Raising Egg-Laying Chickens for Beginners: Do It in This Order

If you want eggs from your own hens, my read is that the order you do things in matters more than the breed you pick. Call your town first. Work out how many eggs your house really eats. Settle the coop, and only then order birds. If you start with chicks, plan on four to six months before the first egg, and plan on the count sliding before the first laying year is out.

My call for a house that eats a dozen eggs a week is four hens and no rooster, with the coop built before anything with feathers shows up. Skip the idea that you’ll save money on eggs. Penn State says eggs from small flocks “will always cost more”, and my read is you won’t beat the store.

I rewrote this page from 16 sources, and they’re all listed at the bottom. Most of the numbers come from state extension services, Penn State and NC State above all, plus the Merck Veterinary Manual. Egg safety comes from the CDC and USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, whose pages I read through the Internet Archive.

The old version of this page leaned on things I can’t stand behind. It opened with years of raising chickens in a backyard and a story about a coop next to a bedroom window, and it signed off with something called “Tanner’s golden nugget”. I can’t vouch for any of that, so it’s gone. So are the claims I couldn’t source. It told you to give each bird “1/4 cup of feed daily”, when the sources I read go by weight, at about a quarter to a third of a pound. It kept chicks on starter for “the first 14-16 weeks”, which runs long against both schedules below. It stored eggs at 45 to 55 degrees, when USDA and the CDC both say to refrigerate them, and it reached for warm water and detergent, which isn’t what the CDC tells backyard keepers. The mirror, the chicken swing and the herbal sprays had no source behind them either.

A note on the photos. They’re stock photos, credited under each one, and none of them is mine. The flock behind the wire was shot at a Kona coffee farm in Hawaii, where a mobile coop puts hens to work on weeds, going by the photographer’s caption. The coop is at a resort in Calistoga, California. It’s here for the layout only. Its run looks open on top, and Merck says the top of an enclosure should be covered. The chick at the trough is in a rearing house for young animals at the Wilhelma zoo in Stuttgart, going by the photo’s page, so that’s not a home brooder. The hens in the last section are from Ripley, Ohio, going by the photo’s location tag.

The short version, in order.

• Call animal control or zoning, and read your HOA rules. Many towns allow hens and ban roosters.
• Know the deal on germs before kids get involved. The CDC doesn’t want children under 5 handling chicks.
• Pick a flock size from eggs, not from how cute chicks are. NC State’s 12 hens lay 9 or 10 eggs a day for several months, then may slow to 6 a day by month 12.
• Build for about 3 square feet a bird inside, with a run of 8 to 10 square feet a bird, and bury the wire.
• Feed starter, then grower, then layer, in that order. Layer feed waits until your birds are close to laying.
• Plan on about a quarter pound of feed a hen a day, and keep treats under 10% of it, if you give them at all.
• Collect eggs often, skip the warm-egg wash, and keep them in the fridge.
• Expect eggs to stop for short days, molt, a broody spell and age. Laying fades years before hens die.

Before You Buy a Bird: The Rules and the Real Cost

Start with a phone call. NC State Extension says it this way: “A call to your local animal control or zoning office prior to ordering your birds will allow you to make an informed decision on what types and how many birds to order.” Penn State’s list runs longer, out to “property association rules”. That last part matters, since a town can say yes while your subdivision’s covenants say no.

Ask about roosters while you’ve got someone on the line. NC State’s warning: “Even modern ordinances allowing garden hens usually prohibit roosters”. That’s fine, because you don’t need one. Penn State says it flat out: “Roosters are not necessary in a flock for hens to lay eggs”. Without a rooster you get unfertilized eggs, which is what most people eat anyway.

Next up is the part nobody puts on the brochure. The CDC says poultry can sometimes carry germs that make people sick, and that outbreaks of Salmonella linked to backyard poultry are common. Its page says to wash your hands with soap and running water after touching birds or anything where they live, to keep poultry out of the house, and to set aside a pair of shoes for the coop. It also says “Don’t let children younger than 5 years old handle or touch chicks” and other live poultry. If you’ve got little kids at home, that one rule shapes the whole plan, chick stage included.

Then there’s the money. I’d rather you hear it from me now than work it out later.

Penn State: “Producing eggs in small flocks will always cost more.” Selling the extras probably won’t fix that. NC State’s line: “Unless you are a very careful manager and find a niche market, you will not make a profit or even recoup your costs through egg sales with a small home flock”. NC State also says a hen eats about 5 pounds of feed per dozen eggs. By my math, that means feed alone for one dozen is a tenth of a 50-pound bag. So take whatever a bag costs at your feed store, divide by 10, and that’s a rough feed cost for a dozen, before the coop, the bedding or the waterer. Georgia does list reduced cost among the reasons people keep a flock, but it gives no numbers. Keep hens for the eggs and the birds. Don’t do it for the savings.

