ChickensReader submitted

Hi, I'm quite keen on getting some rescued chickens – would love it if you could do an article in your magazine, about what I would be required to provide them (ie. how much space, best place to get food, and what sort of cover etc).... and maybe a DIY design for a homemade chicken house!!!!  And if anyone has any tips about keeping them, I'd love to hear them – thanks!!

 

04/11/2012  7:54 pm by petstuff101

Here's some basic info we've put together for our customers. We have four Brown Shavers ourselves - they are surprisingly entertaining, and are easier to care for than you think - and best of all: we never have to buy eggs!!! We made our run from old painting trellises and some nail plates, recycled chicken wire and some good old-fashioned elbow grease - total cost under $30!
 
 0-6 weeks of age

• Young Chick Brooder - Can be as simple as a sturdy cardboard box or a small animal cage like one you'd use for rabbits.
• Flooring - Pine shavings work best. Try to stay clear of newspaper since it doesn't absorb well and can be slippery.
• Temperature - 30 deg C. for the first week, decrease 5 deg. per week. A 100 watt bulb pointing in one corner (not the whole brooder) works well. Can move the lamp further away to decrease temp.
• Food & water – Must be available AT ALL TIMES. Chick starter crumbles in a chick feeder or low rimmed plate & a chick waterer. DO NOT feed layers feed. Replace spoilt food and refresh water at least daily.
• Keep your chicks warm, dry, fed and watered and you shouldn’t have any problems.

 7-16 weeks of age

• Chicken Coops - Once feathered out you'll want to move your young chickens into a chicken coop! Rule of thumb is about 2-3 square feet per chicken inside the hen house and 4-5 sq/ft per chicken in an outside run. Keep local predators in mind and make a safe home for your flock! Young chooks can’t defend themselves against cats and dogs so keep them safe. Keep your young chooks inside at night if it is still cold outside. To prevent bad habits of sleeping in the nest box, keep this area blocked off until your chooks are about to start laying.
• Flooring - Pine shavings work best. Hay or straw can also be used. 
• Food & water – Chick Grower Pellets is specifically formulated for growing chicks 7-16 weeks of age. Let your chicks eat as much as they want – have available at all times. A chicken feeder could now be used. Water in a chicken waterer could now be used – water must be available AT ALL TIMES.
• Keep your young chooks warm, dry, fed and watered.

16 weeks+

• Chicken Coops - Rule of thumb is about 2-3 square feet per chicken inside the henhouse and 4-5 sq/ft per chicken in an outside run. Ensure you have at least one nesting box per 3 chickens. Nesting boxes should be just big enough for your chicken to sit and turn around in. Chickens like to perch while sleeping, ensure you have a perch inside the hen house at a higher elevation to the nest box (otherwise they will sleep and poop all through the nesting box).
• Flooring - Pine shavings work best. Hay or straw can also be used. 
• Food & water – Chicken Layer Pellets or Mash is specifically formulated for laying hens and should be fed from 18 weeks onwards. If you have a small flock you can let your chicks eat as much as they want – they won’t overeat. A chicken feeder is ideal. Water in a chicken waterer is ideal – water must be available AT ALL TIMES. Food scraps, wheat, silver beet and other veges can now also be fed as a treat/supplement.
• Oyster Shell Grit should be available at all times in a separate container to their food. The calcium from the oyster shell helps maintain healthy strong egg shells and ensures the chicken doesn’t take the calcium from their own bones. Chickens instinctively know when and how much oyster shell they need.
• Worming – Ensure your chickens are wormed regularly. Some wormers require a withholding period, so make sure you read the instructions.
• Laying - Depending on the breed of your chooks, most chickens will start laying eggs at 16-22 weeks of age. It is quite common for beginner layers to lay unusual eggs like small, irregular shaped, soft shelled or no shell and the good old double yolkers! This is likely to settle down over time. Most chickens will lay one egg per day.
• Moulting – Most chickens will go through a moult over winter. During this period they are likely to replace feathers and may look a little rough round the edges. Their egg laying is likely to drop and may even stop over this period. Don’t worry, their feathers will return and their laying will return to normal as the daylight hours increase.

 Happy chicken keeping!!

 

05/11/2012  2:46 am by Greg Roughan - Editor Green Ideas

Aha - you'll be wanting to read our lanch issue then! We have a great four-page feature on raising chickens, with some contacts for anyone looking to raise rescued chickens too. I must say this question and answer looks like a cheesy set-up, but honestly, it ain't!

 

05/11/2012  3:10 am by Wordsmith65

Haha, no I can confirm it wasn't - best I get out there and get the launch issue right now then - I've been looking forward to it! Thanks for these great ideas. Now I just need to get handy with a hammer and start building a chicken house.

 

05/11/2012  7:40 am by petstuff101

LOL we can also confirm no cheese here! Our tips and info are from our own experience and research we've done since we've had our chickens - we actually haven't read the first issue yet - haven't have time to run out and grab it yet!! :0)

 

10/11/2012  4:41 am by ingrid

Hi there :) we started off with rescue chickens too. I think it's a good thing to remember they need to get used their new 'outdoor environment'. They will have to get used to pecking order, the extremes in temperatures, learning how to roost, and eating a new variety of food, etc, the two groups of rescue hens that we bought laid for a few days then took about 6-8 weeks off laying so they could grow their feathers back. But they do pick up their natural behaviours eventually and it's great to see them scratching, dust-bathing and chilling in the sun!

 

12/11/2012  5:47 am by bramble14

I love chickens and come from a British farming back ground myself - please make sure they have lots of space to run around in and that you have adequate fencing for them so they don't roam too far! I can't stand it when some ‘city folk’ say they're going to become part-time farmers and get a small selection of animals then really don't know how to look after them. Many do and it's those I say well done to and good luck! :D