How To Look After Chickens

Keeping your own chickens is becoming increasingly popular, these days there is often confusion over whether the eggs you buy are coming from truly free range or organic chickens, owning your own flock can insure you are getting truly fresh eggs from well kept hens.

Here we will take a look at the setup you will need to house, feed and care for your new girls so they are healthy, happy and able to lay you some delicious fresh eggs.

Housing

Depending on how many chickens you are housing you need to ensure there is enough space for them all to be comfortable. You should keep three chickens as a minimum, this is classed as a flock and prevents loneliness and bullying. The house should include a decent amount of floor space for all the chickens to walk around freely as well as a nest box each which shouldn’t be included in the floor space, these should be separate.

The house or coop should also have perches which are off the ground and wide enough for all the chickens to perch on as this is sometimes where they like to sleep. They will normally sleep huddled together so the surface should be big enough for all your birds to sit on. Nest boxes should always be located below the perch so the chickens aren’t tempted to sleep in them, this is because if they sleep and go to the toilet in the boxes they will be less likely to use them to lay eggs in.

You should allow your chickens to roam freely in your garden, leaving the house door open in case they want to venture back inside. However if you are leaving your chickens unattended during the day it is recommended to have an enclosed run where the chickens can stretch their legs but be safe from predators, such as foxes.

We have a selection of chicken houses available which will be perfect for your flock to live in. This wooden hen house comes in two different sizes and is the perfect accommodation for your girls to make themselves right at home.

We also sell a range of Eco Concepts Pet Housing which are eco-friendly pet enclosures made from 100% recycled plastics and wood fibres. Choose from a coop which has a secure nest box which could be placed in a seure garden and shut safely on a night time, or the larger chicken house which includes a nest box and a run for the chickens to walk around in. The recycled material is easy to clean, resistant to mold and rot and lasts longer than normal wood.

Feeding

It is important that your chickens are fed the correct diet to ensure they stay healthy and this will also help them lay nice tasty eggs.

A good quality commercial poultry pellet should be the main source of food, mixed with a variety of grain such as wheat and corn as well as a selection of fruit and vegetables. Leafy greens are particularly good for them but a selection should be given daily, this can include: kale, spinach, cabbage, cauliflower greens, bananas etc. DO NOT feed chickens avocado, onion, potato, and anything that is moldy as this can make chickens very ill.

If you are wanting to try and tame your chickens use tasty treats such as dried mealworms to tempt them over to you. The more you interact with them the tamer they will become.

Health

Just like dogs and cats, chickens need worming regularly but they should also be dusted with mite and louse powders regularly to prevent them contracting lice or parasites.

You should clean your hen house out once a week to get rid of any dirt and excrement. Keep an eye on your flock to make sure they are looking well, bright eyed and energetic; anything other than this could be a sign of illness. If this is the case it’s best to take them to the vets for a check up just to be sure.

Eggs

Chickens lay approximately one egg a day but this may vary from hen to hen. You should always check for eggs on a morning and a few times throughout the day to prevent the eggs from being broken or damaged. It’s important because if an eggs does break and the hen gets a taste for it she might get in to the habit of eating her own eggs as soon as she has laid them, this is a pretty hard habit to break once started so to prevent it never leave the eggs in the nest box for too long.

Getting Your Chickens

Now you are all set up and your garden is ready to become a home to some lovely feathered ladies it is time to choose where you will actually get your chickens from. You could buy your chickens from a farm, chicken breeder or poultry show but you can also re-home chickens that need a home, just like you can with cats and dogs.

The British Hen Welfare Trust re-homes ex-battery chickens, they rescue 60,000 chickens a year and have set re-homing days across the UK where you can collect your three or more chickens to take home for free. They are a charity organisation who believe all chickens should be free to roam and lay eggs in their natural outdoor environment where they will have a happy and healthy life.

Now you have everything you need to adopt your own chickens and start enjoying organic fresh eggs every morning!

Published August 7th, 2014 by Jordan. Article ref 3005

Tags: chicken, chicken coop, chicken house, free range chicken, poultry houses

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