Backyard Chickens Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components
• Game Setup
• The Game Round
  • Game Phases
• 1. Collect Eggs (All Players)
  • Collect Your Eggs
  • Chicken Mood Egg Production Examples
  • Thirsty Chickens
  • Using the Player Board Egg Baskets
  • Mature All Chicks (if any)
• 2. Feed & Water Chickens (All Players)
  • Draw Six Cards
  • Feed Your Chickens
  • Adjust Mood
  • Chicken Moods
  • Treats
  • Favorite Chicken Treats
  • Water Your Chickens
  • Thirst Tokens
  • Water Storage
  • End of Phase
• 3. Go To Market (Turn Order)
  • Market Actions
  • Buy Supply Cards
  • Clear the Market Offering
  • Buy a Chicken (Once Per Round)
  • Clear the Chicken Offering
  • Sell Eggs
  • Trash a Card From Your Discard
• 4. Clean the Coop
  • End Game Scoring Check
  • Discard Hand
  • Pass the First Player Card
• Advanced Rules
  • Advanced Game Setup Changes
  • Game Round Changes
  • Draw Event Card
• Appendix
  • Advice for Young or Inexperienced Players
  • Supply Cards
  • Event Cards

Game Components

• Five Player Boards
• 84 Egg Tokens
• 5 Ribbon Tokens
• 5 Chicken Tokens
• 30 Thirst Tokens
• Ten Starting Chicken Cards (5 Ameraucana & 5 Buckeye)
• Chicken Cards
• First Player Card
• Starting Supply Cards (25 Yard Scraps & 25 Water Dish)
• Supply Cards
• Event Cards

Game Setup

Each player performs the following:

1. Player Board: Choose a player board and place it face up in front of you. Your player board is double sided with an A side and a B side (labeled lower right hand corner). Use the A side for standard games. The B side is used for advanced play.
2. Chicken and Ribbon Token: Place your chicken token matching your player board color on the two-point box on the score track on your player board. Add the ribbon token to the zero box on your score track.
3. Build Starting Deck: Build a starting deck of five Yard Scraps & five Water Dish starting supply cards. Shuffle the cards together to form your deck and place it face down to the left of your Player Board. Return all unused Yard Scrap and Water Dish starting supply cards to the game box (There will be no unused cards in a five-player game). Deal yourself a hand of six cards from your draw deck.
4. Two Starting Chicken Cards: The starting chicken cards are labeled with a red zero egg. Select one Ameraucana and one Buckeye card. Place your two starting chicken cards face up below your player board as depicted in the illustration. Return the unused starting chicken cards to the game box.
5. Two Egg Tokens: Place two egg tokens in the #1 basket on your player board.
6. Ten Egg and Five Thirst Tokens: Create your personal token supply next to your player board made up of ten egg tokens and five thirst tokens.

Set up the play area:

7. Build Market Deck and Offering: Shuffle the supply cards to form the market deck. Remember to exclude the starting Yard Scraps and Water Dish supply cards. Place the market deck face down in the center of the table. Build the market offering by flipping five supply cards face up in a row to the right of the market deck.
8. Build Chicken Deck and Offering: Shuffle the chicken cards to form the chicken deck. Remember to exclude the starting Ameraucana and Buckeye chicken cards. Place the deck face down in the center of the table above the market deck. Build the chicken offering by flipping five chicken cards face up in a row to the right of the chicken deck.
9. Starting Player: The player who most recently ate eggs is the starting player. Give that player the first player card. The player holding the first player card starts the game.

The Game Round

Game Phases

1. COLLECT EGGS (All Players)
2. FEED & WATER CHICKENS (All Players)
3. GO TO MARKET (Turn Order)
4. CLEAN THE COOP (All Players)

A round of Backyard Chickens is broken into four steps called phases. The first, second and fourth phases are played simultaneously by all players. The third phase is played in turn order clockwise around the table, beginning with the player holding the Starting Player Card.

The game phases are written on each player board for reference during the game.

1. Collect Eggs (All Players)

Collect the eggs from all your face up chickens and place them in your egg baskets. After your eggs are collected, mature any face down chickens in your flock by turning them face up.