How Many Hens for How Many Eggs

Work backward from the egg. A hen lays one egg a day at the very most, since Jacquie Jacob of the University of Kentucky says it takes 26 hours for an egg to form. Jacob adds that a hen will have some days with no egg at all. NC State’s numbers are the most useful ones I found for planning:

“Twelve hens will produce an average of 9 or 10 eggs per day for several months, with the peak production at 32 to 34 weeks of age”. NC State goes on to say they may then slow until you’re averaging only 6 eggs a day by the 12th month after laying begins.

By my math, that’s about 0.75 to 0.83 of an egg per hen per day at the good stretch, and 0.5 by month 12. Now run your own house through it.

• One dozen eggs a week is about 1.7 eggs a day. At the late rate of 0.5, that’s 4 hens, rounded up.
• Two dozen a week is about 3.4 eggs a day. At that same rate, that’s 7 hens.
• In the good months, 4 hens will give you 3 eggs a day or a little more, so expect some weeks with extra. NC State’s advice is to count eggs you plan to give away to friends and neighbors, too.

Those numbers lean on NC State’s month-12 rate on purpose. Plan for month 12 and the early months feel like a bonus. Plan for peak and you’ll run short by month 12. Our egg production calculator runs the same kind of sum for your own flock.

Breed moves the number a lot, and here’s where my sources get messy. Penn State says “Common heritage type breeds will lay 50 to 100 eggs a year” and “Commercial sex-linked hybrids will lay 240 to 280 eggs a year.” NC State describes heritage hens as laying slightly less than one egg a day in the first year, which is a far better year than 100 eggs. A breed sheet from University of Tennessee Extension’s Roane County office averages Buff Orpingtons at 200 eggs a year, Barred Rocks at 240 and White Leghorns at 280.

Nobody’s lying here. Penn State notes “great variability between strains”, and my read is that these sources may be counting different laying years too. My call: treat any one breed figure as a soft guess, and rerun the sum for the breed you buy. On Penn State’s heritage number, by my math, a dozen a week would take 7 hens or more. So the four hens above assume a steady layer.

For a first flock, here’s how the sources sort the usual picks.

• Sex-link hybrids. NC State calls them “excellent egg layers” that are often chosen for home garden flocks. My call: take this kind if first-year eggs are the whole point. Jacob says commercial-type hens may start with higher production, but other breeds tend to lay for more years.
• White Leghorns. Georgia Extension calls Leghorns “the ultimate egg producing machines”, then says they’re “noisy and nervous and usually avoid human contact”. Jacob says commercial White Leghorns “typically do not produce well in home flocks.”
• Rhode Island Reds. Georgia calls them calm, and says the cocks can be aggressive. Our page on Rhode Island Red egg production has the longer breakdown.
• Barred Rocks and Buff Orpingtons. Georgia says both handle easily, and it warns that Orpingtons’ docile nature leaves them easily bullied. We set the two side by side in Buff Orpington vs Barred Rock.
• Australorps. Georgia’s words are “quiet, docile and easily handled”, which is what you want with a first flock.
• Easter Eggers. Georgia says these usually mixed birds may lay blue, green or other colored eggs. Shell color is looks only, since Penn State says it makes no difference to nutrition.

If you can’t decide, the chicken breed finder will narrow it down.

Chicks, Pullets or Hens, and the Months With No Eggs

NC State lays out three ways in. Day-old chicks are “the least expensive but riskiest, most work-intensive choice”. Young hens called pullets cost a bit more, and quite a bit more with shipping, but they’re ready for the coop with no brooder. Mature hens work if you can find a seller you trust, and if the birds are “no more than a year or so old”.

My call for a true beginner with no kids under 5 at home is chicks if you want the whole experience, and pullets if you want eggs sooner. Either one is a fair start. Older birds of unknown age are the one start I’d pass on, since NC State’s whole condition is that you can trust the seller about their age.

Ordering chicks? A few rules save trouble.

• Buy sexed chicks, and order one or two more than your final number, as NC State advises. So four hens means five or six chicks.
• Skip “straight run”, which means mixed males and females, unless you know a good home for the extra roosters. NC State says finding one may be difficult.
• Buy from a hatchery in the National Poultry Improvement Plan, as the CDC suggests, and pick bright, alert birds.
• Ask about Marek’s vaccination. NC State says to get it if the breeder offers it. Merck says vaccines are given at hatch or to embryos in the egg, so it isn’t something to put off.

