For generations, poultry keeping has been an enjoyable pastime with the reward of fresh eggs each day.
If you are thinking of keeping chickens, make sure you have the time to give your birds the care they need, as they are completely dependent on you for their well-being. You cannot just leave them to their own resources. Once you have decided to make the commitment of keeping chickens, it is important to be well prepared and have everything ready before you bring your birds home. Depending on the number of chickens you plan to keep, you will need a suitable sized house and run for them. You should also check with your local council for by-laws regarding poultry keeping in your area.
Do not be tempted into buying a cheap flat pack chicken coop. See our advice on choosing the right hen house.
Do not be tempted into buying a cheap flat pack chicken coop. See our advice on choosing the right hen house.
The Five Freedoms
The Five Freedoms have gained international recognition as standards for welfare of domestic animals. They are:
Freedom from pain, injury and disease.
Freedom from thirst, hunger and malnutrition.
Freedom to exhibit normal behaviour.
Freedom from discomfort.
Freedom from fear and distress.
These are the minimum requirements that any animal is entitled to during its life. By following the Five Freedoms, the animals in your care will be happier, less stressed, resistant to illness and perform more productively.
Cleanliness
Your hen house and yard needs to be kept clean in order for your birds to remain healthy and keep flies and smells and parasites to a minimum. I believe "deep litter systems" encourage flies and parasites and are unhygienic and will rot your floor out. I don't like the idea of chickens scratching around and dust bathing in their own filth which flies and maggots are attracted to and smells reaching high ammonia levels are harmful to the delicate respiratory passages of poultry. Depending on the number of birds being housed will determine how often your house needs to be cleaned out. As a guideline, a house sleeping 6 birds should be cleaned out 3-4 weekly, before it starts to smell.
Keep a cleaning kit bucket containing a brush and pan, a scraper to remove stuck on droppings from the floor and perches, a DE Puffer, a Dry San puffer and a sack to collect the soiled litter. The Dry San is an agricultural powder disinfectant and the Diatomaceous Earth will eliminate and control parasites from the housing. A generous layer of untreated wood shavings on the floor will absorb droppings.
Free range and a good diet
First and foremost: Chickens do not have cast iron guts and you cannot feed them on rubbish. There is more can go wrong with chickens than your average family pet, so monitoring their health and feeding them well will go a long way toward a long, productive life. We believe free range is the best possible lifestyle for chickens and you can tell a truly free range egg by its flavour and colour of the yolk. There is nothing quite so charming as watching happy hens roaming and foraging and muttering to each other. However, if your section or garden doesn't allow for this, a regular supply of fresh greens is essential, to compensate for what confined chickens are missing out on. Free range chickens eat copious amounts of grass which supplies their fresh food requirements in addition to a good complete feed. If you want quality eggs, you must feed your chickens a good quality diet, so we use and recommend Weston Milling Poultry Feeds. You cannot expect your poultry to take in all their dietary needs and perform well if fed merely on kitchen scraps, which are of fairly low nutritional value. Never feed mouldy food to chickens, as the spores can cause fungal infections and fermentation in the gut and respiratory passages and can result in sour crop which if not detected and treated early, can be fatal. Always have clean water available, located in a shady spot. Avoid giving too many treats, as fat hens don't lay well. Corn, for example is fattening and should be fed out sparingly, though is good as a winter supplement.
Feeding equipment
At Sunset Croft we use and recommend automatic step-on feeders. Sparrows and rats are a real nuisance, helping themselves to your costly feed and spreading disease and parasites. Our feeders keep your poultry feed dry, hygienic and safe from pests and takes the guess work out of how much to feed out and gives you the freedom to not have to feed the chooks every day, especially if you're going away for a few days. Your birds will never go to bed hungry because you forgot to feed them or are late home and they can graze at leisure and will be more contented.
For drinking water, we use lidded buckets fitted with side mounted drinker nipples, which ensure your birds always have a hygienic water source.