Collect Your Eggs

Collect the egg values listed on the top of each face-up chicken card in your flock. The egg production varies with the mood of each of your chickens. Chicken mood is explained on page 11 (see Adjust Mood below). The collected eggs are added to the baskets on your player board.

Chicken moods: Happy, Content, Sad, Ran Away.

Chicken Mood Egg Production Examples

• Happy Chicken: Three Egg Production
• Content Chicken: Two Egg Production
• Sad Chicken: One Egg Production
• Run Away Chicken: Zero Egg Production

Thirsty Chickens

Chickens not given water become thirsty. Thirsty chickens are marked with a thirst token on their chicken card. Thirsty chickens produce two fewer eggs during egg collection. A chicken may not have more than one Thirsty Token at a time.

Thirsty Chicken Example: Your chicken Alice has a content production of four eggs. However, Alice has a thirst token on her card, so her egg production is reduced by two. Alice, while content, produces two eggs. (4 + thirst token = 2)

Using the Player Board Egg Baskets

Egg tokens are stored on your player board in the egg baskets. The baskets are labeled with a "1", "3" and "5". Any egg tokens placed in a basket are multiplied by the basket number label. Each egg token placed in the "1" basket is worth one egg. Each egg token placed in the "3" basket is worth three eggs. Finally, each egg token placed in the "5" basket is worth five eggs.

Mature All Chicks (if any)

Chicks purchased the previous round are stored face down below your player board. After eggs are collected, flip over (mature) all of your face-down chicken cards in your flock. Newly matured chickens are turned to content.

Mature Chicks Example: The yellow player has one happy chicken, one content chicken and one chick (face down) in their flock. The face-down chicken card is matured (flipped). The new chicken, Darla, the Barred Rock, is content.

2. Feed & Water Chickens (All Players)

Draw a new hand of six market cards and use your water, food, treat and special cards in your hand to feed and water the chicken cards in your flock. Chickens that have run away do not require food and water. Each chicken card shows the amount of food and water required to care for your chicken each round as well as their favorite treat.

Example chicken card: Food Required (3), Water Required (1), Favorite Treat (Worm).

Draw Six Cards

Draw a new hand of six cards from your draw deck. If you run out of draw cards, immediately shuffle the cards in your discard pile and form a new deck. Continue drawing until you have a hand of six cards.

If you do not have enough total cards to fill a hand of six cards, then play the turn with fewer than six cards. For example, players with a lot of water cards in water storage may find their draw decks smaller than six cards.

Feed Your Chickens

Play food cards from your hand face up below your flock to fulfill the food requirements for each chicken in your flock. Food cards with higher values can be split between multiple chickens and excess food is lost. Chickens that have run away do not require food.

Food Card: Food Provided (3). Water Card: Water Provided (3).

Adjust Mood

Feeding or not feeding your chickens may adjust the mood of your chickens. Adjust the mood of each of your chickens based on if the chicken was fed (food requirements met), not fed (food requirements not met), or whether she received her favorite treat.

Fed Chicken:

• Sad chickens become content.
• Content chickens stay content.
• Happy chickens stay happy.

Non Fed Chicken:

• Content and happy chickens become sad.
• Sad chickens run away.

Chicken Moods

• Happy chickens are rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise. They produce more eggs and points.
• Content chickens are not rotated. They produce an average amount of eggs and points.
• Sad chickens are rotated 90 degrees clockwise. They produce fewer eggs and points.
• Ran Away chickens are rotated upside down. They produce no eggs and are worth negative points. They don't come back.

Chicken Feeding Example: Your flock requires two food. You play the Corn card from your hand which is worth three food. The food requirements for your flock are met. The excess food is lost.

Treats

Treats are given to your chickens to make them happy or as a substitute for food. Give your chicken a treat by playing the treat card from your hand that matches her favorite treat listed on the chicken card. After giving her the treat apply the following change to her mood.

Give a fed chicken her favorite treat:

• Your chicken becomes happy.

Give a hungry chicken (un-fed) her favorite treat:

• Your sad or content chicken becomes content.
• Your happy chicken remains happy.

