Even when the chicken can do with yesterday's water, the water supply nonetheless should be as clean and uncontaminated as possible. Maintain ample spaces for hens. A layer would need 4 to 5 square feet in moving space. When hens are crowded, irritations between hens occur that leads to pecking and fighting disturbing egg production. When building a backyard chicken coop then it is important to determine first the number of chicken intended for the coop. When that is decided already, raise the planned chicken coop above the ground to keep them healthy and for easier cleaning and maintenance. Consider Ventilation Chicken droppings contain ammonia and create dampness inside the coop. Keeping a rooster is a matter of choice but not actually a necessity. While having these handsome, brassy, noisy, aggressive characters to have around your hens is an attractive choice, the hens are quite content not having a rooster that keeps mounting them as they can lay eggs without the help of the rooster. A chicken's plumage has an overwhelming variety of colors, and I guarantee that you'll be having a blast just by sorting through them. Chickens, while not as smart as dogs, can be very playful and friendly. If trained real well, some of them can eventually pull off some tricks, and you might use them to impress your friends as they ogle over the beauty and magnificence of your chickens. Red mites are blackish red in color and will hide from light. When there is evidence of red mites in the area, a chicken bath in Malathion could cure the chicken but all hiding places of the red mites must be disinfected if not burned. Scaly-leg mites You will find scaly-leg mites in between the scales of the leg of the fowl. It takes about two to three weeks before the hen can snap out of its "catatonia" and start laying eggs again. STRESS It's been proven that the least stressed hens produce better eggs, and that stress affects the quantity of eggs a chicken can produce. A favorable environment and constant companionship for your chickens can alleviate this problem.