First ten minutes
Claim the listed +10K Speed, steal from a route you can escape reliably, sell eggs at the Merchant, and buy only the upgrade that removes your current bottleneck.
Early purchase choices
The first observed Pen and Treadmill upgrades each cost $10K; Grey Trail costs $25K. At the next tier, Level 3 Treadmill and Blue Trail each cost $100K. Compare the permanent step gain with the active multiplier before buying.
Refresh and repeat
New chickens appear every night according to the official description. Use downtime to sell, train, and clear pen space before checking nests again.