Simple activities that you should already be doing will act as a form of enrichment for your hens such as cleaning their house, providing food treats or fruit and vegetables, handling them or letting them roam in the garden. Other types of enrichment include hanging up fruit and vegetables, interactive treat dispensers such as a plastic water bottle with holes , dust bathing areas, platforms and perches, swings or even pet bird toys.
Your hens should be wormed regularly and check with your veterinarian about any other preventative health treatment your hens may need. Daily or regular handling of your hens is not only a great way for you to interact with your hens but also a good way to check their health. Hens should be checked daily for any changes in their health or signs of wounds, feather loss, scaly legs or parasites such as mites or lice [ 2 ].
Common signs that your hen may be sick include dropping wings and tail, discharge from the nostrils and eyes, lameness unable or abnormal walk , being lethargic or not eating. Hens are also at risk of viral or bacterial diseases such as Avian Influenza, or Salmonella and E. In the unfortunate event that one of your hens gets sick or injured, it is essential that you have a local veterinarian available to treat or if required humanely euthanase your hen.
Remember that there are legal obligations for people who own animals to help protect the welfare of those animals. To learn more about the legislation in each state and territory click here. Housing When keeping backyard hens, it is important to make sure they have a comfortable, clean and secure house that protects them from weather and predators.
Feeding An essential part of keeping your backyard hens healthy is feeding them a complete and well balanced diet. Wellbeing Companionship Layer hens are very social animals that enjoy the company of other hens. Enrichment When layer hens are not provided adequate enrichment opportunities and objects that encourage natural behaviours , they can develop problem behaviours like feather pecking or bullying of other birds.
Health care Your hens should be wormed regularly and check with your veterinarian about any other preventative health treatment your hens may need. Is she older? I had perchesed 15 chicks their about 5 weeks old, when can I start feeding them pellets? They're all females. After 18 weeks, or after they begin to pay eggs start laying pellets or layer crumble. I always kept a calender specific to age. Once they begin to lay you should add granite gritt and crushed oyster shells.
Granite will help their gizzards digest. Calcium in oyster shells for strong egg shells. They'll know how to consume each, by nature. If you do not want chicks then simply collect your eggs daily. They can not hatch what they can not sit on. Other than that nothing else is needed. Your eggs are all good for sale.
At least as far as I have found. I have a Rooster, he is the protector of the girls, not only from other animals but he also keeps the flock in order. I collect my eggs each morning and before I lock up for the night I do a final check. I have no problems with my eggs and everyone loves them. Something digs holes outsise the coop and getting into my chickens. It kills and eats part of them.
I am so upset. It sounds like a possum or a weasel They are nuts over eggs and they kill and eat chickens also. Try throwing a few old eggs in a place near your hen house but not right next to it. A possum will take the eggs and leave your chickens alone as long as he is getting a meal. Possums can be great to have around - they eat rodents and old seed.
Just remember he is there and give something to him to eat so that your chickens aren't such a temptation to him. It could be a racoon or oppossum they both will chew the head off a chicken and leave the carcass laying there, very sad but it happens.
The best thing to do is is dig down about " around your coop and lay chicken wire down and fill it in. This will stop them from digging under it.
Otherwise fill your coop floor with chicken wire or some small hole fencing you can buy at your local co-op store. An easier way to lay chicken wire instead of digging a trench for the wire is to lay the wire out about 18" running away from pen, then cover with a little dirt and let grass grow over it.
When a critter tries to dig in he hits the wire and gives up. Has worked for me for years. After about 5 years replace the wire because it will rust. I've got some beautiful bantams, 3 d'uncle and one buff brahman, I've had them about 9 months, and they are all laying well.
About a month ago they ganged up on the brahman and took all the feathers out of her chest, so I had to move her out of the coop.
I tried to introduce her back into the flock with only one other hen, but each one I tried her with lasted about 15 minutes before the pecking began. After a terrible afternoon, she's without feathers again and I'm desperate for suggestions I can't have this poor bird spend her life in a dog cage in my garage!