Introducing new birds
To protect the health of your new birds and your existing flock, special care must be taken with newly purchased stock. They should be isolated for two weeks before mixing with the rest of the flock, as the stress of a new environment can sometimes cause a bird to get sick, especially if suddenly thrown in with a pen of unfamiliar birds. Quarantine for two weeks to reduce the risk of cross contamination and parasite outbreaks among your flock and allow your new birds to acclimatise to their new piece of dirt. Do not mix young birds with adults as the pecking order will most likely see them bullied and injured or denied access to the feed. Pullets should be five months old before being integrated with adult birds, as they need to build their immunity.
Wing clipping
We do not believe in routine wing clipping. This practice is absolutely NOT necessary unless you have a troublesome chicken who continually jumps the fence. Some people clip wings as a matter of course, mistakenly thinking this is the thing they should do and hack the wings right across, making them look quite unattractive until the wing feathers grow back in a year or two. Being struck across the face by the sharp edges of a clipped wing can be especially painful for you too, when she objects to being handled and struggles in your arms. Your fences should be at least 1.2m high to prevent any escapees. If you find you have a chicken who insists on escaping and you have tried other measures to keep her contained, then clipping should be a last resort. Only one wing should be clipped. The purpose of this is to put the bird off balance and prevent lift-off if she attempts to fly. Carefully splay the wing and clip just a few (about six to eight) of the flight feathers only, from the middle of the span, similar to the diagram. This way the wing clipping wont be noticeable. Flight feathers are the longest feathers and should not be cut any shorter than 7cm (3 inches). Do not cut any feathers with a dark shaft (the long bit running through the middle of the feather), as these feathers carry a blood supply and will cause blood loss and the risk of infection or attract other chickens to peck at the blood. Heavy breeds are non-flighty birds and are seldom inclined to jump fences.
The benefits of a dust bath
Chickens just love a dust bath, and besides the pleasure they get from rolling in loose soil, it is very beneficial to them. They will often choose their own spot and scratch the soil loose which eventually becomes a favourite hole they will return to again and again. Dust baths help control external parasites naturally, and sand, untreated wood shavings or wood ash are also ideal to help keep them pest-free. By adding Diatomaceous Earth to the dust bath, your chickens will inadvertently treat themselves without the need for you to individually dust each bird for insects. The dust soaks up oil that can build up on their feathers and helps remove feather flakes and dander. Your chickens will preen more often when they take dust baths on a regular basis. While preening they will roll their beaks in an oil gland at the base of the tail then distribute the oil over their feathers to keep them glossy, clean and water-proof.
Laying life of a hen
A hen does not need a rooster in order to lay eggs. She lays most eggs during her first season and a free range hen will lay for about nine months of the year. As winter approaches, production can drop as the daylight hours shorten. She will moult and go off the lay for a few months while her feathers grow back and her body replenishes its stores, then she will start laying again. During her second season, a hen will lay fewer eggs, but these will be larger than the first season. When multiplying the number of eggs by their weight, it appears that the amount of kilos a hen lays per season remains more or less the same. When a hen is five or six years old, she will produce less eggs or stop laying altogether, though her life expectancy could reach ten to fifteen years. This is the beauty of the Heritage Breeds - bred to last.
Dealing with roosters
Hatching your own chicks, you will inevitably end up with roughly 50% roosters and you will have to make a hard call in how you deal with unwanted birds. The reality is, there aren't many uses for a rooster unless you want to breed, so they will need to be responsibly culled. If you're not prepared to fatten and process them yourself, there are many buyers of roosters on Trade Me. The hard part is not getting too attached to them. No-one buys roosters for pets. Our best advice is "Do not name them!"Do not dump your chickens at roadside rest areas, thinking they will live a happy free range life, where they've been spared the pot and they'll be fed by picnicking motorists. Driving past one of these well known chicken dumping grounds, I once witnessed a man chasing a rooster with a large stick, about to bash the poor bird to death. He'd obviously come prepared and I wonder if he regularly stopped there to help himself to the plentiful supply of homeless chickens. I was deeply upset but not about to stop the car and confront a man wielding a large length of timber. There is no safe, warm shelter for these birds to roost in at night, no food and the reality is, these homeless birds will end up as this poor unfortunate rooster did, as someone's free dinner or a public nuisance to be dealt with by council.
