It’s not just about collection of eggs as many sitters might think.

If you are away for a week or longer, some cleaning will probably need to be done. Spend time to show the chicken sitter how you normally do things.

As summer is the most likely time for red mite to strike, use plenty of mite powder in the coop and bedding; you don’t want to return to an infestation!

Do a weather check for the period you’re away, do you need to move the Coop to a shadier spot?

There’s so much to think about, here’s a handy guide that you can leave for your sitter.

Download Here

Keeping chickens is really quite easy providing you do your homework and get the right equipment. If you’re trying to decide if keeping chickens is for you, read on.

Benefits of keeping chickens

• Delicious, freshly laid eggs with stunning orange yolks!
• They feast on garden pests such as slugs and snails, providing organic bug control.
• Your children will learn where their food comes from and how to take care of animals – Chickens make great pets!
• They can assist with composting.
• Their poo is high in nitrogen and makes a great organic fertiliser.

Food & Water

Chickens need a constant supply of layers pellets, grit and a supply of fresh water, as they can drink between 500 ml to 1L per day in hot weather. It pays to invest in a quality feeder and waterer that will not only prevent your flock from knocking it over, but also protect the food supply from pests like mice and rats. Hanging the food and water helps to keep the water and food clean.

Dealing with Unwanted Behaviours

Your girls may peck one another when they’re bored; feeding them treats and putting toys in the run is the perfect way to distract from this behaviour. The more space your birds have the less likely this is to happen.

Where to keep chickens

You need enough space in your garden for a chicken coop and somewhere for your girls to exercise.

Your coop should have

• Around half a square metre floor area for each bird.
• A perch for them to stand on while they sleep.
• An exercise space, or ‘run’.
• A nesting box filled with suitable bedding for the hens to lay eggs.

Which breed of chicken should you choose?

There are many breeds of chicken to choose from and different breeds have particular characteristics. Popular “starter” birds include Rangers, Amber stars and Rhode Rocks – they are easy to take care of and produce a lot of eggs. Mixed breeds of chickens, or commercial ‘hybrids’ generally lay more eggs than pure breeds. We also have hens that lay different coloured eggs that are very popular. Blue/Green, white and dark brown egg layers are all standard breeds available every month at The Poultry Centre. The best way to choose is to talk to our experts who can guide you.

If you need help or advice give our team of experts a call on
01327 354 126 or pop into the Poultry Centre

Start preventative red mite treatment

Red Mite are notoriously difficult to remove once they’ve taken residence.
They love the warmer weather and can multiply very quickly; if you don’t treat them you’ll soon have a serious infestation to deal with.

If you find mites in your coop treat the coop urgently:

Small numbers

Wash the house down with a mite killing liquid and use a product such as Smite or any mite killing powder such as Diatomaceous Earth to kill them.

Larger numbers

(Serious cases need repeat cleaning and powdering every 3 to 5 days until no evidence remains)
1. Clear out the coop including all bedding. Anything that will disconnect from the coop – remove it. If you have felt roof on the house, remove that (they live underneath the felt too).
2. Jet wash every inch, crack and crevice of the coop. When you stop jetting, the mites will start to move around. Repeat the process, until you see no red mites moving around.
3. Rebuild the coop. We wouldn’t bother re-felting the roof, use a removable waterproof cover such as an old ground sheet or some large sheets of plastic.
4. Dust all over the inside of the housing with a product such as Smite, including bedding. These mite powders contain silicates that damage the waxy cuticle on the mite’s surface, causing them to dehydrate and die. Coat the perches with the powder, reapplying it every couple of days.

It is very difficult to keep on top of Red Mite
To control numbers and eventually rid yourself of Red Mite, you need to break the breeding cycle – you must repeat no more than 7 days later. A female red mite in warm conditions can lay 120,000 eggs in one week!

Your brooder needs to be set up with a suitable heat source to keep your chicks nice and warm. Whatever you use, make sure you choose red bulbs; injury doesn’t show under red light. Under white light, any bloody spot will immediately attract pecking by the other chicks, who will happily peck each other to death. 

CHICK WATCH

Young chicks need to be close to water and food at all times. Make sure you use shallow drinkers to prevent them drowning. Line your brooder (a small animal cage) with wood shavings with large flakes or try Easichick wood fibre bedding (do not use sawdust which gets ingested when pecking and can make your chicks ill).

We love eggs at the Poultry Centre!

An all-natural source of quality protein and good cholesterol, all for 70 calories. Cost-effective and versatile, the unique nutritional composition of eggs can help meet a variety of nutrient needs for children through to older adults. Nutrition research suggests eggs can play a role in weight management, muscle strength, healthy
pregnancy, brain function, eye health and more.

Of course, collecting the eggs at the Poultry centre has always been part of the fun – and with such a wide variety of egg layers on sale here, there’s something for all tastes.

A perennial favourite is what the Americans call the ‘Easter Egger’. These hybrid hens lay high quality eggs in an astonishing blue colour all the year round.

