Keeping Chickens

Keeping Chickens

Keeping your own chickens is more popular than ever, and its no wonder why. Keeping chickens is very simple and eggstremly rewarding (sorry, it had to be done!).

Consumers are growing more interested than ever about where our food comes from and how it is produced. Concerns over egg production is high on the list, with demand for Free Range Eggs ever on the increase, it make sense to keep your own chickens to help keep cost low as well as knowing the source of your produce.

There are several breeds of Chicken to choose from, and you can decide which breed you want to go for based on the Chickens appearance, or based on the appearance of the egg your chickens will lay or the amount of eggs it will lay.

Chicken Coop

So you are thinking of buying a Chicken Coop, or Chicken House as they are also called and keeping chickens.

When considering a chicken enclosure, ensure that the wood has been treated with an animal friendly wood preserve so it can withstand the elements; you want your chicken house looking good and lasting for many years.

The chicken house should be well ventilated and easy to clean. There needs to be easy access into the coop for you to access the chickens and the eggs. Easy access also makes cleaning easier for you. A lift up roof or large access door is ideal.

The coop should of course include a nest box. Chicken like to find a dark quiet place in which to lay. But if you are letting your chickens roam around your garden, you may find them laying in quiet nooks around your garden as well.

Your chickens will rest on perches at night, these should be off the ground and slightly rounded making gripping easier and more comfortable for your chickens. The perches need to be cleaned regularly so having a coop with removable perches is favourable. Lay down newspaper with a scattering of dust extracted sawdust or ideally SmartBez universal bedding and litter to help catch and help clean up the droppings.

Put the chicken coop in a secure place in your garden, or choose a coop with a run attached suitable in size for the amount of chickens you intend on keeping.

The ideal position for your chicken coop is in a sunny spot; with well drained soil (your chickens won’t enjoy puddles and getting muddy). Keep the coop sheltered from the wind, with an area of shade.

A ‘movable’ house and run is a great idea for you and your chickens, as chickens that graze in the same place will soon destroy the ground and no fresh grass will grow. Also, parasites and bacteria will build up, making the ground un-healthy for your chickens.

Chicken Run

A roaming chicken is a happy chicken. Chickens will enjoy a run space to exercise and peck about in.

The Chicken Run needs to be secure and protected, and large enough for your chickens to run around in. Avoid runs that use ‘chicken wire’, despite the name; chicken wire will do little to protect your birds and is not at all “fox proof”. The wire used on all the www.bitsforpets runs is made from a strong wire which has been inlayed into the wood rather than stapled on.

Ideally your chickens should go straight from the coop into their run area, this way they can come and go as they please.

Drinking and Feeding

You chickens will need access to fresh clean water daily. This is best provided in a Chicken drinker and feeder. There are metal or plastic versions available. These are preferable to a plastic or ceramic bowl which is more likely to be tipped over or stood in.

Chickens will enjoy eating Poultry Food (Mixed Corn, Layers Mash and / or Pellets) as part of a daily routine, but will love fresh greens and vegetable scraps. Chickens will eat left over bread and rice too, but don’t go overboard.

How many eggs will I get from my chicken?

This will depend on a number of things. Different breeds and the age of your of your hen will give different numbers of eggs. Roughly speaking this ranges from 250 to 280 a year. It also depends on how healthy and well fed the birds are. Older birds tend to lay less than younger hens and ex-battery hens often lay less because of their previously stressful life.

Chicken Bathing

Your chicken will enjoy a dust bath to rid themselves of parasites. It’s likely your chicken will make their own dust bath by digging themselves a shallow pit in the soil, and then lying in it and throwing up dust with their wings and feet. But if you keep your chickens run on an area with no earth, be sure to provide a bowl with soil large enough for your chicken to bath in.

Clever Mr Fox

One of the main concerns from Chicken owners is Mr Fox getting at your chickens. If there is a way into a chicken house, a determined fox will find it. Foxes can scale heights of 6ft, squeeze through gaps of 4 inches, and can dig very well, and very quickly.

The nest box is usually the most exposed area of any chicken coop and the place you will most likely find your chickens at night, so make sure the lid is secure and apply extra security measures to the box if you feel them necessary.

Foxes prefer to come out at night time, but are often about during the day. Be sure to keep them protected at all times.

Make sure any wire used is strong, and any doors are bolted, and any extra security measures you can apply are in place.

It is said that human hair (save your trimmings!) and a man urinating around the chicken coop will deter a fox due to the smells. But we will let you figure that out for yourself.