Happy Chickens: You do not need to give a happy chicken a treat each round to keep her happy. Once a chicken is made happy she remains happy until she is not fed and becomes sad.

Favorite Chicken Treats

Treats: Berry, Peanut, Worm, Raisin. Your chicken's favorite treat is listed on her chicken card below her food requirements.

Starting chickens have two favorite treats. Your chicken gains the benefit of the treat by being fed either one of the treats listed on their chicken card.

Chicken Treat Example: Your three chickens require three food. You have only two food in your hand so you feed your first two chickens (1 and 2). You give your #1 and #3 chickens a worm treat (their favorite).

Since your #1 chicken got food and a treat, she is turned to happy. Your #2 chicken got fed so she stays content. Your #3 chicken did not get food but was fed her favorite treat so she stays content.

Water Your Chickens

Play water cards from your hand, or the water storage above your player board, face-up below your flock to fulfill the water requirements for each face-up chicken in your flock. Water cards with higher values can be split between multiple chickens. Chickens that have run away do not require water.

Chicken Watering Example: Your flock requires two water. You play two water dish cards from your hand which is worth two water. The water requirements for your flock are met.

Thirst Tokens

Thirst tokens are placed on chicken cards to indicate that a chicken is thirsty. Thirsty chickens produce two fewer eggs each turn. A chicken's egg production can't be reduce below zero.

Watering a thirsty chicken will remove the thirst token on it. Failing to water a chicken will add a thirst token to a chicken.

A chicken can only have one thirst token on it at a time. Thirst tokens do not affect the mood of your chicken.

Watered Chicken:

• Remove the tokens from a watered chicken (if applicable).

Non Watered Chicken:

• Add a thirst token to a non watered chicken. A chicken can only have one thirst token on it at a time.

Thirsty Chicken Example: Your flock requires two water. You play one water dish card from your hand which is worth one water. The water requirements for your flock are not met. You choose which chicken is thirsty and add a thirst token to it.

Water Storage

Water cards not used to water your chickens can be stored above your player board. These water cards may be used in subsequent turns to water your chickens.

End of Phase

All players openly display how they fed and watered their chickens for the round. Other players may review to see how this was achieved. After the review is complete, all the cards used during this round are placed in your discard pile to the right of your player board.

3. Go To Market (Turn Order)

Perform as many market actions you wish. After you are done visiting the market, the next player performs their market actions.

Market Actions

• Buy Supply Cards (egg cost on card)
• Clear the Market Offering (1 egg)
• Buy a Chicken (Once Per Round) (egg cost on card)
• Clear the Chicken Offering (2 eggs)
• Sell Eggs (12 eggs)
• Trash a Card From Your Discard (3 eggs)

Buy Supply Cards

Select a face up card from the market offering and pay the egg cost listed in the upper-right corner of the supply card. The purchase price is removed from your egg basket on your player board and returned to your personal egg supply next to your board.

The purchased card is placed in your discard pile to the right of your player board.

Immediately draw a new supply card from the deck to replace the card you purchased in the market offering. Shuffle the discard pile if there are no supply cards in the market deck.

You are permitted to buy as many supply cards as you can afford.

Supply card types: Water, Food, Berry Treat, Worm Treat, Peanut Treat, Raisin Treat, Wildflower Treat, Shopping, Special. Supply cards are described in detail in the appendix.

Card Purchase Example: You spend two eggs to purchase the rooster card and add the card to your discard pile. The purchased card is immediately replaced with the top card from the Supply deck. You may continue shopping.

Clear the Market Offering

Pay one egg to remove all of the supply cards in the offering and replace them with five new cards from the market deck. There is no limit to the number of times you can clear the market offering in a phase.

Buy a Chicken (Once Per Round)

Select a face-up card from the chicken offering and pay the egg cost listed in the upper-right corner of the chicken card. The purchase price is removed from your egg basket on your player board and returned to your personal egg supply next to your board.

The purchased chicken is placed face down below your player board.

Immediately draw a new chicken card from the deck to replace the card you purchased in the offering. Shuffle the discard pile if there are no chicken cards in the draw deck.

You are permitted to buy only one chicken per round.

