In recent years it has become increasingly popular to have your very own backyard chickens. What better way to buy local, right?! If you happen to be considering starting your own venture into chicken husbandry you'll need to think about housing your chickens and building the best coop for your new clucky friends. We'll talk about size, ventilation, insulation, construction materials, nesting boxes, and all things building your birds their best home. 

1. Make it Legal
Before you start mapping out your yard and deciding on placement for your chicken coop, make sure you visit the appropriate local authorities. You'll need to find the laws your state and city have for backyard chicken husbandry before you begin. Some locations have limitations on the number of birds an individual can own and may forbid homeowners to keep backyard fowl period. If your neighborhood has a Home Owner's Association you might want to check in with them as well. While we here at PopWorms! thoroughly enjoy chickens and the benefits of owning them, not everyone feels this way.

2. Location
According to Claborn Farms there are a few important factors to consider when choosing placement for your chicken coop. The first factor is convenience. Where you place your coop should be easily accessible while still being safe for your chickens. You'll want your coop to be located someplace you're able to easily collect eggs, feed, water, and care for your chickens. The second is shade. If you live in a warmer climate placing your coop in the shade of a large tree, or providing shade another way, will be important for keeping your chickens cool during the hot summer months. Your coop should also be located in an area with good drainage and dry ground for sanitary and health reasons. Finally, you'll want to place your chickens where it most benefits your yard. For farm owners, having chickens is highly beneficial as they can move them around to where they're needed to fertilize orchards, gardens (in the off season) and lawns. Since your coop will likely not be portable, it's important to place it where it works best for you and your chickens. 

3. Building Materials 
First and foremost, you'll need some building plans for your coop. You can purchase chicken coop plans, or there are websites like The Happy Chicken who offer free DIY chicken coop plans. If you're feeling daring you also have the option to create your own. Once you have your plans you'll need to start gathering materials. 
Depending on your design you have a few options for building materials. Generally speaking, you'll need materials for framing, walls, ramps, foundation, doors, windows (if you want them), roofing, exterior finishes, and fencing or screens. Your choice in materials will vary according to your chicken coop plans. What works for someone else's coop may not also work for yours. Coop Design Plans has multiple suggestions for creative material use in chicken coops. They are quick to point out that while lumber works best and allows more creativity in construction, it can often be more expensive. If it is within your budget, it's a great option. Coop Design Plans also states that fencing your chickens in for their chicken run will need to be done with careful consideration. While chicken wire might seem like the most obvious choice, it rusts quickly and doesn't protect your chickens from predators. Chain link fencing poses a similar problem as smaller predators, like raccoons, can still get their hands through the fence. Creating a wood framed and screened chicken run that's attached to your chicken coop may be preferable in this instance. You have endless options for the roofing of your coop as it's acceptable to use just about anything you'd use for roofing on a house. This opens up a lot of options for design, aesthetic, and overall safety. 

4. Size
The size of your chicken coop will depend on how many chickens you intend/are allowed to have. It's important not to build for more chickens than you have the space for. You'll also have to be within the limitations set by your city and state. The general concesus is that you need 2-3 square feet per chicken inside the coop and roughly 8-10 square feet per chicken in an outside run. Make sure you have the space for these accommodations prior to building. 

5. Ventilation and Insulation 
According to Better Hens and Gardens ventilation is of the utmost importance for chicken health, even in winter. You might be thinking, "But won't my chickens be cold? It's freezing outside!" Truth be told, chickens generate a lot of heat all by themselves! During the winter months your chickens may be spending more and more time inside the coop. Their body heat, breathing, and droppings all create moisture and humidity inside the coop. That moisture in the air can create a multitude of problems for your feathery friends including illness, frostbite, and respiratory tract damage. The amount of ventilation required will depend upon the climate and weather conditions. The hotter it gets, the more ventilation your chickens will need. In places where very hot weather isn't a concern the recommendation is one square foot of ventilation per ten square feet of floor space. 
Insulating your chicken coop is easy. Simply make sure to fill in any holes in the walls. Additionally, you'll want to check for any drafts in the coop. If you do find it to be a bit drafty you can use caulking to cover any gaps or cracks in the coop. 

6. Nesting Boxes 
The folks over at The Happy Chicken Coop make a great point: the nesting boxes are not for the chickens, they are for YOU! Chickens will lay their eggs wherever they feel safe and secure. The nesting boxes make it so you can easily find and collect eggs each day. Otherwise you would be searching the whole area for eggs. The ideal nesting box is quiet, safe, private, and dark. It should be in a low activity area and no more than 18 inches off the ground. The number of boxes you need will depend upon the number of hens you have and size will depend on the breed you have chosen. You have the option of building your nesting box into your coop, purchasing one, or creating one of your own. The nesting boxes create a safe place for egg laying while maintaining convenience for you, it's a win-win! 
Deciding to get backyard chickens is a huge decision. It requires a lot of careful thought and planning. We hope this guide gives you a jumpstart in your planning so you can make your way towards creating the dream chicken coop for both you and your charming fowl.

Already have a coop or want to get stocked up on PopWorms! for your incoming flock? Use the code COOP for 20% off PopWorms! ECO 1 lb and PopWorms! Live, good until 3/15/2019!

If you have a small backyard, you may think your dreams of raising chickens will always remain dreams. Luckily, chicken breeds are practically boundless. If you have limited space, bantams may be your answer. Bantam chickens are miniature chickens. They may be as small as half the size of regular chickens. Smaller chickens mean smaller coops, cages, and living spaces. Some of the most popular bantam breeds have docile personalities and are great egg layers. If you are ready to start a bantam chicken flock, here are some breeds to consider.

