 Links & Resources
Coop Plans | Chicken Breeds | Hatcheries & Poultry Supply
Other Useful Web Sites | Books & Periodicals | Organizations
Coop Plans
You can buy coops, kits or plans. The choice is yours - and is determined by budget, how handy you are, and if you are in a rush. The first coop I had was a hand-me-down that fell apart. Then, I bought a prefab garden shed and installed a chicken door, hung nesting boxes and a roost - it was perfect - until I got more chickens. Now, you can see my barns on the HenCam.
The sites below are listed for inspiration. There are plenty of more sources on the Web - and more added everyday. Before selecting a coop, think about the weather in your area (do you have to worry about snow, extreme heat, or damp?) Do you have neighbors or zoning issues? Do you care about aesthetics?
The City Chicken
Here are photos of urban coops and links to zoning laws and information.
Omlet
This company sells prefab, mod, plastic coops for the urban chicken (or bunny) useful for the urban keeper of 3 or fewer hens. But, their web site has lots of helpful information, including news about chicken zoning regulations.
Backyardpoultry.com
The Backyard Poultry forum is a huge community of chicken keepers. If you like to chat with others about chickens, this is a good place to be (although take the advice with a grain of salt.) This page has hundreds of photos of coops; some include plans.
Wine Country Coops
This company makes charming housing for hens. Dream on and get ideas here.
Plans to Buy
Plans for coops for a few backyard hens are in books - check your local library. Or, you can purchase a set of plans on line. The Garden Coop is one of the many available that are suited to small urban flocks. There are plenty of good options out there. Do a web search to find the right coop for your situation.
Historical Coop Plans
This site has coop plans - complete architectural drawings - for only a few dollars! Many of the plans available were drawn up in the 1930's. Brought to you by the Extension Service of North Dakota State University - this makes you realize what a resource the Web is and how valuable our Land Grant Universities are (I graduated from one!)
Chicken Breeds (also read the hatchery catalogs)
Henderson's Site
This Web site has a chart of chicken breeds.
My Pet Chicken has a clever questionnaire to help you find a breed appropriate to your situation.
Hatcheries and Poultry Supply Sources
Murray McMurray
Most first-time chicken owners start here. Make your wish list from their catalog of chicken breeds. They also have supplies, books, etc. -everything to get started.
Meyer Hatchery
Along with large orders, this hatchery can sell you as few as three chicks, and also 17-week old pullets.
Sand Hill Preservation Center
These folks are dedicated to preserving and breeding heirloom birds. They do great work and sell a limited quantity of stock.
Ideal Poultry Breeding Farms, Inc.
Like McMurray, this large hatchery ships chicks.
Cutler's Pheasant and Poultry Supply
This is the place to go for everything you need for your chickens, from hawk netting to galvanized hanging feeders to those wooden eggs that you put in the nesting boxes to remind your girls where they should lay their eggs. They also sell medications.
EggCartons.com
Sells, you guessed it... egg cartons. And a few other things, like calendars and my Farmstead Egg Cookbook. I buy blank cartons from these folks and decorate them with stamps, stickers and homemade labels. Give a dozen eggs in a dressed-up carton as a house gift and your hosts will be happier than if you brought them vintage wine. Yes, you can recycle supermarket cartons, (I use those for my own use) but these are so much nicer (and more hygienic!)
Hen Pals Nest Boxes
I came across this site, and although I haven't used these boxes in my own coops (I don't need new ones,) I like the looks of them. I also like supporting rural industries.
Other Useful Web Sites
APA-ABA Youth Poultry Program
Not only does this organization mentor kids who are interested in showing poultry, but they maintain a web site that is a terrific resource. All of this is done with little funding and by volunteers.
Extension Services at universities are great sources of information. Florida University's is user-friendly and has a wealth of information, especially on chicken health. As does this one, from Mississippi.
Mother Earth News
Mother Earth News has good husbandry info and proof that eggs from pastured eggs are nutritionally better than those from caged hens.
USDA Egg Fact Sheet
USDA Biosecurity Advice
Good to have bookmarked -- just in case.
Books and Periodicals about Chicken Keeping
4 H Guide Raising Chickens  by Tara Kindschi
2009
This is a terrific book for the backyard chicken keeper. It's useful for older children and adults.
