How to Keep Chickens: A Beginner's Guide for Smallholders

Why Chickens Are the Perfect Smallholder Starting Point

Chickens are the most popular livestock choice for smallholders and first-time keepers — and for good reason. They're relatively low-maintenance, inexpensive to keep, provide a daily return in the form of eggs, and are genuinely entertaining to watch. A small flock of 4–6 hens is manageable for almost anyone with a garden or small plot, and the learning curve is gentle compared to larger livestock.

This guide covers everything you need to get started.

Choosing Your Breed

Breed choice depends on what you want from your flock:

• Best layers: Hybrid hens (such as the ISA Brown, Lohmann Brown, or Bovans Goldline) are bred for egg production and will lay 280–320 eggs per year. They're docile, hardy, and ideal for beginners.
• Dual-purpose (eggs & meat): Rhode Island Red, Sussex, Plymouth Rock. Good layers with a reasonable table weight.
• Pure breeds: Orpington, Wyandotte, Marans. Often fewer eggs but beautiful birds, good for showing or breeding. Marans lay distinctive dark brown eggs.
• Bantams: Miniature versions of full-size breeds. Good for small spaces, friendly, but smaller eggs and lower production.

For a first flock focused on egg production, a hybrid layer is the most practical choice.

Housing: What Your Chickens Need

A good hen house must be:

• Secure: Foxes are persistent and clever. The house must be fully enclosed with no gaps larger than 2cm. Use a proper bolt or combination lock — foxes can open simple latches. Bury wire aprons around the perimeter to prevent digging.
• Ventilated but draught-free: Ventilation at the top of the house prevents respiratory disease; draughts at bird level cause stress and illness.
• Dry: Damp bedding causes respiratory problems and bumblefoot. Use wood shavings or straw and clean out regularly.
• Appropriately sized: Allow at least 0.3m² of floor space per bird inside the house, and 1m² per bird in the run.
• Equipped with perches and nest boxes: Allow 20–25cm of perch space per bird. One nest box per 3–4 hens is sufficient — they'll often all use the same one regardless.

The Run & Free Range

• A fixed run should be covered with wire on the top as well as the sides — foxes and birds of prey will take chickens in open runs
• Free-ranging hens are happier and healthier, but require secure perimeter fencing and must be shut in at dusk every night without fail
• Electric poultry netting is an excellent free-range solution — it's moveable, effective against foxes, and allows you to rotate grazing areas to prevent ground becoming sour
• Rotate the run area regularly if possible — bare, compacted ground increases disease and parasite burden

Feeding Your Chickens

A balanced, complete feed is the foundation of good health and egg production. See our full guide to choosing poultry feed by life stage for detail, but in brief:

• Chicks (0–6 weeks): Chick crumbs — high protein, finely milled
• Growers (6–18 weeks): Grower pellets — do not feed layer pellets before 18 weeks
• Laying hens (18 weeks+): Layer pellets or mash — balanced calcium for shell quality
• Grit: Insoluble flint grit for digestion; soluble oyster shell for calcium. Offer both free-choice at all times.
• Treats: Corn, mealworms, and kitchen scraps (within legal limits — no meat or fish products) are fine in moderation but should not replace a balanced ration
• Water: Fresh, clean water at all times. Hens drink 500ml–1 litre per day depending on temperature.

Browse our Chicken Feed & Poultry Supplies range for layers pellets, chick crumbs, grit, and feeders.

Day-to-Day Care

Chickens are low-maintenance but not no-maintenance. Daily tasks include:

• Opening the house at dawn (or use an automatic pop-hole opener)
• Checking feed and water
• Collecting eggs — at least once daily to discourage egg eating
• A quick visual health check of the flock
• Shutting the house securely at dusk

Weekly: top up bedding, clean drinkers and feeders thoroughly. Monthly: full clean-out of the house and treatment for red mite if present.

Common Health Issues

• Red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae): Tiny grey/red mites that live in cracks in the house and feed on birds at night. Signs include pale combs, restlessness, and hens reluctant to enter the house. Treat the house (not the birds) with an approved acaricide. Check regularly by running a white cloth along perch ends.
• Lice & northern fowl mite: Live on the bird. Check around the vent area for eggs and crawling mites. Treat with a poultry-approved powder or spray.
• Worms: Roundworms and gapeworm are common in free-range flocks. Treat with flubendazole (e.g. Flubenvet) mixed into feed. A worming programme every 3–6 months is good practice for free-range birds.
• Coccidiosis: Affects young birds particularly. Signs include bloody droppings, lethargy, and huddling. Use a coccidiostat in chick crumbs as prevention; treat with amprolium if an outbreak occurs.
• Marek's Disease: A viral disease causing paralysis and tumours. Vaccinate day-old chicks — most hatcheries do this as standard. There is no treatment.
• Egg peritonitis & reproductive issues: Common in high-production hybrids as they age. Signs include a penguin-like stance, swollen abdomen, and reduced laying. Veterinary assessment needed.

Legal Requirements

• Flocks of 50 birds or more must be registered with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)
• During an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ), all keepers — regardless of flock size — must follow biosecurity measures and may be required to house birds. Check APHA guidance regularly during winter months.
• You must not feed kitchen scraps containing meat or fish to poultry (illegal under EU-derived UK law)

Getting Started

The best advice for a first-time keeper: start small (4–6 hens), buy point-of-lay pullets from a reputable supplier, get the housing right before the birds arrive, and enjoy it. Chickens are rewarding, practical, and genuinely good fun.

Find everything you need in our Chicken Feed & Poultry Supplies range, including feeds, feeders, drinkers, and health products.