Unfortunately, she's the, "bottom of the pecking order". It's a real thing. If you have the room, keep her by herself. If you don't have the room It sounds brutal, but more brutal to have her try to live through that. She'll be too stressed to lay, eat or socialize. I have 3 Bantam chickens, one is a Rooster, and I have 9 other full size chickens. I have found that my Roo will quell most pecking order issues that the girls may have.
He is protective of his ladies and will stop their squabbling before anything gets that serious. If you can have one that is what I would do. I think that is better than killing her just because she is the one getting picked on.
Ill have my chicken coop ready for spring. I also have 6 nest, prep for the chickens I plan on only having 4. Also I was wondering will they return to the nest after the day is over? No, you don't need roosters at all! I have 4 in my coop, which would never go back in when I first got them, I had to put them in every night. Then it got really cold and I had to shut them in the coop for a few days, and after that - Voila!
They understood that was their "bedroom" and they go in without any encouragement. So wait for a cold snap, and keep the coop door shut for at least 48 hours. You'll need to feed and water them as normal, but don't let them out.
As soon as the weather improves open the door, and they will go in and out as if they've done it all their lives. Enjoy your eggs! You do not need a rooster but, if you are allowed to have one then why not? You do not have to wait for a cold snap to get your chickens to take to the coop either, just put them in there for a few days and do not let them out, then when you do they will start going in on their own.
Our little man was a free rooster. He is beautiful. When he came into his roster roll, I hated him. He is very bossy to the girls. I must admit, he goes out of his way to protect them. Everyday I let them roam outside of their enclosure. He wrangles them up just before dusk, and they go in to roost.
He is terrifically protective. I love to watch him shake his head and make his jesters to get the hens to behave. I collect my eggs once a day. I'm going to hatch some eggs this spring. I have a whole other space for that though. Hello, we inherited 2 chickens with our coop. Raised chickens as a child and starting over many years later.
I would like to know if one of these is a rooster! The bigger one is more agressive. Trying to figure out how to send you a picture! A rooster has a larger comb the fleshy crest on top of their head than a hen, and longer tail feathers as well.
They are noticeably flashier, with some species having colorful and vibrant plumage. If a chicken is aggressive, it does not mean it is a rooster.
There is a pecking order in flocks of chickens, even among two, with one picking on another. We hope this helps! I have been raising broilers but now want to switch to layers. Is there any concerns if I clean the coop my broilers used to used and put layers in? Will that hurt them anyway? We would NOT advise raising them together.
Hi, I'm Jessie and I'm just starting with my free ranch chickens project. I observed that a few of my chickens started developing a weird behavior moving erratic, loosing balance like they have a neurological problem. The hen died few days later. Please can you help me with this situation and give me the best advice. Sometimes chickens need more room to exercise. Sometimes they are too hot; ensure they are not getting overheated. Give your girls some concentrated chicken vitamins and see if they improve.
Great Post! I had to go through a whole process of trial and error in which I made a couple of mistakes that I could have easily avoided had I known some basics. My journey is not yet over.
I guess there are many many things to learn. A chicken that is over heated They also can have, sudden onset, heart attack and just, "keel over" and die. More common than anyone would believe of a chicken! Fresh cool water, times, daily during summer. I even freeze my corn cobs and let them have at it, the day after putting up my corn. Cold, refreshing and it's a, "yummy pecking toy". For some reason I started thinking about the way about the way I used to keep eggs fresh without Refrigeration in the olden days After Gathering eggs I would put them in a egg carton and turn them over twice a day to keep fertile eggs fresh.
This kept the sperm from floating to the top That way I can plant them under a hen that is sitting and the eggs still hatch but once you refrigerate the eggs there's no use trying to put them under a hen to hatch cold it kills the sperm Has anyone else heard of this.