1. Pekin Bantam - Also known as Cochin Bantams, these fluffy chickens make great pets. The friendly nature of the Pekin Bantam makes them popular with families, and they come in a variety of colors including black, blue, buff, white, and black.
2. Japanese Bantam - Popular for their beautiful appearance, Japanese Bantams come in a variety of colors. One of the smaller breeds, these bantams have a showy array of tail feathers and are great breeds for fairs and shows. These tiny beauties have friendly personalities as well.
3. Sebright Bantam - With their striking feather pattern, Sebright Bantams are sure to be a favorite in the small yard flock. While they are only available in two colors, their unique look will keep you from missing variety. Hens and roosters share the same pattern. Sebrights are also a friendly bantam breed.
4. Brahma Bantams - The friendly nature of Brahma Bantams makes them the perfect city chicken. Available in a large variety of colors, Brahma Bantams are tolerant to cold weather and can be a good choice for northern flocks. Brahmas are also productive egg layers.
5. Easter Eggers - These adorable bantams are sometimes called Araucanas because they originated from the breed. These chickens are good layers, but they are really known for the rainbow of colored eggs they produce. Egg colors may include blue, green, white, brown, and pink.
6. Leghorn Bantams - Leghorns share many of the same qualities as their full-size counterparts. Known for their beautiful appearance and enjoyed for a proud personality, Leghorns are a valuable addition to any flock. These bantams are also very productive layers.
7. Plymouth Rock - The barred variety of this chicken is one of the most popular bantam breeds. Besides its pretty appearance, Plymouth Rock Bantams have a docile personality and are great egg producers.
8. Sussex - Sussex bantams are champion egg producers. They even lay eggs in the winter, which is an unusual quality for bantams. Their tame nature and larger size make them a good choice for children's pets.
9. Dutch Bantams - Dutch bantams are an attractive breed that comes in a variety of colors. They are productive layers and have docile personalities.
10. Serama Bantams - Seramas are the smallest bantams, making them a winner for small spaces. Their appearance is much like the Japanese Bantam. However, they are accepted in any color combination creating a potentially endless variety.

Whether you are buying your chicks from a hatchery or a local store, bantam chicks are widely available. These tiny chicks are fun to raise and grow quickly. For cooking, it typically takes two of these dainty eggs to equal one regular chicken egg.

Spring is on the horizon, and with it comes a blast of bright fresh hope that stirs an awakening in all of us. What you will do with these feelings of resurgence are of course up to you, but what better time to finally start your own backyard chicken flock! Our next series of posts will be aimed at starting a backyard flock, or expanding your current flock.

The benefits are as plentiful as springtime rosebuds: tasty fresh eggs, the joy of watching your funny little backyard companions, and the satisfaction of knowing exactly where your food is coming from, to name a few. But the task can seem daunting if you don't know where to begin. We're here to settle the old "What came first?" debate to tell you as a beginner, start with the chickens before the eggs. Or at least chicks.

Very soon, stores around the country will begin selling cute fuzzy chicks, and while they are all adorable, not every breed is perfect for a backyard flock. Of course not everyone is looking for the same things out of their backyard flock, so read the reasons behind our list before making your final judgments.

Top 10 Breeds for Backyard Chicken Flocks:

1. Rhode Island Red - Perhaps the standard bearer for backyard flocks, the Rhode Island Red is very popular for good reasons. Year round layers, these dual-purpose birds provide great egg production as well as enough mass to be good table fare. Hardy and easy to care for, they don't require a ton of space, though they are generally not as outgoing as others on this list. Reds will be happier when allowed to forage on occasion. On average you can expect around 275 brown eggs per year.
   
2. Buff Orpington - Very friendly and soft, this breed makes a great pet while still offering solid egg production of 200 light brown eggs per year. They are inclined to get broody (prone to wanting to nest), thus the lower egg production than some of the other breeds mentioned.  
3. Wyandotte -  A great dual-purpose bird, the Wyandotte will lay around 250 brown/tan eggs per year, and also makes a good meat source. Thick feathers make them hardy enough for cold weather environments, but they do require more maintenance to keep clean for the same reason. 
4. Australorp - Hardy and docile, these popular dual-purpose birds will lay around 250 brown eggs per year. These birds do like to free range for bugs so they need a little space, or at the very least a grassy run attached to their coop.
   
5. Plymouth Rock - Another easy to care for, dual purpose breed. Laying about 200 big brown eggs per year, these birds are extremely friendly, but do best when offered free range over a backyard.
6. New Hampshire Red - One can argue they are better overall choice than their brethren from Rhode Island, because this breed tends to be friendlier while offering similar egg production, great overall heartiness, and are easy to care for. However, they are not as common to find, and they can be aggressive to other chickens, so be careful introducing other birds to the flock.
7. Sussex - Originally considered a meat bird, the Sussex lays about 200 tinted colored eggs per year, making it a solid dual purpose breed for backyard flocks.
8. Leghorn - Not a great pet, but excellent egg layers offering upwards of 300 white eggs per year. More skittish than other breeds.
9. Ameraucana - Known for colorful eggs that tend to be blue, but can come in ranges from white, to pink, to green. Friendly enough breed that works great as a pet or egg layer, but they are not great for meat production. Expect around 260 colorful eggs per year. 
10. Hybrids - There are many hybrid strains available today, so it is hard to place them on this list, but we would be amiss not to mention them in here because many make ideal choices for backyard flocks. Not technically pure breeds, this group of chickens are usually cheaper to buy and are early, hearty egg layers, but production may decline after the first year. Also the overall life expectancy is often shorter. We suggest additional research into the particular strain you are considering to learn about its unique qualities and concerns.

Truthfully you can't go wrong with any of these reputable choices. Nutrition, care, and breeding are always factors in the health and production of any flock. Buy your stock from reputable breeders and you will enjoy all of the attributes a backyard flock brings to your life.