Now for the wait. Arizona extension puts the first egg at 18 to 22 weeks, and says pullets look grown at 14 to 16 weeks. NC State’s wider range is 16 to 24 weeks, “depending on breed and environmental conditions”. Alabama says most pullets lay at 20 to 25 weeks, and it names Rhode Island Reds and Plymouth Rocks among the slower breeds. By my math, a chick hatched April 1 lays its first egg sometime between about August 5 and September 2 on Arizona’s numbers, and as late as about September 23 on Alabama’s.

That’s four to six months of feed and no eggs. Plan for it now, and it won’t feel like something’s gone wrong. Our when do chickens start laying tool will give you the dates for your own hatch day, and the chick brooder temperature tool covers the first few weeks of heat.

Season plays a part too. NC State says chicks started in October or November “will be more productive in their first year” than chicks started in March or April, especially in parts of North Carolina with mild winters. In northern New England, Maine extension says most chicks hatch in spring and start laying in fall. Then the short days of November and December cut egg output. So a spring chick’s first winter may be a thin one, unless you add light. More on that below.

The Coop and Run: The Few Numbers That Matter

Finish this section before you order birds. NC State says to “finalize your coop plans before deciding how many chicks or pullets to order”, and I agree. Your egg count says how many hens you want. The coop says how many you can keep.

Floor space is where my sources split, so here’s what four of them say.

• Penn State: 2 square feet a bird inside in its flock guide, and a housing table that gives a laying hen 1.5 inside and 8 in the run.
• Merck: 1.5 to 2 square feet a bird inside, and 8 to 10 square feet a bird in an outside run.
• Oregon State: at least 3 square feet a bird with a run, and 8 to 10 square feet with no outdoor access.
• NC State: a minimum of 2.5 to 3.5 square feet inside and 4 to 5 outside, and it says to consider giving considerably more.

Why do low numbers keep turning up? NC State says you may see 1.5 to 3 square feet, depending on the breed, and that those figures are for large-scale, commercial egg production. It calls them “the minimum spaces in which the hens can survive and produce eggs”. Penn State and Merck still print 1.5 to 2 for small flocks, so you’ll run into both. My call is 3 square feet inside, the middle of NC State’s backyard minimum, and 8 outside, which is Penn State’s run figure and the low end of Merck’s. For four hens, by my math, that’s a 12 square foot coop and a 32 square foot run, which lines up with the small coop in our chicken coop ideas roundup. The chicken coop size calculator will run yours.

For the fittings, these are the numbers worth writing down.

• Nest boxes. Oregon State wants one box for about every four birds, about 12 inches each way. Penn State says two nests for the first four hens and a 3 to 4 inch lip to hold the bedding. My call is two boxes for four hens. Our bucket nest box page checks a 5-gallon bucket against these numbers.
• Roosts. Penn State gives 6 inches of perch a bird, 18 to 24 inches high and 1 foot apart. Oregon State says 5 to 10 inches a bird and 2 feet off the floor. NC State says at least 9 or 10 inches a bird. I’d give them 10 and sleep easy. Our page on round or square roosts covers the shape.
• Bedding. NC State gives 2 to 3 inches of pine shavings in one section and about 4 inches of litter in another, and says to stir the bedding daily. Merck rates pine shavings good, and straw and corncobs poor, for soaking up moisture.

Predators are the coop’s real job. University of Maryland Extension’s advice: “Locking birds in a predator-proof barn/coop every night is advisable”. A raccoon can reach through wire and pull at a bird it can’t get to, and Maryland also says raccoons “can open simple latches”. So use a lock, not a hook.

Maryland’s rule for a fixed run is the one I’d copy: fencing goes at least a foot into the ground, then turns outward at 90 degrees for at least another 8 to 10 inches. A digger hits that corner and gets stuck. Merck also says to run the fence at least 12 inches into the ground, and to cover the top against predators that fly or climb and against wild birds that can carry disease.

Should your fence stay put or move? Our chicken pen vs run page sorts that out.

What to Feed, and When to Change It

A bag of complete feed is the whole diet. Alabama extension says complete feeds “are designed to be the sole source of nutrients for your birds”. So your job is mostly to buy the right bag for the bird’s age.

Penn State’s schedule is starter from hatch to 6 weeks, grower from 6 to 18 weeks, and layer from 18 weeks on. NC State’s runs longer, with starter to 8 weeks, grower to 12, developer to 21, and then layer. Those two don’t match, and neither says which to follow. Both go in the same order. My read: either works, as long as layer feed waits until your birds are close to laying. Our Rhode Island Red feeding guide has the protein numbers and how to make each switch.

