Many aspects make a happy chicken. A healthy happy chicken lays more eggs and can fight off many things, such as disease, parasites and lice. While these steps can’t guarantee any of these things, it will give you a big head start.
Hygiene Many animals including cats-dogs-chickens are prone to a parasite called Coccidiosis. Most chickens will not show any symptoms, which make it doubly important to wash your hands thoroughly before and after you handle ANY poultry. If you follow simple hygiene it’s rare to have any problems Water Plenty of fresh water is essential not only for the health of your poultry but also there ability to lay. They should have access to water 24 hours a day. Feed For best laying results we recommend feeding your chickens Starter crumble from hatching until 6 weeks, Grower crumble until 16-20 weeks and mainly Layer Crumble from then on. You can get all of these from stock feed places. Enhance this with veggie scraps. As a treat Chickens absolutely love egg biscuit, it also helps the formation of eggs. If their egg shells are weak add some shell grit or egg biscuit to their diets. Grit can also aid in their digestion. | Foraging No matter how much food your chickens have, they love to have a good scratch in your garden. Your garden may not feel the same way. They will scratch up bugs and worms in your garden as well as any young tasty plants (if you like said plants, chicken wire is excellent protection.) Think of it as a mental health day for your chickens. This is a link to a list of poisonous plants. http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/comlist.html Shelter Chickens are vulnerable to predators. If you live in an area where foxes are a problem, consider using fox proof wire around the chicken enclosure. Making sure that it is dug down. Chickens enjoy perching off the ground to sleep They also like to sleep close together. They need protection from the elements and somewhere cozy and private to lay their eggs. While hay is not a necessity it does make the chickens incredibly happy and can increase the amount of eggs. | Sand Baths Chickens like to fill their feathers with sand. When they shake themselves the sand falls out along with any mites or bugs that are hiding. Without access to sand or something similar your chickens will start to look mangy. If your chickens are kept outside they can generally find plenty of sand or dust to bath in. If they don’t have accesses to sand consider making a sand bath for them. One suggestion was getting an old tyre and filling it with sand. Chickens do not like to live on concrete or in wet muddy places. Signs you should be worried. * If your chickens’ wings are drooping and they seem to lack vigour * If your chickens have diarrhea especially if it is tinged with blood Signs you should have worried earlier... * If your chickens die… Please get help for your chickens immediately if ANY of them have these symptoms. |