Also when Gathering eggs you must always leave at least one egg in the nest so the hen will come back and lay again in the same nest for some reason a chicken can just count up to 1 I have even used a golf ball to keep in a nest and the Hen didn't tell no different. I also remember one time that I had a hen laying eggs in a box and I put something over the top of the box and move the the box with the hen and eggs and put it back porch and kept the cover over the top of the box for about a day and she come back and laid eggs on my back porch I even seen one hen waiting on another hen to get off the nest to lay an egg what gets confusing Is when more than one hen wants to sit on the eggs..
Raising chickens? Your gonna need water! My wife raises a lot of chickens and i got tired of all the work. Check out this automatic watering system- autowaterkit. Hi i will like to know which places around gauteng and Northwest where can i buy small chickens to raise. Will also like to know to whom will i sell? Am a beginer eager to start my own farming ,however what i read recently was also educative and can lead me some where thanks. I have land an was trying to c,what do I have to have to start my own farm.
A friend of mind was telling me since u have ur own land u can get help. No, you do not need a rooster if you just want hens to lay eggs to eat. However, if you want eggs to raise chicks, you do need a roaster to breed your own hens. If you vacation, know that you have someone knowledgeable to tend your flock. Start small. Have a Cool or Chicken Tractor built before you purchase pullets. A good hatchery will mail your day old chicks to you.
Be prepared to RUN to the post office when they arrive!!! Have a chick brooder ready and waiting for your babies. Have chick feed and feeders, chick grit, chick waterers and heat lamp. I was once a, "dummie". I have five hens,a good sized Coop, fenced In yard for My chickens,we feed them a diet of chicken feed, mixed with corn and sunflowers, fresh water, and any fresh food we do Not eat,also throwing In weeds and greens,they are tended to daily,we get maybe three eggs every other day,what Am I doing wrong?
Are they new? It can take 6 weeks for hens to settle in. Are temperatures too high? Could your hens be stressed about anything like predators? Is there a rooster stressing them out? Are they actually eating their mix? What Breed are your chickens? Heavy layers lay approx eggs a year, average layers around a year. Breed can make a huge difference on the amount of eggs you get and some breeds lay once every 3 days approx eggs a year. If your chicks are young they all might not be laying yet either.
I wish you the best in your farming adventure. Hope this helps. I am considering raising chickens for egg. I need the basic material and accessories for a foul coop am thinking a 40 by 20 foul pen. I have a barred Plymouth Rock chick that has a growth on the back of her leg that is sharp and poking a hole on her backside. She is eating and drinking and I have her separated from the others. I can send pic if need be. Do I cut this off? What can I put on the wound?
She is about 8 days old. Any help would be greatly appreciated. In general all other requirements being fulfilled, such as a rooster , a hen will be more likely to produce fertile eggs if she is healthy and has good nutrition. Breeder feed is recommended when the hen is laying eggs for hatching; or second best, provide layer feed for hens that have started laying eggs. For more advice, see:. What a great site! We used to raise chickens when I was a kid in Illinois, but I don't remember hardly anything.
Now, I live in North Texas and want to build me a li'l ol' chicken coop, with a big flock of 3 or 4! I want them to lay through the winter, but the summers can be brutal here. What breed would y'all suggest? Hi Rusty, Welcome! Readers have reported good results. I have a rooster that apparently hurt his leg and has been limping for several weeks now, now he has been doing nothing but sleeping and staying in the coop, his tail is down and he doesn't even crow anymore, can you help me and give me some suggestions???
Thanks Jim. Another question sorry but I just saw a garden snake entering the coup! Small only about 2 ft.
But can they be a problem? And they haven't been sleeping in there coup was thinking it was the heat.
But could it be the snake or all the flies?? What is to cooled for chickens. I have 3 adult chickens. Thanks for what u do. I have a problem with a attack chicken. I've raised them from babies but now 1 is literally coming after me pecking, then she does her little squat and shake? What's going on? You've probably been so kind that this hen thinks she's above you in the pecking order. Never let her attack or chase you or she is showing her dominance. You chase her around. Then you can gently hold her down and force her to bow.
Or, you can also hold her upside down. Flip her around, and carry her around for 15 to 30 minutes in front of the other girls. Thank you I can report today was the first day with no attack! Everything she tried I picked her up and send her flying so far so good thanks much We are in the Great North East.