The Five Freedoms have gained international recognition as standards for welfare of domestic animals. They are:
Freedom from pain, injury and disease.
Freedom from thirst, hunger and malnutrition.
Freedom to exhibit normal behaviour.
Freedom from discomfort.
Freedom from fear and distress.
These are the minimum requirements that any animal is entitled to during its life. By following the Five Freedoms, the animals in your care will be happier, less stressed, resistant to illness and perform more productively.
Cleanliness
Your hen house and yard needs to be kept clean in order for your birds to remain healthy and keep flies and smells and parasites to a minimum. I believe "deep litter systems" encourage flies and parasites and are unhygienic and will rot your floor out. I don't like the idea of chickens scratching around and dust bathing in their own filth which flies and maggots are attracted to and smells reaching high ammonia levels are harmful to the delicate respiratory passages of poultry. Depending on the number of birds being housed will determine how often your house needs to be cleaned out. As a guideline, a house sleeping 6 birds should be cleaned out 3-4 weekly, before it starts to smell.
Keep a cleaning kit bucket containing a brush and pan, a scraper to remove stuck on droppings from the floor and perches, a DE Puffer, a Dry San puffer and a sack to collect the soiled litter. The Dry San is an agricultural powder disinfectant and the Diatomaceous Earth will eliminate and control parasites from the housing. A generous layer of untreated wood shavings on the floor will absorb droppings.
Free range and a good diet
First and foremost: Chickens do not have cast iron guts and you cannot feed them on rubbish. There is more can go wrong with chickens than your average family pet, so monitoring their health and feeding them well will go a long way toward a long, productive life. We believe free range is the best possible lifestyle for chickens and you can tell a truly free range egg by its flavour and colour of the yolk. There is nothing quite so charming as watching happy hens roaming and foraging and muttering to each other. However, if your section or garden doesn't allow for this, a regular supply of fresh greens is essential, to compensate for what confined chickens are missing out on. Free range chickens eat copious amounts of grass which supplies their fresh food requirements in addition to a good complete feed. If you want quality eggs, you must feed your chickens a good quality diet, so we use and recommend Weston Milling Poultry Feeds. You cannot expect your poultry to take in all their dietary needs and perform well if fed merely on kitchen scraps, which are of fairly low nutritional value. Never feed mouldy food to chickens, as the spores can cause fungal infections and fermentation in the gut and respiratory passages and can result in sour crop which if not detected and treated early, can be fatal. Always have clean water available, located in a shady spot. Avoid giving too many treats, as fat hens don't lay well. Corn, for example is fattening and should be fed out sparingly, though is good as a winter supplement.
Feeding equipment
At Sunset Croft we use and recommend automatic step-on feeders. Sparrows and rats are a real nuisance, helping themselves to your costly feed and spreading disease and parasites. Our feeders keep your poultry feed dry, hygienic and safe from pests and takes the guess work out of how much to feed out and gives you the freedom to not have to feed the chooks every day, especially if you're going away for a few days. Your birds will never go to bed hungry because you forgot to feed them or are late home and they can graze at leisure and will be more contented.
For drinking water, we use lidded buckets fitted with side mounted drinker nipples, which ensure your birds always have a hygienic water source.
Introducing new birds
To protect the health of your new birds and your existing flock, special care must be taken with newly purchased stock. They should be isolated for two weeks before mixing with the rest of the flock, as the stress of a new environment can sometimes cause a bird to get sick, especially if suddenly thrown in with a pen of unfamiliar birds. Quarantine for two weeks to reduce the risk of cross contamination and parasite outbreaks among your flock and allow your new birds to acclimatise to their new piece of dirt. Do not mix young birds with adults as the pecking order will most likely see them bullied and injured or denied access to the feed. Pullets should be five months old before being integrated with adult birds, as they need to build their immunity.
