Chicken General Care
Chickens are generally very easy to look after. Here I have listed some helpful information on general care, if your thinking of getting chickens.
Here is a Daily, Monthly & 6 Monthly basis routine, so if your thinking of getting chickens you can see just what is involved...
DAILY Routine...
Keep feeders and waterers full.
Make sure the waterer is clean. Chickens will be less inclined to drink dirty water, and a dehydrated bird can very quickly become ill or die.
Check to make sure they all look active, bright and healthy.
Collect and refrigerate eggs, pointy side down for maximum freshness.
If you've opened the coop door to let your chickens out, always be sure to close and secure it at dusk (once they've all returned!) to make sure predators can't get in.
Check the perimeter of your coop, for signs of rats or fox activity. Make sure wire netting is secure, check for dig holes etc.
You CAN leave chickens alone for a few days provided they have enough food, water and space for the duration of your trip. The eggs they'll have laid in your absence should still be good to eat. Fresh eggs keep for several days without refrigeration. Surprised? Consider this: hens lay an average of 10-12 eggs per "clutch" (the group of eggs that a hen sits on to incubate). They lay one egg per day and at the end of a 10-12 day laying period they roll all the eggs together to incubate them. That means the egg laid on day 1 is still good enough on day 12 to become a living, breathing baby chick - so it should be good enough for you to eat too!
Egg Tip: Your eggs may have some slight traces of dirt or chicken feces on them. Resist the urge to scrub them clean! Outside the egg is a delicate membrane called the "bloom" that wards off bacteria and other foreign matter. Scrubbing will damage this membrane. If you're one of those people that needs perfect-looking eggs, rub them with your fingers very gently under warm water. Then, wash your hands thoroughly.
Monthly Routine
Change the bedding in the coop and the nest. This is necessary for sanitary purposes. Excessive ammonia buildup is dangerous to poultry and can cause respiratory illness.
Remove the feaces.
6 Monthly Routine
Twice a year you've got to really scrub your coop clean! Remove bedding, nest materials, feed and water containers. Use a reputable poultry sanitizer or Jeyes fluid is a good one as it helps in the battle against red mite, which chickens are prone to, but it also is effective on bird flu, and so is a good sanitizer against most livestock nasties. Make sure you fully dry and ventilate the coop before the birds go back in.
This is a good chance to thoroughly clean all the water containers & feeders, and replace with a fresh supply.
Broodiness
Broodiness is a condition in which laying hens have a desire to set their eggs. When hens go broody they stop laying eggs and marshal their physiological and behavioural resources for incubating and hatching chicks.
This is a favourable condition if you want to produce chicks through the natural nesting process.
It is, however, a detrimental condition if your only interested in maximizing egg production. If you want to achieve maximum egg production from their flocks, then you must minimise the incidence of broodiness. Broodiness can reduce egg production by as much as eggs per hen.
Broodiness is controlled by several factors including genetics, endocrinology and the environment. Fortunately, the environment can be a significant contributor to broody behaviour and, as a result, can also be manipulated to discourage this condition.
The following are two methods that may be used to alter the hen's environment to discourage broody behaviour:
1. Broody pens or coops
Broody females are placed in an isolated pen or coop similar to the laying pen except there are no nest present. Removing the hens from visual and physical stimulations provided by nest and nesting material will help discourage this behaviour. In addition, it will help prevent producing hens from observing and adopting the broody behaviour of their flock mates.
The hens should be held in this isolation pen for anything from 2 to 10 days before moving them back to the laying pen.
2. Broody pens plus light
Light intensity and duration are important factors in stimulating egg production. It has been well established by poultry scientists that low levels of continuous artificial light, i.e. 0.5 foot candles for 12 hours or more, will provide enough stimulation for maximising egg production.
Thus, the use of artificial light to stimulate egg production and break broody conditions in hens has been in use for many years. Using light stimulation in conjunction with a broody pen is more effective than simple pen rotation methods.
With this procedure, the coop or pen is equipped with a light(s) hung approximately four feet above the floor. Using 60 to 100 watt bulbs will provide the needed light intensity. Light should be provided for a minimum of 12 hours per day while the hens are in the broody pens.
Using pens or coops with wire floors will also discourage broody behaviour. Wire floors will not provide the hen the sensory materials, e.g. dirt or grass, to facilitate nesting behaviour.
Broody's that wont budge!
In extreme cases - I will and have 'dunked' the broody in a bucket of cool water (only her feet and chest) this cools the breast which is the area which gets very hot (to incubate the eggs) and can help in the process of 'breaking' them.
Has this helped you?
Please let me know - Emma xx