12 Chicken Coop Must-Haves for a Very Happy Flock

While keeping backyard chickens is exciting and fairly straightforward, a lot goes into creating a space for them to live a happy and healthy life. Every chicken owner needs to make sure they have essential chicken coop must-haves. 

With so many things to buy, from the coop and nesting boxes to bedding and food, it can be tricky to know what exactly you need. Today, we’re going to take the guesswork out of it for you and go over 12 essential things for a chicken coop that we highly recommend you invest in. We’ll also share specific items you can buy so you don’t have to waste time searching for the essentials. 

Let’s take a look at what your chicken coop needs to foster a flock full of joy!

What should be in a chicken coop? 

Here’s a quick list of chick coop must-haves you’ll need, then we’ll go more into each one!

• Chicken Food and Treats
• Food Storage Container
• Feeders
• Waterers
• Secured Coop
• Shade
• Ventilation
• Space
• Nesting Boxes with Bedding
• Roosting Bars
• First-Aid Kit
• Fun Toys

Chicken Coop Must-Haves

From chicken food and treats to ventilation and toys, what do you really need for your chicken coop? Keep reading to find out!

Chicken Food and Treats

Of course, a happy flock needs to be fed well! Wondering what to feed backyard chickens? Well, the good news is that although their diet is important, it’s feeding them is pretty easy. 

Backyard chickens need a balanced diet that consists of grains, protein, fruit, and vegetables. You can make homemade food, but most chicken owners go with a high-quality chicken feed with all the nutrients your flock needs. 

And, of course, treats for backyard chickens are always a plus! There are many treat options, and most chickens love bananas, berries, and carrots.

What to buy:

• Grower feed for chicks
• Layer feed for older chickens

For more on how to feed a chicken, check out this guide to feeding your chickens.

Food Storage Container

Make sure your chickens’ food stays fresh by using a food storage container. This will also keep mold and unwanted creatures away. Your container should be kept in a place that’s cool and dry.

What to buy:

• Any airtight container like this one

Feeders

Every list of chicken coop must-haves includes feeders to ensure your flock has food available when they’re hungry. You’ll fill their feeders once or twice a day, depending on what works for you schedule. The number and size of your feeders will depend on how many chickens you have, how much they eat, and how often you feed them. You’ll catch on pretty quickly to how much food and how many feeders you’ll need.

In terms of what kind of feeders to use, there are a few options:

• Automatic chicken feeder
• Hanging chicken feeder
• Covered chicken feeder
• Bucket chicken feeder

Waterers

Plenty of fresh water is essential for a happy and healthy flock. Keep water in a waterer and, like with feeders, the number and size of waterers depend on how many chickens you have and how often you’ll change it out.

Some chicken owners DIY their waterers with gallon buckets. You can also buy waterers like these:

• Automatic chicken waterer
• Waterer with carrying handle

Secured Coop

Keep your flock safe with a secured chicken coop. Even with possible chicken illnesses, harsh weather, and accidental injuries, predators are what most chicken owners are most worried about in terms of their chickens’ safety. Every backyard chickens coop needs strong fencing around it and no openings in the fence or coop.

Of course, there are countless chicken coops and fences you can use, but here are a couple of good options:

• Metal walk-in chicken coop
• Weatherproof chicken coop

Shade

Having enough shade might be one of the most looked-over chicken coop must-haves. This is very important, especially if you live somewhere with a sunny climate. The entire run doesn’t need to be shaded, but there should be ample space for chickens to get away from the UV rays.

If you have some shrubbery, this should do the trick. If not, you can do some landscaping or buy something like this shade cloth.

Ventilation

Every chicken coop needs airflow for several reasons. In our article about getting backyard chickens ready for cold weather, we go more into this. Ventilation allows you to maintain high air quality for your flock and keeps potential respiratory issues at bay. 

While you want there to be some airflow, you don’t want there to be a direct draft onto your chickens. Small open spaces are best up high away from your chickens. If there are too many drafts, you can seal them with a sealing spray.

Space

Plenty of space must be mentioned as a must-have for chicken coop because you want your flock to be comfortable, have enough space for each to do their business, and room for all the chicken coop items. You don’t want to get more chickens than you have room for. The amount of space your chickens need will depend on their size, but the rule of thumb of 2-10 square feet. You’ll need enough room for your coop, where the chickens sleep and lay eggs, and for the run, where they can hang out and spread their wings.

Nesting Boxes with Bedding

While chickens can lay their eggs anywhere, most backyard chickens owners have 1 nesting box for about every 5 birds. A chicken nesting box allows your hens a safe, secure place to lay eggs and keeps the eggs safe until you collect them.

Place your nesting boxes in a cool, dark space and fill them with bedding. Bedding can be pine shavings, straw, or hay.

What to buy:

• Nesting box
• Bedding

Roosting Bars

Most chickens prefer sleeping off the ground, and it keeps them clean if they use the bathroom during the night. Your roosting bar doesn’t have to be anything fancy. You can even make your own with branches or dowel rods. But, you want your chickens’ roosting bars to offer enough space for each one to grip onto securely.

What to buy:

• Wooden chicken perch

First-Aid Kit

Be ready for the occasional illness or injury one of your chickens will inevitably encounter by having a well-equipped first-aid kit handy. Many of the items you’ll already have on hand, but it’s always nice to have them ready in one place when needed. Items you’ll need include bandage, non-stick gauze, towel, antibiotic ointment, Epsom salts, and nail trimmers.

Check out our complete guide to what you’ll need for your chicken first-aid kit.

Fun Toys

That’s right, chickens need toys, too! Keep your flock busy with toys. This helps keep them stimulated and beat boredom. These chicken coop toys are excellent for any flock! 

We hope this guide to chicken coop must-haves has helped you prepare to raise happy and healthy chickens. Want to know more about chicken care? Check out this chicken care 101 guide.