Welcome to the Fluff & Feed team
We're here to help you find gear that fits your flock. Buying for backyard chickens shouldn't take seven tabs and a guess. So we sort it by what fits your flock, and we show our work.
Meet Dana, who started Fluff & Feed to give friends one place to start. Read her storyEverything your backyard flock needs, checked for fit
Chicken coops
Coops from small plastic units to walk-ins. We show the maker's flock claim next to what the listed floor space supports.
16 products comparedChicken runs
Walk-in runs, covered pens and run extensions. We show how many hens each one fits at 10 sq ft per bird, next to the maker's number.
15 products comparedFeeders
Hanging, treadle and no-waste feeders. What matters is how many days of feed one holds for your flock, and how well it keeps out rats and wild birds.
15 products comparedEveryday waterers
Founts, nipple and cup waterers and hose-fed automatic waterers for spring through fall. We show how long each one lasts 6 hens on a hot day.
15 products comparedNest boxes and roosts
Nest boxes and roost bars sized to your flock. Plan on one box for every 4 or 5 hens, and 6 to 10 inches of roost per bird.
13 products comparedBrooders and heat plates
What you need to raise chicks without a hen: a brooder, a heat plate and a chick feeder and waterer. Heat plates are the safer choice over heat lamps.
15 products comparedEgg incubators
Tabletop and cabinet incubators for hatching chicks at home, from 7 eggs to 270. Compare automatic turning, fans and humidity control.
13 products comparedFencing and netting
Electric poultry netting, chargers to power it, plain netting and hardware cloth. Chicken wire keeps hens in but won't keep predators out.
15 products comparedHeated waterers and bases
Keep water from freezing. What matters is how cold each one is rated for, how much it holds and how it plugs in.
12 products comparedCoop heaters
Panel heaters, heated perches and heat lamps. Many keepers skip heat entirely. If you add it, how it's built matters for fire safety.
9 products comparedAutomatic coop doors
Doors that open at dawn and close at dusk so you don't have to. Fit depends on the opening size, the power you have and how cold it gets.
12 products comparedGuides
What you need for backyard chickens
What you need for backyard chickens, for a first flock of 4 or 6 hens: coop and run sizes, roosts, nest boxes, feeders, waterers, feed, bedding and first aid.
Getting ready for chickens, week by week
A week-by-week plan for raising chickens: what to do before chicks arrive, brooder temperatures for weeks 1 to 6, moving to the coop and first eggs.
Chicken care calendar
The daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal chicken care jobs that keep a backyard flock healthy, from egg collecting and coop cleaning to molting and winter water.
Protecting chickens from predators
How to protect chickens from raccoons, foxes, hawks, weasels and other predators, and the signs that tell you which one visited. Sourced from extension guides.
How much space do chickens need?
4 sq ft of coop and 10 sq ft of run per hen, plus roost and nest box math. Enter your flock size to see what you need.
Do chickens need heat in winter?
Usually not. What cold-weather hens really need, when a heater makes sense, and which kinds are safer than heat lamps.
How to keep chicken water from freezing
Heated bases, heated waterers and heated nipple waterers compared, with the cold ratings that matter and what to do without power.
Are automatic chicken coop doors worth it?
What a good automatic coop door does, what to check before buying (locks, opening size, cold rating) and the mistakes to avoid.