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Start here: what to buy, in order

Winter comes first this time of year. Doors and predators come next, and chicks wait for their season.

Buy gear in the order the risks arrive. In the fall that means winter first, then the doors and predator-proofing that protect the flock every night, then the daily water and feed setup, and last the brooder when chick season comes. Each step below names the page to read first.

No coop yet?

Start at step 4. Every other piece of gear bolts onto the coop and run, so size those first, then come back to step 1.

1. Winter: dry air, open water, then heat

Fix moisture, drafts and frozen water first, and add a heater last, only if your flock needs one. University of Maine Extension says acclimated chickens in a draft-free coop on dry bedding do not need a heat source. University of Minnesota Extension advises supplemental heat when the coop falls below 35°F. Breed, age and climate decide which advice fits you.

If you do heat, skip the heat lamp. The same Maine report says the state fire marshal’s office names heat lamps and extension cords among the top coop fire causes. A 100 W heater running nonstop costs about $13 a month at the 18.16 cents per kWh the EIA reports for 2026.

Read these in order:

2. Doors and predators: shut it every night

Close the coop every night behind latches a raccoon cannot work, and cover every opening in welded hardware cloth. Cornell Cooperative Extension calls predation the most common cause of death in small flocks, so this step protects more birds than any other purchase. Penn State Extension says to bury run wire at least 12 inches deep and turn it outward about 6 inches.

An automatic door is the easy way to guarantee the closing, but a hand-closed door works if you close it every dusk. eXtension says to have the flock roost in a secured location at night with every door closed and locked. Whichever you pick, the walls behind the door have to hold.

Read these in order:

3. Water and feed: the daily chores

Size the waterer to the flock, then pick a feeder that keeps feed dry and rats out. Hens drink about twice their feed weight, per the University of Kentucky, and a laying hen eats about a quarter pound of feed a day, per Kentucky’s feeding guide. Ten hens go through about 17.5 pounds of feed a week.

Read these:

4. The coop, run and nest boxes

Size the coop and run by hen count before you pick a style. Penn State Extension sets 1.5 square feet inside the coop and 8 square feet in the run per laying hen, and 2 and 10 for large chickens. It also says to give hens two nests for the first four hens and one more for every four after that. A coop’s “up to 10 hens” label often fails that math.

Read these:

5. Chick season: the brooder

Order the brooder before the chicks arrive. UMaine Extension sets 95°F at chick level in week one, then 5°F lower each week. A 250 W lamp running nonstop for six weeks costs about $46 at the EIA rate, against about $2 for a 12 W heat plate.

Read these:

How these picks are made

Every pick links to its extension source, spec sheet or owner thread, and every price carries the date it was checked. Read how FlockProof researches gear, how it earns money and who Kyle is before you spend.

Sources

  1. eXtension: Predator management for small and backyard poultry flocks
  2. University of Maine Extension on heat sources, via the Bangor Daily News
  3. University of Minnesota Extension: Caring for chickens in cold weather
  4. EIA Electric Power Monthly: average price of electricity, residential
  5. Cornell Cooperative Extension: Backyard chickens
  6. Penn State Extension: Small-scale poultry housing
  7. University of Kentucky: Chapter 12, water for poultry
  8. University of Kentucky: ASC-191, feeding the laying flock
  9. UMaine Cooperative Extension: Giving chicks a good start (bulletin 2219)