Here’s the one rule with teeth. Jacob’s words are “do not feed a layer diet to growing chickens”, and Merck warns that it can cause “irreversible renal damage”. That means kidneys. Layer feed is high in calcium for making eggshells, and Jacob says that level is harmful to chickens that aren’t laying. So stick to the schedule, and hold the layer feed until your birds reach it.

On amounts, the estimates run from about a quarter pound to a third. Alabama says a laying hen eats “between 100 and 150 grams of feed per day or roughly 0.25 pounds”. Merck says “no more than 0.1 kg (0.25 pound)”, and it warns about overfeeding, especially in meat-type birds. NC State says about 1/3 pound. Penn State says feed free choice, and Alabama says to keep feed in front of your hens at all times. My call: measure it once to learn what your flock eats, then keep feed out all day. Penn State says to fill a tray only 2/3 full.

Alabama’s example is 10 hens going through a 50-pound bag in about 20 days. By my math, 4 hens at a quarter pound take about 50 days to finish that same bag. Now look at storage, where the sources split. Penn State says a dry, dark metal can for up to 4 weeks. Alabama’s rule of thumb is feed no older than 3 months. Merck, writing about mixing your own feed, says most feed and premixes expire in 3 to 6 months, or as little as 2 in the summer. Fifty days runs well past Penn State’s limit. It only fits inside Alabama’s if the bag is fresh when you buy it, so check the manufacture date, which Alabama says should be on the bag. Merck’s summer number is tighter still. My call: buy a smaller bag if the store has one. The chicken feed calculator does this sum for you.

Water matters just as much. Alabama says a gallon a day covers roughly 16 laying hens. Keep it clean, and keep it full.

Oyster shell and grit are where advice splits.

• Oyster shell. Alabama says it’s “probably unnecessary” on a good layer feed, but that it’s inexpensive and won’t hurt. NC State wants a calcium supplement for all hens over one year. Penn State says to give it to older birds. Colorado State says to give free access. My call: a small dish, off to the side, once hens are laying.
• Grit. Alabama says backyard flocks don’t need it, because all commercial feed is already ground. Colorado State says hens in a limited run need a grit source, and NC State says grit for all. My read: on nothing but complete feed, skip it. If your hens also get scraps or whole grain, put some out.

Treats get the same split. Penn State says “Crack corn and scratch grain should not be fed to chickens.” Alabama says extras “should be used sparingly or not at all”. NC State caps grain at 1/4 pound per five hens a day. Colorado State allows treats, as long as they stay under 10% of the day’s diet and are gone in 5 to 10 minutes. By my math, that’s 10 to 15 grams a hen a day, which isn’t much. Our page on what not to feed chickens has the do-not list, and the Can Chickens Eat It? checker handles the one-off questions.

The Daily Routine, From Eggs to New Birds

My read: most days are short, but none can be skipped. Colorado State says to learn how a healthy bird looks and acts, and to check your birds daily so you can spot any that aren’t healthy. Top off feed and water, stir the bedding and pick up eggs. That’s the job.

Collect eggs often. That’s the CDC’s word, and our page on eggs left in the coop makes the case for at least twice a day. Cleaning comes next. The CDC says eggs with dirt on them can be cleaned carefully with fine sandpaper, a brush or a cloth, and it adds: “Don’t wash warm, fresh eggs because colder water can pull bacteria into the egg.” NC State says to use a dry cloth, and it allows a warm damp cloth or warm egg-washing compound for really dirty eggs. My call: go dry first, and wet only if you have to. USDA’s FSIS, writing for shoppers about eggs a plant has already washed, says it’s “not necessary or recommended for consumers to wash eggs”. Throw away cracked eggs. The CDC says bacteria get in more easily through a crack.

Then refrigerate. The CDC says so, and USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service gives raw eggs in the shell 3 to 5 weeks in the fridge. That’s the same page for shoppers, and it doesn’t mention backyard eggs. NC State says clean, dry eggs go in cartons with the large end up. For cooking, the CDC says until both the yolk and white are firm, and 160°F for egg dishes.

For the coop itself, NC State says to take out the bedding when it stops absorbing moisture or you begin to notice a strong odor. Penn State says to check birds for parasites monthly. Before you need one, find a vet who sees poultry or an extension agent, which is what the CDC advises. We aren’t vets, and you’ll want that number handy.

Adding birds later takes more care than the first batch. The CDC says “Keep new poultry separated for at least 30 days”. Penn State goes further: “Never introduce adult birds into an established flock.” NC State says not to mix new pullets with older hens, since they may be seriously injured. So my call is to buy your whole flock in one go. If you do add later, buy young birds from a clean source, and keep them apart for the full 30 days at least.

