Image courtesy of SentientBeings.org |
First, check any local council regulations regarding backyard poultry. Some council areas don’t allow poultry-keeping while others may have restrictions on the number of permits they issue. Find out the cost of a permit and what it will take to maintain it: it could be costly and might involve regular inspections throughout the year.
Secondly, set up an enclosed area that is big enough for the number of chickens you intend to get. Chickens are social creatures and they’re happiest in groups of between three and 12. Set up an area that protects your flock from threats like foxes and stray dogs, and gives each chicken plenty of room to move (about one square metre per chicken).
Next, have a think about food. Household scraps, weeds from your garden and grains are the best foods. Chickens enjoy a varied diet, and they really like to free-range if possible. Find a good source of pellets or grain, preferably organic, from a local fodder shop. Set up food and water bowls that won’t tip over easily and make sure there are enough to go around. One small food bowl for a dozen hens will have them fighting and fussing; two or three will help keep the peace.
Next, install some laying boxes. One box for every four laying chickens should give everyone an opportunity to do their business without having to cross their legs as they wait in line. A laying box needn’t be expensive – a lawn mower catcher, the interior chamber from an oven or a bucket on its side will suffice. Pad the laying box with straw, lawn clippings or mulch.
While you’re pondering laying boxes, ponder over sleeping perches. Chickens were originally jungle-dwellers who slept high up in trees for safety, so they will instinctively look for a high perch to sleep on. Something as simple as a sturdy stick or broom handle will suffice – secure it horizontally in place at least half a metre off the ground.
Once you’ve set up the space, it’s time to purchase your flock. You might have a number of options, depending on where you live. Sometimes ex-battery hens are available at a bargain price – these sad creatures often look terrible because they’ve endured some awful conditions in their short lives, but they rehabilitate remarkably well. Another option is to buy “point-of-lay” adolescent chickens. Look for chickens that have not been debeaked, a painful practice done to day-old chicks to prevent them from inflicting damage on each other in a stressful battery situation. Chickens that are fully beaked can pick up their food easily and forage more successfully.
In the first few weeks that you put chickens together in a group you might see a lot of chasing, squawking, feather-pulling and comb-biting as they determine their pecking order. Competition for resources will be ruthless. You can minimise the carnage by providing enough space for more lowly hens to escape, even creating a circular enclosure that has no corners to get trapped in.
If the nastiness continues past about two months, you might have to get serious and find the girls a good man. Even the craziest little bantam rooster can turn into the peace dove. He, too, will be the object of abuse initially, but he will quite quickly take charge of the situation and pull his little harem into line. One rooster can handle about a dozen hens. A note about roosters: they crow continuously at 3 o’clock in the morning. Consider this carefully and check local council regulations before introducing the man of your dreams (literally).
Depending on breed, a chicken might lay one egg a day for most of her life. She will dispose of kitchen waste, fertilize the garden, eat weed seeds in the soil and till the garden bed with her strong claws. She is a low-maintenance pet that doesn’t need vaccinations or daily walks and she doesn’t shed on the carpet.
Finally, a relationship with a little hen can be very good for the soul, as anyone who has sat for a while to commune with a happy flock will tell you. She can be your link to the earth at the end of a hard day. And you’ll never have to wonder if she’s as happy as the picture on the egg carton.
Clip courtesy of Path to Freedom
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