The amount of space required depends on the amount, breed and size of the chickens. A group of 5 Bantams need less space than a group of 5 Large Fowl.around 2-3 square footage per chicken and too little space for a flock may result in stress, cannibalism, pecking and death.

Hens tend to be territorial so 1 nest should be given per chicken. multiple nests for 1 chicken or multiple chickens sharing a nest in a flock may result in pecking and aggression. Additionally, trays for water and food should be decent sized for every chicken to drink/eat in without conflict.

Chickens, being prey animals, have predators so protecting your flock against predators is essential. The following list describes steps that should be taken to avoid predators.

Birds of Prey: Birds of Prey can be a nuisance to deal with. Their intelligence can overpower methods of defense. At night, keep the chickens inside the coop and at day keep young ones around the coop or with older chickens. Chickens may dodge and deter Birds of Prey by antagonizing them such as pecking when they swoop down.

Canids: Canids aren't very good climbers so higher fences easily deter them.

Felids: Felids are natural climbers and are able to climb trees and fences to get to chickens. You really only have to deal with them from Dusk till dawn as that is when they are most active. During this time, keep the chickens in the coop and if a felid finds the chickens during the day, they may either flee or fight. Weakened felids may have a hard time dealing with chickens and may be killed by them.

Opossums: Opossums are natural climbers so fences may not work. They are most active at night so keep the chickens in the coop to deal with them easily.

Mustelids: Mustelids are similar to Opossums and thus can be dealt with similarly. Thin fences too small for the Mustelids to slither through can easily deter them, just make sure the thin fences don't block the chicken's view.