Spring

Now its coming to spring and the chickens have got their plush new feathers, and the farmers are starting to plant the new grass. In the domestic garden again the worry of mites and lice has risen. The resilient pests like warmth and darkness so now is the perfect time for them to start breeding. Its worth now to cover your coop with diatom and poultry shield to prepare for the new year. Also with all those wet puddles its the perfect condition for worms so please keep up your worming routine I would recommend either Verm-x or Flubenvet. Remember- you should move you coop around at least twice a year if you can, so maybe its time to plan your summer coop position.

Frostbite

Now the snow is falling hard and the temperature is plummeting rapidly we are all hiding in doors resting by our radiators. Unfortunately for the chickens, they are at risk from frostbite. The frostbite will attack on the comb, wattle and cheeks. To protect them from this, use Vaseline, the wax will protect them from the harsh freeze. You shouldn't worry about the rest of the chickens body as they sleep close at nigh times and keep each other warm like penguins. Also you have to make sure the chickens have access to warm water to drink, not Ice. Remember, don't always eggspect eggs in the winter!

The National Poultry Show

The very exciting Poultry show is now scheduled to take place on the 20th and 21st of November based in National Agricultural Centre, Stoneleigh Park.As well as watching up to 5000 stunning poultry there will also be a visit from Omlet and BHWT, some poultry will even be for sale as well. Allthough I have yet to see this show it seems to have excellent reveiws and therefore this leads me to believe this a must for all chicken lovers.

For more information on venue please visit:http://www.poultryclub.org/home.htm
http://www.poultryclub.org/documents/Poster_000.pdf

Poultry Bedding

I recently bought Poultry Bedding by Cozy Coup for my chickens to replace those muddy wood chips.Also it is said to prevent mites (which is what I have). And what a revolution. I wanted to sleep in it. It was dry, and quite fine therefore my chickens were having dust baths in it! I use it for the floor of the coup not for nest boxes (I still use straw for that). Its easy to remove droppings, because with a cat litter scoop the clean stuff just falls through the gaps. What a relief, my girls feet are actually clean.
I got this for £6.99 at my local pets at home, but you could probably buy it from any poultry shop.

Kitchen Scraps

Most vegetables like broccoli, sweetcorn, cabbage, lettuce etc. chickens can eat. However, any potato skins should be boiled in plain water before feeding. Chickens also love mixed corn, maize and wheat, mine adore porridge. Although, you have to make sure your chook's aren't getting to fat!!! To stop this spread the corn across the ground so chickens have to scratch to find it, hang lettuce and broccoli from a feeding pole. For more info on chicken obesity scroll down the page. Chickens especially prone to obesity is the Orpington Buff.

Biology of a Chicken

Annual Moult

Feathers get changed once a year towards the ed of summer over about 6 weeks. During this time the chicken may look pale and unhappy. Some chickens will have a more severe moult than others and look a bit like a pine cone! This can be particularly worrying for new keepers, but it is entirely normal. She may stop laying and won't like being touched. Feathers are 80% protein so make sure they have some ACV and are well fed. They should have a new set of feathers by the end of autumn, chickens won't moult on their first year of life but it will start on their second. Don't be alarmed she may look like a battery hen for a while. In fact battery hens used to be forced into moulting to replenish the condition of egg shells, this was often fatal and has now been banned in Europe.

Brief introduction on breeds

There are over 5o breeds of chickens and they are all individual and unique, Some are rare and pure breeds are mostly only seen in shows. Hybrids are crossbreeds of chickens, they are known for laying a lot of eggs. This is why all battery hens are hybrids. Most lay around 300 eggs per year, they also tend to be a docile breed and one of the most immune to diseases.
If you are rearing chickens for the table, speckledy hybrids are great because they are naturally large and stocky!

Pecking Order

Chickens are flock animal.However, chickens are territorial and they will fight to be leader of the flock. Chickens have always done this, some only come off with minor wounds and some have been pecked to death. But usually it takes an hour for the pecking order to establish, this is why chicken breeders recommend too buy birds that are the same size and age.
If there is a severe problem with the pecking order leave the pecked chicken within sight of others but out of reach.
This is also why I suggest that perches are the same height because otherwise they would fight over the highest one.
unfortunately, one blood has been drawn the 'peckers' become encouraged and develop a taste. Birds are particularly vulnerable to being bullied when moulting or after an accident. If this problem begins to look excessive try some 'anti-pecking' spray by Barrier which has an off putting smell/taste. If this fails, you may wish to separate the bird until she is recovered.

Cleaning

Cleaning needs to be done every day. I recommend coops which have dropping trays because then you can quickly and easily remove droppings from the house. When I do this I also hose down and disinfect the tray.
Remove soiled straw from the nesting box and make sure parasite preventative powder is always present in the coop, especially if it is a wooden one.
Replace the straw or wood shavings with fresh bedding and wipe any dirt away with a scrubber.
If you let your hens roam free, rake the droppings from the garden.
Clean food feeders regularly and check they are full and plenty.
It is recommended you wash the entire coop once a month and the perches every two weeks.
“I make my own disinfectant by mixing 1 part bleach and 1 part fairy liquid with 1o parts of water in a plant sprayer. This is only for use in the coop.”