By Heather N. Kolich, County Extension Coordinator | ANR Agent, UGA Extension Forsyth County, April 2022
For many of us, spring awakens an urge to grow things. If adding backyard chickens is part of your home food production plan, here’s some guidance for getting your chicks off to a healthy start.
Can I Keep Chickens?
Before bringing home a box of fluffy chicks, check local ordinances and HOA covenants to answer questions like:
- Are you allowed to keep chickens where you live? Your zoning may prohibit livestock.
- How much land must you have? Some ordinances specify a minimum lot size or acreage.
- How many chickens are you allowed to keep?
- Can you keep a rooster? Roosters are prohibited in some places, but hens don’t need one around to lay eggs.
- What is the minimum setback from property lines for housing for your flock? Ordinances – and good neighbor relations – may require you to keep the coop 25-50 feet away from property lines.

Chickens produce more than eggs. I used a three-bay compost system to handle soiled litter. Photo by H.N. Kolich
Chickens require daily care, and there are expenses and labor involved in keeping a backyard flock. Consider:
- How will you handle litter and droppings? A small flock of hens can produce a surprising amount of byproduct that must be managed for bird health as well as preventing odor and fly problems. Composting reduces the volume of waste and converts it into a valuable soil amendment. See UGA Extension Circular 1097, Poultry Litter Composting for Backyard Flocks, for more information.
- Who will care for your flock when you travel?
Chick Starter Supply Checklist
It’s less stressful for everyone if you have everything ready before you bring chicks home. Items you’ll need include:
- A large plastic tub or cardboard box
- Pine shavings
- Waterer
- Feeder
- Heat lamp
- Thermometer
Purchase chicks from a reputable dealer who participates in the National Poultry Improvement Program. NPIP assures that chicks and birds are free from certain diseases. You can find NPIP hatcheries and dealers by state at http://www.poultryimprovement.org/statesContent.cfm. If purchasing from the feed store, ask the owner where the chicks come from, if the facility is NPIP, and if the chicks are vaccinated for Marek’s Disease, an endemic disease that causes tumors that can result in paralysis and other problems, including death. Vaccination through the egg or within a couple of hours of hatching is the best way to protect chickens from Marek’s Disease.
I recommend a plastic tub for the chicks’ starter home, but a large cardboard box with high sides will work. Line the box with newspaper, then add pine shavings or other absorbent litter material. When the box needs cleaning, just roll up the newspaper with the litter inside.
Chicks can’t regulate their body temperature for the first few weeks. Use a heat lamp with a red light to provide round-the-clock heat without disrupting the chicks’ sleep cycles. Pre-heat the box to 90 degrees Fahrenheit before bringing chicks home, and maintain that temperature for the first week. Clip a thermometer inside the box to monitor temperature accurately, but watch chick behavior, too. If the chicks cluster under the lamp, their box may be too cold. If they stay in the farthest corner from the lamp, it may be too hot. Raise or lower the heat lamp as needed to adjust the temperature. In the second week, drop the temperature to 85 degrees. Drop the temperature by five degrees in each of the next three weeks, then keep the temperature at 70 degrees.
Provide a waterer and feeder that the chicks can easily access from all sides. Clean these frequently. Chicks may not know how to drink, so you’ll need to teach them. Shine a light on the water; the reflection helps the chicks see it. To get them drinking, gently dip their beaks in the water. Use a commercial chick starter feed for the first six weeks to provide the proper nutrition growing chicks need. Poor nutrition causes growth and health issues and makes chickens more susceptible to diseases.