First, we have chickens need more for colder climate. Good layers and good meat. During winter, they lay better. We shore up their runs and coops with bales of hay and each coop has an infrared heat lamp, on timer. Summer they want in high heat, but we make sure they have fresh, cold water daily. Winter, we make sure water didn't freeze a. And p. We have never had issues. But all chickens are different!
Hello, If possible I'm looking into a small, cheap as possible chicken project. I'm looking into maybe getting 4 hens for egg production.
Any advice is greatly appreciated. Also, Can you please tell me of a chicken that can take the heat pretty well? Also, what is the difference between white and brown eggs? Hi to all, with eggs prices these days I am thinking to get a couple of chickens and commit to them but I live in far west texas in the middle of the desert, here is very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter not like new york.
Does you guys have any recommendation for me? I just got 20 young chicks and 4 days later I lost one and 3 others are acting strang what should I do I don't want to lost all. Make sure aloes they have water and food available.
To reduce mortality very important add special vitamins to the water, you can by them in any pet store. I just got 20 young chicks and 4 days later I lost one and 3 others are acting strang what should I do I don't want to loose them all. Our neighbors raise chickens…I love chickens, I love their sounds, and I love their eggs. Their tunneling is destroying the brick patio and back fence line flower bed.
How can we get through to our neighbors that they need to make a change? Please HELP!! You can have rat problems without chickens. The best way to handle rats is to put out some fresh coke in a container where they can get to it.
Rats love the sugar in coke and will be attracted to it. They can't burp, so the carbonation in the coke expands in their intestines and explodes, killing them. They won't have time to dig holes. They come, drink and die. By the way, rats are very prolific and produce hundreds of little ones each year. So if you have rat holes you likely have nests of rats in the ground. The coke will attract and kill all of them. But, you can expect to pick up dead rats all over your yard until they have been eliminated.
I have two hens and one rooster In a 5'-5' coop. I am not wanting to eat the eggs I am wanting babies. One of the hens laid 3 eggs and after the third day I noticed the hens ate the eggs. What should I do?? Well a couple of things. First, if you want your hens to hatch out their eggs, you need a hen that is "broody". Not all hens are broody and a lot of breeds are bred to be non-broody. A broody hen has a behavioral tendency to sit on a clutch of eggs to incubate them. She will be very defensive, refuse to leave the nest, often she pulls feathers from her breast to line the nest and keep the eggs warmer.
They will not eat or drink while exhibiting broodiness. If you don't have a broody hen you wont have chicks. Once hens start eating their eggs, they are very hard to stop. If you want to hatch your own chicks, you will need to get rid of your current hens since they are now eating eggs, and find a hen that is broody. Easier yet, buy an incubator and hatch the eggs yourself. The RSPCA opposes these practices which prevent roosters from crowing because they prevent naturally motivated behaviours leading to negative animal welfare outcomes.
Keeping a rooster in a neighbourhood where you may have to use methods that prevent or discourage them from expressing natural behaviours like crowing will result in poor welfare for that rooster. Roosters are best kept in areas where the risk of neighbourhood complaints due to excessive noise is negligible and they are free to perform all their natural behaviours.
If you do choose to have a rooster, then it is important that they are provided with comfortable, clean and suitable housing that protects them from the weather and predators. They should also be provided with an enriching environment that includes perches and forms of enrichment that provide opportunities for and encourage natural behaviours, like dust bathing and foraging.
Instead of getting a rooster or attempting to breed your own hens, if you would like to increase your backyard hen flock, then you could source hens from a rescue organisation. Chickens are very social creatures and naturally develop a social hierarchy within their flocks. It is therefore very important to allow new birds time to adjust and find their place within the flock. Introducing new birds is best done in pairs and birds should be of a similar age and size to your other hens to prevent the new birds from being isolated or bullied by the flock.
New birds should be housed initially in a separate fenced off area for several days to allow them to meet and socialise with the flock while still being kept safe.
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