An introduction to keeping chooks

By Sarah Fowler

What are the benefits of keeping chooks

Of course fresh eggs – cost effective

Manure for the garden and the compost bin

Weed and insect control

Any left over food can be recycled and given to your

chooks

They make the best pets as they have a fun

personality, very entertaining!

Yarra Ranges Council has regulations on the number of chooks/poultry allowed for households.

In urban areas only 4 chooks are allowed.

In rural areas 75 chooks are allowed.

Permits are required to keep rosters in urban areas.

Please see Yarra Ranges Council public website for further details. http:www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Residents/Animals/Animal FAQs/How many pets can i have on my property

If you don't live in the Yarra Ranges area please check you local Council public website for details on regulations.

Chooks are very social creatures (will stay in a flock for social and survival reasons) and can not tolerate isolation (being alone), and are uncomfortable in flocks of more then fifteen chooks.

Have a strong hierarchy within the flock, which when established is rarely disturbed.

Roosters will protect the flock but a flock does not necessarily require a rooster.

Omnivores – will continually forage for food, all day.

Diurnal – will roost high up and sleep heavily

Dust bathe to keep clean

Chooks are creatures of habit and do not like changes in food supply or changes in accommodation.

Interesting fact – Domesticated chickens have lived their lives alongside humankind for thousands of years.

Chicken at feeder

The head

A chicken has a very distinct head compared to

many other birds. The fleshly comb on the top

of the head comes in many different shapes

and sizes. From big to floppy ‘single’ combs to

small and spiky ‘rose’ combs. The comb and

the smaller fleshly flaps under the beak (called

‘wattles’) generally become slightly larger and

redder as the chicken comes into lay.

As chickens have an extremely well developed

sense of sight (more acute than humans), they

can pick up grains from amazing distances.

However they do not have teeth.

Digestion

The food is sent down the oesophagus by a

pointy tongue and is stored in the crop which

is a pouch that holds and softens food.

Basic anatomy of the chicken

The limbs

As most of you know chickens are

not very good at flying. Some of the

smaller breeds can manage

impressive flapping jumps but most

of the heavier breeds can never even

take off.

The larger feathers at the front of

the wing are primary flight feathers,

but as they are not good in flight

they are used for running. Chickens

are faster than you might expect!

Shelter – from predators and

bad weather

Food and water

Exercise and space

And lots of time and love

What do chooks need from you?

Daily

Visit them to say good morning, open up chook house.

Top up food and water containers and give them your leftovers

Lock up securely in the evening and try to remove any uneaten scraps.

Weekly

Clean out water containers, scrub out and refill

Optional -Dust their house and surrounds with insecticidal powder

Top up feed

Seasonal

Clean out house/coop – including all of the floor material

Scrub down perches

Check for worms, dose up if needed

If you have an outdoor run refresh and clean.

Space for your chooks

If you are lucky enough to have space for a permanent chicken coop then this is the best way to go. Any old dwellings (old toilet block, room outside or a tool shed) is the best thing to use.

It needs to be weatherproof, secure and safe for your new chickens.

This is an optional coop for your chickens but is not recommend for long periods of time as it will only house two or three chooks at a time.

Small coops

Are best suited to mild climates otherwise can become too hot in summer when roosting

Need to think about the space above the perch (min. 60cm) and ventilation so that overheating doesn’t occur.

Too cold if the front and back are open in winter. Have the back completely closed to minimise any cold winds.

Remember your accommodation for your chooks is essential to their health. If the chooks are not happy then laying will stop and your chooks could become sick and die.

The Better homes and gardens website http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/better-homes-gardens/diy/projects/article/-/5829854/chicken-coop/ has good instructions for a do it yourself chook coop.

Rats and mice Keep food secure

Minimise any entry gaps

Avoid long grass, hidden areas

Cover any outdoor run areas

Minimise any entry gaps

Keep food secure

Crows and other birds

Foxes

Block off digging access

Use quality mesh when constructing coop

Always build a floor – cement floor works the best.

Make sure gaps are covered and secured

Remember to always lock up at night!!!!!