Buy Chicken Example: You spent three eggs to purchase the Sansa chicken card from the chicken offering. The purchased chicken is immediately replaced with a new chicken from the deck. The Sansa chicken card is placed face down under your player board.

Clear the Chicken Offering

Pay two eggs to remove all of the chicken cards in the offering and replace them with five new chicken cards from the deck. There is no limit to the number of times you can clear the chicken offering in a phase. You may clear the chicken offering after you have purchased a chicken.

Sell Eggs

Spend 12 eggs to move your ribbon token one space up along the scoring track on your player board. This may be done multiple times in a phase.

Sell Eggs Example: You spend 12 eggs to move your scoring ribbon up one box on your scoring track. You now have three ribbon points.

Trash a Card From Your Discard

Pay three eggs to remove a card from your hand or discard pile from the game. There is no limit to the number of cards you may trash each phase.

4. Clean the Coop

All players simultaneously clear their chicken coops with the following actions.

• End Game Scoring Check
• Discard Hand
• Pass the First Player Card

End Game Scoring Check

Add your ribbon score with your chicken mood score on your scoring track to calculate your total points. If one or more players have ten or more total points, the game ends and the remainder of this game phase is ignored.

The winner is the player with the highest total score.

In the event of a scoring tie, compare the total egg production of your flock. The tied player with the highest egg production wins. Don't forget to subtract the egg production by two for each thirsty chicken. If the egg productions are tied, then the game is a shared victory.

Scoring Check Example: You have two ribbon points. Your sad #1 chicken produces no points, your content chicken (#2) gives you one point and your happy chicken (#3) gives you two points. Your chicken points are three. Your total points are four. If no other player has a point total of ten or more, the game continues.

Discard Hand

Return any supply cards left in your hand to your discard pile.

Pass the First Player Card

Pass the first player card one player clockwise around the table. The round is now over. Start the first phase of the next round.

Advanced Rules

The advanced rules add special events which changes how each round is played. We suggest using them after you are familiar with the base game.

Advanced Game Setup Changes

Set up the game using the steps in the rule book with the changes below.

1. Player Board: Use the B side of the player boards for advanced play.
2. Build Event Deck (New Step): Shuffle the Event cards to form the Event Deck. Place the Event Deck next to the market offering in view of all players. Flip over the first card of the Event Deck face up next to the Event Deck.

Game Round Changes

A new step, Draw Event Card, is added to the Collect Eggs game phase. This new phase is written on side B of each player board for reference. All other game turn phases remain the same.

1. COLLECT EGGS (All Players)
   • NEW: Draw Event Card
   • Collect Your Eggs (Thirsty: -2 Eggs)
   • Mature All Chicks (if any)

Draw Event Card

Draw an event card, read the affected game phase and event description out loud to all players and place the card face-up on top of the existing event (Skip this step on the first turn).

The face-up Event Card contains a description of the game rule change that occurs during a specific phase of the game. These changes are either positive or negative for the players.

The rule change of the current face up event card applies to all players. See the appendix for a description of each Event Card.

Event cards show: Event Name, Game Phase, Event Description.

Appendix

Advice for Young or Inexperienced Players

We suggest using one or more of the following modifications to the game when playing with younger or inexperienced players.

Eight Point End Game Scoring: Lower the win conditions to eight points (instead of ten). This will speed up the game and is a great way to learn the mechanics quickly.

Play Hands Face-Up: Play your hands face-up so others can help newer or younger players.

Supply Cards

Chicken Roost: After drawing your new hand, play this card to do one of the following:

• Exchange the Chicken Roost Card for any card in your discard pile.

or

• Discard the Chicken Roost Card to collect one card from the top of your draw deck.

Chicken Run: Each of your chickens requires only one food this round, ignoring the food requirement on each of your chicken cards.

Chicken Swing: After feeding and watering your chickens, turn one sad chicken content or remove one thirst token.

Composter: Double the food value of one card in your hand while feeding and watering your chickens.

Dust Bath Tub: Play this card to collect two eggs for each of your happy chickens before feeding and watering your chickens.

Food: Provides food to feed your chickens. The amount of food provided is listed in the food icon on the card.