Wing clipping
We do not believe in routine wing clipping. This practice is absolutely NOT necessary unless you have a troublesome chicken who continually jumps the fence. Some people clip wings as a matter of course, mistakenly thinking this is the thing they should do and hack the wings right across, making them look quite unattractive until the wing feathers grow back in a year or two. Being struck across the face by the sharp edges of a clipped wing can be especially painful for you too, when she objects to being handled and struggles in your arms. Your fences should be at least 1.2m high to prevent any escapees. If you find you have a chicken who insists on escaping and you have tried other measures to keep her contained, then clipping should be a last resort. Only one wing should be clipped. The purpose of this is to put the bird off balance and prevent lift-off if she attempts to fly. Carefully splay the wing and clip just a few (about six to eight) of the flight feathers only, from the middle of the span, similar to the diagram. This way the wing clipping wont be noticeable. Flight feathers are the longest feathers and should not be cut any shorter than 7cm (3 inches). Do not cut any feathers with a dark shaft (the long bit running through the middle of the feather), as these feathers carry a blood supply and will cause blood loss and the risk of infection or attract other chickens to peck at the blood. Heavy breeds are non-flighty birds and are seldom inclined to jump fences.
The benefits of a dust bath
Chickens just love a dust bath, and besides the pleasure they get from rolling in loose soil, it is very beneficial to them. They will often choose their own spot and scratch the soil loose which eventually becomes a favourite hole they will return to again and again. Dust baths help control external parasites naturally, and sand, untreated wood shavings or wood ash are also ideal to help keep them pest-free. By adding Diatomaceous Earth to the dust bath, your chickens will inadvertently treat themselves without the need for you to individually dust each bird for insects. The dust soaks up oil that can build up on their feathers and helps remove feather flakes and dander. Your chickens will preen more often when they take dust baths on a regular basis. While preening they will roll their beaks in an oil gland at the base of the tail then distribute the oil over their feathers to keep them glossy, clean and water-proof.
Laying life of a hen
A hen does not need a rooster in order to lay eggs. She lays most eggs during her first season and a free range hen will lay for about nine months of the year. As winter approaches, production can drop as the daylight hours shorten. She will moult and go off the lay for a few months while her feathers grow back and her body replenishes its stores, then she will start laying again. During her second season, a hen will lay fewer eggs, but these will be larger than the first season. When multiplying the number of eggs by their weight, it appears that the amount of kilos a hen lays per season remains more or less the same. When a hen is five or six years old, she will produce less eggs or stop laying altogether, though her life expectancy could reach ten to fifteen years. This is the beauty of the Heritage Breeds - bred to last.
Dealing with roosters
Hatching your own chicks, you will inevitably end up with roughly 50% roosters and you will have to make a hard call in how you deal with unwanted birds. The reality is, there aren't many uses for a rooster unless you want to breed, so they will need to be responsibly culled. If you're not prepared to fatten and process them yourself, there are many buyers of roosters on Trade Me. The hard part is not getting too attached to them. No-one buys roosters for pets. Our best advice is "Do not name them!"Do not dump your chickens at roadside rest areas, thinking they will live a happy free range life, where they've been spared the pot and they'll be fed by picnicking motorists. Driving past one of these well known chicken dumping grounds, I once witnessed a man chasing a rooster with a large stick, about to bash the poor bird to death. He'd obviously come prepared and I wonder if he regularly stopped there to help himself to the plentiful supply of homeless chickens. I was deeply upset but not about to stop the car and confront a man wielding a large length of timber. There is no safe, warm shelter for these birds to roost in at night, no food and the reality is, these homeless birds will end up as this poor unfortunate rooster did, as someone's free dinner or a public nuisance to be dealt with by council.