Apart from the coop

being well ventilated,

high enough to be

flood free and all the

floor and material

easy to clean, you will

also need:

Perch – this is a

roosting stick

Nesting boxes

Food and water

dispensers

Inside the chicken house

Use smooth, rectangular wood, free of knot Perch height 30cm to 40cm off the ground Perch space: Allow 20 cm of perch per bird Perch positions – away from feeders, water,

nesting boxes and any draughts

Nesting boxes Do not put under perches Line with straw and add some beneficial pest

repelling plants i.e. Wormwood, lavender, or eucalyptus leaves.

One box per 3-4 hens.

Make sure the coop has a beam from which the dispensers can hang.

Consider hinged feeding systems if rodents are a problem.

Chooks need exercise

Permanent run

Free range

Portable runs

Pellets

Grain and seed mix

Layer mash- oats

Greenery

Your table scraps

Shell grit = Calcium for hard egg shells

As pets – Pekins, Silkies and bantams

X breeds – Isa browns, Anconas and Rhode Island Red and Leghorn.

Look for healthy chooks: Bright and active with glossy plumage Red, clean, unbattered combs If you can, check for immunisations Avoid lice and mites, clean bottoms Do not buy chooks: If they are moulting (happens in autumn) In the middle of summer or after a heat wave With large droopy combs Make sure you: Take with you a large cardboard box with a lid and ventilation

holes or a pet carrier to take the chook home. Have their housing ready before you bring them home.

Number of eggs per week – seasonal variations

Size of eggs – varies by breed and age

Stale and rotten eggs

Ageing chooks and eggs – plus 2 years, will lay less frequently

Introducing new hens to an established group

Problems with food

Small chickens can be pecked to death

Always introduce at least 2 new ones at a time, of the same variety.

Introduce new hens late at night-time.

You must always make sure to allow for bonding time.

Introducing new hens to established pets

Always supervise interactions between pets and chooks

Cats – don’t usually stalk large birds

Dogs – control your dog on a lead until secure, be careful of terriers, hounds and Jack Russells

Egg stealing

Dogs will help against foxes.

Moulting is a normal process where chickens shed old feathers and replace with new ones. This usually happens every late summer/autumn.

As chickens get older, they go through more frequent moulting and will lose a significant amount of feathers. When this does happen the hen will go off the lay until the feathers have grown back.

It is common to get clucky hens and usually means that you are doing a good job of looking after your flock. – they are getting all the good things in life.

A clucky hen will stay on the nest night and day.

The hen will get aggressive with the other hens and can stop others from laying. To solve the problem, the hen needs to be gently deprived. This is usually done by removing the bird from the nest and placing her in a cage on her own for a few days. In most cases, being kept away from the nest for a three to four days will stop the hen being broody but you should keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't go back to old ways.

Internal parasites such as worms are common problems with back yard chickens. Many species of worms in poultry are spread by chooks eating insects, slugs and earthworms which act as hosts for immature stages of the worms. Worms reduce egg production, cause diarrhoea, loss of weight and ultimately cause the death of poultry. Worms are usually treated by the addition of medication to the flock's drinking water but medicated seed can also be purchased. Poultry should be wormed every three months to prevent infections, these medications will also treat for other internal parasites so it is worth doing it every three months.

Chooks can also be affected by external parasites such as lice, mites, fleas and ticks. Some of these bugs don't cause much of a problem but others can cause a drop in egg production and body weight and intense skin irritation. Treatment involves a thorough cleaning and disinfection of the flock's pen. This should then be followed by treatment of the pen, equipment and the birds with insecticide dusts or sprays. Your veterinarian, produce agency or pet shop can advise on suitable preparations.

Abundant layers – www.abundantlayers.com

Emerald. Vic. 5968 8090

Wagners poultry enterprises – www.wagnerspoultry.com.au –Coldstream

City chicks – www.citychicks.com.au

Mickelborough’s norm breeding farm

Heatherdale. Vic. 9551 1593

All about chooks – Macclesfield 0418 312 944

Also try

Yellow pages – Poultry farmers and dealers

Trading post

www.chooknet.com.au for buying and selling poultry

Your local stockfeed store, can also point you in the right direction.