Why the Eggs Stop: Four Reasons to Know

Every flock goes quiet at some point. My read is that these four are the ones a beginner should know. Jacob’s short list of other causes is worth checking first, though: no water, poor feed, parasites or sickness.

Short days. Jacob calls chickens long-season breeders, meaning they come into lay as days get longer. Maine’s rule of thumb is “Keep laying hens on a constant 14 to 16 hour day.” Penn State says add the light in the morning, and stop at 16 hours. Maine says a timer is “really a necessity”, and it wants wiring that meets safety and local codes. Don’t jump the day all at once either. Maine says to add about 15 minutes a week. Arizona says research indicates winter light doesn’t shorten a hen’s laying life or cut her total eggs, as long as she gets balanced nutrition, calcium included. If you’d rather give the flock the winter off, that’s fine too. You’ll just buy eggs for a while.

Molt. Arizona says most adult hens molt once a year, usually from August through October, and the process can run several months. Feathers drop, and laying slows or stops. Pullets hatched over spring or summer won’t molt in their first autumn. It’s normal, and Arizona suggests a higher protein layer feed or a protein supplement to help them through it. The chicken molting planner gives you a rough calendar.

Broodiness. The old version of this page said to stay away from broody hens. That was too flat. “Certain breeds and individual hens are more prone to broodiness” is how Arizona puts it, so you manage it. It says a spell left alone may run 3 to 6 weeks, and that time in a “broody jail” for 3 to 7 days can break it. If you’ve got Orpingtons, expect it. Tennessee’s sheet calls them broody.

Age. This is the one to think about before you buy. Arizona says laying peaks in the first 1 to 2 years and often turns sporadic by age 3 or 4. Jacob says many home flocks lay on and off for 3 to 4 years, with fewer eggs each year. Penn State says “Chickens in most small flocks live 8 years, but they can live up to 12 to 15 years.” By my math, that leaves a typical hen four or five years of few or no eggs.

Decide now what that means at your place. Plenty of people keep old hens around, and you can add young birds carefully. Others can’t spare the coop space. Neither is wrong, but it’s a real question, and your town’s hen limit may answer it for you. If a flock of four has gone quiet and you’re not sure why, our what’s wrong with this egg tool helps with odd eggs, and that vet’s number helps with the rest.

Our beginner’s handbook covers the breed, the coop, the feed and the eggs in 13 chapters as a PDF, in the order the jobs come up.

Sources

• Phillip J. Clauer, Penn State Extension: Successfully Raising a Small Flock of Laying Chickens (updated April 22, 2016).
• Penn State Extension: Small-Scale Poultry Housing.
• NC State Extension: Keeping Garden Chickens in North Carolina.
• University of Arizona Cooperative Extension: Nine Common Reasons Your Hens Aren’t Laying (az2186, January 2026).
• Jacquie Jacob, University of Kentucky, Poultry Extension: Raising Chickens for Egg Production.
• Wilmer Pacheco and colleagues, Alabama Cooperative Extension System: Feeding the Laying Hen (ANR-2913, 2022).
• Howard Enos, Colorado State University Extension: Raising Poultry the Organic Way, Disease Control and Feeding (December 2019, reviewed August 2025).
• Yuko Sato, Merck Veterinary Manual: Management of Backyard Poultry (November 2024).
• Venugopal Nair, Merck Veterinary Manual: Marek’s Disease in Poultry (full review April 2024, updated April 2025).
• CDC: Backyard Poultry (read through the Internet Archive, October 2026 copy).
• USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service: Shell Eggs from Farm to Table (read through the Internet Archive, August 2026 copy).
• Oregon State University Extension: Backyard Chicken Coop Design (EC 1644).
• University of Maryland Extension: Identifying and Preventing Poultry Predators in the Mid-Atlantic Region (FS-1132).
• University of Maine Cooperative Extension: Maine Poultry Facts, Lighting for Small-Scale Flocks (Bulletin #2227).
• University of Georgia Cooperative Extension: Which Breed of Chicken Should I Put in My Backyard Flock (January 2009).
• University of Tennessee Extension, Roane County: Learn About Your Chick Chain Options.

Sources checked November 1, 2026. The per-hen math is mine, from these sources. So are the calls on flock size, breed, coop space, shell, grit and when to add birds. We aren’t vets. If a hen acts off, call a vet who sees poultry.

Related read: How to Raise Chickens for Eggs — Instant PDF download. Secure checkout by Stripe