How to Raise Chickens
by Christine Heinrichs
2007
The author of this book is involved with the Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities, which is a good thing right there. How to Raise Chickens is a useful, attractive book. If you are moving beyond laying hens and thinking about keeping other poultry, like waterfowl or guinea hens, How To Raise Poultry by Christine is a necessity. Christine writes a blog worth reading, and you can order books through her web site.
Keeping Pet Chickens: Bring Your Backyard to Life and Enjoy the Bounty of Fresh Eggs from Your Own Small Flock of Happy Hens by Johannes Paul, William Windham, Joe Stahlkuppe
2005
This small book is perfect for the person thinking about bringing three or so hens into their life. It is filled with useful tips for
the backyard hen keeper. The text and photography will also appeal to
children.
Living with Chickens: Everything You Need to Know to Raise Your Own Backyard Flockby Jay Rossier
2002
This is a good book for the backyard hen hobbyist. Also, the pictures are wonderful, so if your significant other is having doubts about getting hens, this book might sway him or her the right direction.
Chickens In Your Backyard : A Beginner's Guide by Rick and Gail Luttmann
1976
This book is older and out of print, but is still available through used book dealers. It remains an excellent guide. It is well written and dispenses practical advice.
Keep Chickens! Tending Small Flocks in Cities, Suburbs, and Other Small Spaces by Barbara Kilarski
2003
Written by an urban hen-keeper, this book is the one you want if you're going to have only a few hens as outdoor pets. It is written in a cheerful and accessible style and has very good information for a person with a small flock. My only quibble is that the author incorrectly states that chickens in cold climates need a heat lamp in their henhouse. Ours have comfortably survived zero degree weather in our draft-free little barn.
Your Chickens: A Kid's Guide to Raising and Showing by Gail Damerow
If children are involved in the care of your chickens, get this book for them. It is not, however, for little kids, but for children ten years and older.
The Chicken Health Handbook by Gail Damerow
1994
It is a fact of life that chickens get sick. It is also true that most suburban vets don't know a thing about hens. This book will help.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Raising Chickens (J.D. Belanger) and Raising Chickens for Dummies (Willis and Ludlow) try to be compendiums of everything you need to know. Like the other books out there, they don't succeed. However, the Dummies book has a useful section on butchering meat birds, and the Idiot's Guide takes you through how to humanely kill a chicken (at some point, most of us are faced with that due to illness or injury.)
The Farmstead Egg Cookbook by Terry Golson
2006
Once you have hens, you'll have eggs. I've written this book to showcase just how good eggs from backyard hens can be.
Books That are VERY Worthwhile to have (but not directly about chickens)
Karen Pryor was one of the first marine mammal trainers. She's one of the few scientists who sees the "big picture" and can communicate that to the public. Don't Shoot the Dog, her book about positive reinforcement animal training (and that's too narrow a description) helped to formulate my approach, not only to training, but to life. Reaching the Animal Mind is her most recent book, and the culmination of a lifetime of thinking and working with animals.
Temple Grandin has spent her life improving the lives of farm animals - by working with farmers, not by proselytizing against them. In Animals in Translation, she brings the perspective of being autistic to her understanding of animals. Animals Make Us Human has "ah-ha!" moments.
The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson is a classic dog training book that debunks myths that people have created about why dogs do what they do, and instead gives a clear-eyed view of dog behavior.
There are so many more books worth reading! I love all of Gary Paulsen's books about dogs - which spans genres from picture books to adult non-fiction. The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery is the epitome of delightful, yet meaningful animal writing (and her other books are worth checking out.)
Periodicals
Backyard Poultry is a magazine that often has helpful articles. There's colorful photos of chickens and ads for hatcheries you might not know about. Besides, it's fun to get a magazine that confirms that you're not alone in your hobby.
Organizations to Join
The American Poultry Association
promotes and protects the backyard poultry owner and small breeders and farmers.
Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities and The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
both do very important work. Support them by becoming a member. In return, everyone will benefit from preserving disappearing breeding stock and you'll get great newsletters!
The American Pastured Poultry Producers Association supports and informs the small commercial producer, but the information it sends out is valuable to anyone with chickens.
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