Like your eggs brown? Try one of our Cou-cou maran hybrids with their speckled honey coloured eggs. If browner is better, try our brown egg specials, laying good size eggs all year round the colour of conkers!

Then of course there is wonderful white – our lovely leghorns lay surprisingly large white eggs (for small birds – ouch!) that go wonderfully in omelettes.

Whatever colour you prefer, if you like the idea of collecting your own flavour of fresh egg on the day it was laid – come have a chat with our knowledgeable poultry team.

If you have any questions about anything Poultry please give us a call and speak to one of our team. Click here to contact us.

If your chickens are not kept in secure runs they are easy prey. Foxes are extremely intelligent and determined opportunists, so to prevent them from taking your flock you need to outsmart the cunning chap. Here’s our quick guide…

Chicken Coops

Your birds need to be securely locked inside a coop at night to prevent a fox attack. We stock a comprehensive range of self-enclosed coops to keep your birds safe. We recommend placing the coop on hard ground (so a lawn as opposed to soft mud) as this will make it virtually impossible for the fox to gain access.
Electric Fencing

Electric fencing is the best method to protect your birds if they are free ranging in a field. We stock the full range of Rutland Electric Fencing. The electric fencing kits have everything you need and are available in 25m and 50m kits. Alternatively, you can have an energiser and wires, and section off a larger area – we can advise you on suitable systems.

Fox Holes

If you spot a Fox Hole on your property, you can block it, but make sure that you’re not burying one alive. To poison or trap a fox is illegal.

IF YOU NEED HELP PROTECTING YOUR FLOCK FROM FOXES (AND EVEN BADGERS), please TALK TO ONE OF POULTRY TEAM.

If you have any questions about anything Poultry please give us a call and speak to one of our team. Click here to contact us.

Keeping Ducks

Ducks are getting more and more popular as people who have had chickens for a while look to get a little more ambitious in the type of poultry they have. Ducks are great pets to have and despite them being a little messier than chickens and needing more water it’s well worth the effort.

Here is what you need to consider if you want to get some ducks:

Housing

Ducks don’t roost like chickens do so any house you use for ducks just needs a flat base and a roof to keep them dry. This makes it a little easier to keeps ducks as you can use any old garden shed (as long as it’s secure) , although proper duck houses are advised.

Keep it clean

Make sure you keep their house and enclosure clean. If a ducks enclosure gets messy  the duck can develop a condition known as bumblefoot. Bumblefoot is a bacteria that swells the pads of the foot and makes it very painful for the duck to stand. If left untreated, bumblefoot could eventually cause infection.

Water

As I’m sure you already know ducks need more water than chickens. They need clean swimming water to bathe in to keep them clean and so they can maintain their water proofing.  We have shallow rubber tub trugs for our ducks to splash around in but there is nothing better for a duck than having a pond to swim on. This also enables them to get away from predators like foxes when they need to.

Food

You can feed them Chicken food but ideally they would eat specialist duck food. Just make sure they have some available all of the time.

If you have any questions about ducks or anything else Poultry please give us a call and speak to one of our team. Click here to contact us.

Cheers,

Chris

6 Frequently asked questions about keeping chickens……

1. Do you need a cockerel for the Hens to lay eggs?

Hens will lay eggs whether they are in with a cockerel or not. If you would want to breed from the eggs they lay then you need a cockerel to fertilise them. For a scrambled egg breakfast , all you need are hens.

2. How many eggs do chickens lay?

It depends on the breed. Specialised laying birds can lay up to 300 a year, at a rate of 1 a day for most of the year, but stopping shortly during the winter. Rare breeds will lay considerably less, so how many eggs you want from your chickens should have a large influence on which breed you buy.

3. Do I have to let my chickens out during the day?

Most good quality chicken houses come with runs attached meaning that the chickens have a place to sleep at night and somewhere to peck around outside during the day. This means that as long as you don’t ram the thing full of chickens they will be very happy spending all their time in their pen. All pens come with a recommended number of inhabitants so just check with a member of staff or in the brochure.

4. What can I do to keep the fox away from my chickens?

Keeping them in the pen Is the most effective way of keeping foxy at bay. Traditionally people let their chickens roam free in the garden during the day and lock them up at night but in my experience even doing that is a risk now. If you want to let them roam around electric fencing is the most effective way of keeping them safe but a well fenced garden is also a deterrent.

5. Can I leave my chickens if I go on holiday?

Your chickens will be very happy for you to take a break on holiday as long as you leave them enough food for the duration of your time away. There is nothing wrong with filling the feed and water dispenser and leaving them to it. However, if you’re going away for a longer period of time – say longer than a few days its best to ask someone to pop round occasionally to check they are ok.

6. How often do I need to clean out my chickens?

Here at the Bell Plantation we clean out our chicken houses once a week to keep them clean and healthy ready for sale. This reduces the risk of illness and keeps them looking fresh and clean. If you don’t fancy doing it this often once every fortnight will be fine, but just be prepared for a little harder work