Red Brolly

Raising Chickens | Time to give that coop a spring clean!

An important part of henkeeping is making sure your coop stays clean. The girls love having a clean space to lay their lovely eggs. Keeping happy chickens will reward you. Just before Christmas we had a fox come and take my entire flock of 13 hens. Over the following months, the time was used to take a break from the chickens and have a good clean out of the coop- ready for my next flock! As you can see from the following photos, my coop was taken over by my kitchen scraps starting to take seed and grow!

An important part of having a chicken coop is making sure that there is plenty of room for the number of chickens that you intend on keeping. Most advice is that you will need about 4 square foot of space per hen. But you need to look at it realistically and ask yourself....Does this look like there is enough space and would I be happy in there?

My coop has a hen house with a perch and nesting boxes, a large run, but, I also let my chickens free-range most days. There is plenty of room inside the hen house, space outside to scratch around in, logs to jump on, a pit with sand to fluff their feathers in, an undercover area and there is also jasmine and passionfruit vines growing over part of the coop to provide shade.

When building your coop, it's important to remember to build it so it is easy to keep clean. You will need to clean out your coop every 4-6 weeks. Having a side of the coop that opens is useful. When spring cleaning your coop you will need to scoop out all of the sawdust and give it a good sweep before replacing the coop with new sawdust. After you have done this, treat your coop, the perches and nesting boxes with a good lice treatment. You should also change the sand in the sand box and shake some lice treatment into the sand and mix it around.

It's important that you provide plenty of space for your girls to nest and lay their eggs. Nesting boxes need to be roomy, comfortable, warm, ventilated and clean. They should be easy to access to collect the eggs. You don't want to be rummaging around trying to find where your hens have layed their eggs each morning.

Hens will also need a perch where they roost of a night. You will find that on dusk your girls will make the trek to their perch automatically and go down to roost. I have to admit, I did go a little overboard in my coop and provide the girls with a window to look out of and a window box. Very spoilt hens!

 

Lastly, as I've discovered personally, you will need to make sure your coop is predator proof. When giving your coop a clean it's the perfect time to just walk around the perimeter and check that everything is secure, that soil hasn't washed away and that ther are no weak points in your fence. Believe me, a crafty fox will find a spot to get through!

A great way to keep predators away is to add bunting or flags to your coop, make a scarecrow and plant mint to use as a natural deterrant for rats.

So, this weekend, get out have a spring clean of your coop...or perhaps even start building one!

In the next raising chicken blog post we'll be giving you tips of how to keep your girls happy little hens.

 

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Raising Chickens | There's a fox in the hen house!

 

This post is a somewhat sad post and one that I didn't intend on posting. I guess it's part and parcel of raising chickens.....sad news.....we've had a fox in the hen house!

During the week I awoke at 2.30am to hear a chicken squawking outside my window. I went back to sleep, then 5 mins later my eyes popped open....."Why was a chicken outside my window?"

The coop is right down in the back corner of our yard. I instantly jumped up out of bed and ran outside, just in time to see a sneaky fox sitting in our driveway! Caught red handed!! It scurried away across the road to the paddocks on the other side, but my heart sunk. I took a torch and fumbled my way through the dark garden down to the chicken coop to see the damage. I was prepared for 1, maybe 2 chickens.....but not all 6! The fox had taken all of my girls- all of my flock gone in one night.

Feather's were everywhere! The damage had been done. I searched in the trees and around the garden with my torch, trying to find any chickens that may have been able to escape and hide, but I couldn't find any. I went to check on the chicks that were locked up in the garage, but they were fine. I'm telling you.....I must've been a sight at that time of the morning!

I returned to bed, but had a very restless sleep. It was my fault, I had forgotten to lock the chicken coop door! Can you believe it?

So I thought that I would give you some tips on how to fox proof your chicken coop.

Most people think that foxes only live in rural areas. But, foxes are pretty smart, crafty animals. They will go wherever there is an easy and reliable food source. You can find foxes scouring through the rubbish bins even in suburbia.

When having chickens the most important way to fox proof your coop is to make sure that the foxes can't tunnel up underneath the coop. If you have one of those mobile chicken tractor's, it's pretty easy as they usually come with wire mesh across the bottom. Chickens love to scratch, so make sure the wire mesh has large enough squares for the chickens to scratch through, but are small enough so the fox can't get through.

If you have built your chicken coop and it's fixed in one position, it's important to make sure that you dig your wire into the ground. Make sure that it's deep enough into the ground so that a fox can't dig under it- a good depth is about 60cm. This acts like a barrier and should prevent foxes from tunneling in to get your girls.

 

Make sure that the wire netting you use is "proper" chicken wire. The holes need to be of the right size and the wire needs to be strong enough to withstand foxes from gnawing at it. Wire fences need to  be high enough to ensure that a chicken can't fly over it and a fox can't leap over it. A good height is about 1.8m.

Foxes have an excellent sense of smell. Like most predators they can smell prey from miles away. Keep your coop clean and give it a regular wash out. You can use the fox's sense of smell against him. Collect hair from all members of the family- about 4 or more people. Place the hair in an old stocking and hang it in the chicken coop- near where you think he might get in. This will trick the fox as they will smell the scent of 4 different humans and think that there are humans near-by.

 

Always remember to lock up your flock each night in their house!

  I have since been to "The Chicken man" to replenish my flock. He have me some the girls you see above. I asked him for "some pretty birds," and this is what he came back with. I have no idea what breed they are, and neither did he!! So if you are able to help me out I would love to know what breed the speckly birds are. "The Chicken man" is a story in itself which I'll leave for another day.