Fountain: This card is worth triple the water value of a card in your hand or the water storage above your player board. An unused Fountain card may not be stored in your water storage area above your player board.

Garden Gnome: Play this card and draw one card from your deck for each of your happy chickens before feeding and watering your chickens. You may not draw more than three additional cards when playing a Garden Gnome.

Gift Card: Exchange this card with any face-up card in the market. The exchanged market card is added to your hand. Use turn order if more than one player has a Gift Card to play the same round. You may not purchase the Gift Card you played from the market this round.

Hired Help: This card acts as a copy of any food, water, or treat card in the Market.

Play Tunnels: One of your fed and watered chickens is turned happy. No treat is required.

Rain Barrel: None of your chickens require water this round. Unused Rain Barrel cards may not be stored in your water storage area.

Rooster: Purchase one chicken card from the chicken offering without paying the egg cost.

Storage Shed: Trash one card from your discard pile without paying the egg cost.

Treats: Treats are given to your chickens to make them happy or as a substitute for food. Give your chicken a treat by playing the treat card from your hand that matches her favorite treat listed on the chicken card. Each treat card can only be used on one chicken each round. Additional treat cards may be used on other chickens.

Wild Flowers: Wild flowers are given to your chickens to make them happy or as a substitute for food. Give your chicken a treat by playing the Wild Flowers from your hand to any chicken. Each Wild Flower card can only be used on one chicken each turn. Additional Wild Flower cards may be used on other chickens.

Water: Provides water for your chickens. The amount of water provided is listed in the water icon on the card. Unused water cards can be stored above your player board. These water cards may be used in subsequent turns to water your chickens.

Event Cards

Bad Kitty (3. Go to Market): The cost to trash a card from your discard pile this round is four eggs.

Beautiful Day (No Event): There is no special event this round.

Birthday Gift (3. Go to Market): The first card you purchase this phase is free (Market or Chicken).

Bumper Crop (2. Feed & Water Chickens): Each player may double the food value of one food card in their hand when feeding and watering their chickens.

Daylight Savings Ends (2. Feed & Water Chickens): Shuffle your discard pile into your draw deck before drawing your hand.

Daylight Savings Starts (3. Go to Market): You may discard your draw deck into your discard pile before trashing a card from your pile. You are not required to trash a card if you discard your deck into your discard pile.

Dry Spell (2. Feed & Water Chickens): Discard all your water cards in your water storage before feeding and watering your chickens.

Farmer's Market (3. Go to Market): It costs 10 eggs to buy a ribbon point this round.

Glut Egg Market (3. Go to Market): It costs 14 eggs to buy a ribbon point this round.

Good Kitty (3. Go to Market): The cost to trash a card from your discard pile this round is two eggs.

Hard Winter (3. Go to Market): Player may not clear the market or chicken offering this phase.

Heavy Rain (2. Feed & Water Chickens): Move all your water cards from your discard pile into your water storage before drawing your new hand.

Hungry Fox (1. Collect Eggs): All players collect two fewer eggs this phase.

Hungry Hawk (2. Feed & Water Chickens): Treats played this phase will not turn any of your chickens happy, but they can still be used for food.

Mice Infestation (2. Feed & Water Chickens): After drawing your hand, each player must discard one food card from their hand. Ignore this card if you have no food cards in your hand.

New Puppy (2. Feed & Water Chickens): Draw a hand of five cards instead of six.

Off Season (3. Go to Market): The cost to purchase a chicken this phase is increased to four eggs.

Overstock Sale (3. Go to Market): The cost to purchase a chicken this phase is decreased to two eggs.

Possum in the Coop (2. Feed & Water Chickens): Each player turns one content chicken to sad after feeding and watering their chickens.

Spring Cleaning (2. Feed & Water Chickens): Draw a hand of seven cards instead of six.

Super Layers (1. Collect Eggs): All players collect three additional eggs this phase if you have one or more chickens.

The Perfect Perch (2. Feed & Water Chickens): Each player turns one content chicken to happy after feeding and watering their chickens.

Wild Berries (2. Feed & Water Chickens): Any treat counts as your chicken's favorite treat this round.