield Comparison
Pick the wrong breed and you’ll get 150 eggs/year. Pick the right one and you’ll get 320. That’s the difference between having enough eggs for your family vs. …
Grow More Food: Design A Garden Your Chickens Will Love
Turn Your Chicken Manure Into Garden Gold
Keep Chickens Out Of Your Vegetable Garden
finances
Cheapest Chicken Feed Options: $14-$50 Per Bag
Most backyard chicken keepers overpay for feed by 30 to 40 percent. That’s not a vague estimate, the National Chicken Council tracks commercial feed costs, and when you …
What It Really Costs To Raise Backyard Chickens
Do Backyard Chickens Actually Save Money on Eggs?
Raising Backyard Chickens: What You'll Really Spend
legal
Backyard Chicken Permits: What You Need to Know
Most people assume getting chickens is as simple as buying a bag of Purina Layena and building a coop from a YouTube tutorial. What stopped me cold, the first time I tried to help …
Can Your HOA Ban Backyard Chickens?
Your Chicken Flock Size: Legal Limits and Best Practices
Which Cities Allow Backyard Chickens: A Local Guide
Flock Management
Chicken Feed Cost Calculator: What Does It Really Cost to Keep Chickens?
Backyard chickens are deeply rewarding, but anyone who tells you they are cheaper than buying eggs from the store is probably not accounting for all the costs. Feed is the largest …
Chicken Egg Production Calculator: How Many Eggs Will Your Flock Lay?
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