I've also got a new quilt pattern just about to be released. It's a quilt designed around holidaying in the country and I've designed 2 embroidery blocks around this recent misadventure.

What do you think?

 

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{Sustainable Living} Chickens:: New additions to the family

There have been some new additions to the Red Brolly family!! Some new, day old baby chicks arrived at the house this week. 5 to be exact, and they are going to be a great addition to my flock. New chicks were needed as my hens are getting a little older and getting to be a little unreliable with their laying. I need to keep my eggs in a steady supply. I must admit, though...5 is a little excessive. I have more chickens than I actually need, but they are such great pets and I couldn't say "no" to these cute, fluffy, little chicks. I have the same breeds as I already have...Leghorns, Australops and Rhode Island Reds.


Raising Day old chicks you will need:-

1. A place to keep them- I have an old bookshelf with the shelves removed. I lay it down on the ground and have chicken wire secured across the top. My chicks live in the garage.

2. You will need something to absorb all their poop. And believe me...they poop a lot! A good covering of saw dust is perfect.

3. Your chicks will need to be in a draught free area- cover part of your cage with cardboard to keep some warmth in their "brooder."

4. They will need food and water- which will need to be checked regularly. For the first 6 weeks your chicks will need "starter" feed. This is much smaller, ground up feed and is easier for the chicks to eat. It has all the nutrients and minerals that your chicks will need in their first few weeks. After the first 6 weeks your chicks will progress onto "grower" feed, which is a slightly larger sized feed. Water will need to be checked regularly. It needs to be clean and fresh. It's important that the dish you use is suitable as often chicks can drown in their water.

5. The last thing they will need in the first few weeks is a source of heat. They need to be kept warm and comfortable. This will be the biggest outlay, a red light is better as your chicks will be able to sleep easier and it will also reduce the chance of pecking each other.

Easy!! Once you are set up, you will be able to have chicks all the time!

Raising day old chicks is fun and something the kids will love to be involved with. They love being held and cuddled. What is really cute, they think that you are their mother and love to follow you around the backyard.

Chickens make great pets. They provide you with nutritious, fresh eggs,  plus they're great helpers in the garden. They love to eat your kitchen scraps and they are natural bug and weed controllers. They love to spend their time scratching through your garden eating up all of your snails, bugs and creepy crawlies. Put them in your compost pile and they'll scratch their way through it, turning it as they go.

The first year of laying-depending on your breed- you can expect 5-6 eggs per week. You can see why I was a little excessive with the new chicks. Once fully grown, I will have 10 chickens...and lots of eggs! At least I'll be popular with friends and neighbours!!

It's best to buy your chicks from reputable breeders and ensure that your chicks have been vaccinated. You don't want any diseases in your flock. Sexing is done on day 1- unless you live out of town, you may not want a rooster. Check with your local council regarding roosters in your area. The last thing you want is to annoy your neighbours with a crowing rooster at 5am- even if you are supplying them with fresh, free-range eggs!

And do you want to know their names....?? I must admit I had some little helpers offer their assistance, as I have in the past. Already I have; Peaches, Isabella, Honey, Buzz and Smurf. Adding to the family is; May, Mabel, Apricot, Midnight Sparkles AND...........

One to be named by you!

Please leave your suggestions below in the comment section and I'll consider my choices and let you know. Be creative (In case you were wondering, she's a white, leghorn that remains nameless).

 

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{Sustainable Living} Chickens- Meet my flock

Do you keep chickens? In my earlier years I used to show my chickens at the local district country agriculture shows...and I won a few times I must admit.

Ther are 7 "girls"  in the flock at the moment with one boy, I'm hoping to add a few more come this spring as my girls are getting a little older and not so reliable with their laying. As part of some new topics on the blog, I thought that I would trial hints and tips for keeping backyard chickens. What do you think? Is this something you are interested in?

My flock live in a gorgeous "Taj Mahal" of chicken coops which we built one long weekend in Spring a few years ago. It's quite lovely really and the girls (plus boy) really seem quite happy there. Everyday I let them out to free-range around my backyard.  I'll show you it next time, but for now, I thought that I would share with you some of the birds in my current flock.

I have 2 Rhode Island Reds (RIR) in my flock. RIR's are excellent breeds if you are wanting a chicken that regularly lays eggs. I can count on my girls for 5-6 large eggs per week, though this does drop off over winter. The hens are pretty docile, but the roosters can be quite aggressive. These chickens just love to forrage in the backyard and are a great breed if you have children. When they see you coming they freeze, waiting to be picked up.

I also have 2 black Australorps hens. These chickens are beautiful and are one of my favourite breeds. They have great big fluffy plumage, and their feathers are gogeous and glossy and in certain light they have a green sheen to them. These girls are also regular layers- again, I can get 5-6 eggs per week. My 2 Australorps are very docile and like to stay nice and close to the coop when allowed out to free range.

There are also 3 leghorn hens in my flock, I won't go into the details of their variety, maybe another time, but I do want to introduce you to my pride and joy.

I'd like you to meet....

Isn't he gorgeous? I just love his feathers. He is the most friendliest ball of fluffy feathers you will ever meet. Very calm, very docile and don't let looks deceive you- they will crow as loud and as often as any other rooster. Cochins are terrible layers, so if you are wanting a hen, don't expect a regular supply of eggs. They really are just for show. However, they do require a little bit of work. Cochins like to keep their feet dry and if you want to keep the feathers around their toes looking clean, you will need to trim them back every now and then and also give them a bit of a wash.

So, over the Spring I'll be getting some new chicks to add to my growing flock of chickens. I think I'll have some regular layers and then something more ornamental.

Do you have any ideas of some great breeds?

 

 

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