Backyard Chickens
Backyard Chickens
Hens are easy to keep and look after and can be very rewarding, especially if children are involved, however a few points on husbandry should be noted.
A healthy chicken has a bright red comb, it's feathers are sleek and glassy, its legs and beak are smooth and clean, the crop should be filled with gravel and the vent should be clean. Behavioural signs of good health include scratching at the ground, dust bathing, and sun-bathing (if weather permits!)
Housing & Diets
Hay, straw, shavings or shredded paper provide good bedding materials in a house with nest boxes and a perch. The run should be fenced with chicken wire at least 6ft high, and dug 6 inches into the ground to prevent predators. All chickens need access to grit/gravel to maintain healthy digestion. Laying hens should be fed a propriatory layers diet as this will provide all the nutrients they need. Kitchen peelings provide extra nutrients, especially over the winter months – swedes, cabbage, and brussel sprouts particularly.
Age
Point Of Lay hens are typically 18 weeks old, but may take up to 26 weeks of age before they start to lay. Turkeys and guinea fowl will start to lay at 26 weeks old. Most hens have a life expectancy of 6-10 years. Quail will start to lay at 6 weeks old, but only have a life expectancy of 18 months.
Health planning
The main heath problem in free-range poultry is worms. Small numbers of worms will not be harmful, but a high burden can cause poor egg quality, poor egg production, reduced growth and in severe cases death. Flubendazole is the only licensed wormer that is available in small quantities. It is effective against gapeworm, roundworm, caecal worm, hair worm and gizzard worm. Flubendazole can be added to feed.
Ectoparasites eg lice and mites, causing itchiness, feather loss, and ‘scaly leg’, need treatment from a vet – but differentiation between lice and mites is the first step.
Egg peritonitis is a serious condition where the hen becomes ‘egg-bound’. These hens need urgent veterinary treatment but may still die if the egg cannot be passed.
Respiratory disease and other diarrhoea conditions all require veterinary treatment.