Who doesn’t want to live on one of those idyllic farms of yesteryears? With vegetable gardens filled with plump produce, fruit trees bursting with apples and cherries, a small but sassy goat milling around, and a flock of chickens roaming free-range through your garden.
Chickens are a rewarding addition to any garden or backyard. They keep unwanted insects away from garden plants; they naturally fertilize and dig through any gardening area. Chickens, with a little love and kindness, are able to provide their human hosts with delicious eggs for many years.
With so much discussion about the need for food security, introducing a small backyard flock encourages sustainability, reduces factory farming and carbon emissions associated with food transportation. Though it is important for the new flock owner to move on from some of the antiquated methods of chicken rearing to more modern holistic methods. A happy chicken will produce far more, better quality eggs than a miserable chicken. It makes good sense, economically and for egg quality, to treat your hens well.
Chickens can live to be 30-35 years old, although the average lifespan of a healthy free-range chicken is about 15 years.
Space
Unfortunately, many small flock owners think that by providing the minimal space requirements they are raising free-range chickens. Definitions of what exactly constitutes free range varies source to source, but what most chicken owners fail to recognize is that chickens need a large space to roam. Coop requirements and the enclosed pen should account for about 4 square feet per chicken. Some chicken farmers use 2 square feet inside and 4 square feet in outdoor areas. The more constricted the chickens’ living quarters the more fighting will occur; this may include pulling out of feathers, pecking, tearing at combs and cannibalism. Fighting diminishes in direct proportion to the amount of space chickens are given.
Chickens shouldn’t spend their lives in the same area — it isn’t good for the chickens or the land. Land becomes polluted after chickens are living on it for a long duration. The acidic faeces builds up over time and renders the land ‘ground foul’. It is important to regularly scrape off the layer of chicken manure (use on the garden or add to compost pile) and redress the top layer of the pen with sand, tiny round stones and organic soil. Many small flock farmers devise mobile coops so chickens can be moved around a larger property thereby fertilizing different gardens and fields.
Chickens require a steady stream of grit, small stones that the chicken swallows. The grit acts like teeth in the chicken’s gizzard, breaking up food into digestible pieces.
Foraging
Chickens, with their strong legs and claws, are foraging creatures. They like to dig, root, and scratch around looking for things to eat — grasses, worms and insects. Chickens will quickly forage over an area and remove all grass and other treats, so after 2-3 days in an enclosure there is no longer anything left to eat or rummage for. A Compassion in World Farming Report UK explains, “In natural conditions hens spend between 50-90% of their waking time foraging, making up to 15,000 pecks a day”. Chickens require a steady stream of grit, small stones that the chicken swallows. The grit acts like teeth in the chicken’s gizzard, breaking up food into digestible pieces.
Dustbathing
Dustbathing is an important part of a hen’s life. She dustbathes to keep her feathers clean and to eliminate annoying body pests. Compassion in World Farming UK describes dust bathing as, “…lying down, tossing earth or loose litter material onto the back and wings, rubbing it into the feathers and then shaking it out”. Hens usually choose to have a dust bath every day, depending on weather conditions and access to dry dusty soil. It is important to include a covered dusting area in the pen enclosure and to ensure chickens have daily access to the garden or yard to seek out preferred dust bath areas.
Coop
A coop should provide chickens with warm, dry, secure shelter. The secure part is particularly important since chickens are vulnerable to numerous types of prey — from raccoons to minx to dogs. A hungry animal or even an animal caught in blood lust will destroy your entire flock in a matter of moments.
Build the coop in a sunny area, with a tree, shrubs or other living features in the pen area. Use untreated woods and avoid toxic paints and finishes. Ensure there is adequate room for nesting boxes (this area needs to be private), roosting area (separate from feeding and nesting area), and space for food and water inside the coop. The coop should have good ventilation (windows with secure wire and lockable windows), a main door for humans to enter and a small side door for chickens to enter and exit. Each door needs to be secure. Raccoons and minx are extremely dexterous and determined — a lethal combination for your hens.
Chickens need to be securely in their coop with the doors closed by dusk and not let out before sunrise. Many predators will lurk around hen coops in the dark or twilight hours. Chickens are usually safe in the daytime from nocturnal predators, however eagles, hawks, wolves, cougars and dogs are still a possible concern during the day light hours.
An inferred infra-red light is also a good addition to your coop. Hens should not be left without heat in below zero weather as the cold weather will prove hazardous to your flock. If a heating source is not available, utilize hot water bottles wrapped in old towels during the cold weather.
Coop Cleanliness
Chickens are chickens. They rummage around constantly and usually drop a lot of faeces – ranging from liquid to lumpy. Many chickens will not foul their nesting area, but they will foul everything else. It is important to keep the coop clean. A dirty coop is a potential breeding ground for mites and other troublesome pests. Gail Damerow, author of The Chicken Healthbook, explains, “An important benefit of good ventilation is preventing the build-up of ammonia fumes from accumulated droppings”.
Chickens can also have a tepid lavender bath during hot weather. The cleaning is intended to remove mites and encrusted faeces around the chicken’s vent.
A coop floor should be spread with clean, non-toxic soft wood shavings each day. On a regular basis (minimum of once a week) enter the coop and remove the dollops of faeces. This should take about 5-10 minutes for a small flock of 6-10 chickens. Spread a bit of fresh sawdust and the hens will stay clean and happy.
Coops require a total clean out twice a year and the use of a non-toxic mite insecticide is recommended. Avoid the use of harsh chemical cleaning agents. Chicken coops can be cleaned with a solution of diluted vinegar, baking soda, simple soap and water. Give the coop adequate time to dry and aerate after cleaning.
Chickens can also have a tepid lavender bath during hot weather. Fill a bucket with water (test water before dipping the chicken) with a few drops of organic lavender essential oil and gently dip the hen in the water. Do not submerge the chicken’s head. The cleaning is intended to remove mites and encrusted faeces around the chicken’s vent.
Food & Water
Food and clean water must always be readily available to chickens. Place several feeding and water areas inside the pen and at least two inside the coop. Try to keep chicken food off the floor as grains will attract rodents and chickens may defecate in the food. Food should be of organic quality; non-organic food may contain high levels of pesticide residue and/or genetically modified ingredients.
Access to adequate drinking water is of particular importance. Chickens consume between 1-2 cups of water a day. Damerow explains, “An chicken’s body is 50% water and an egg is 65% water, making water the most important nutrient in a chicken’s diet”. Chickens prefer running water if possible.
In addition to their normal food, chickens need to have access to oyster shells for calcium that is essential for proper egg production and healthy bones.
Treats
Chickens, like most omnivores, love treats. But don’t feed anything rotten, overly processed, and exclude any fruit rinds, bones or foods that are too spicy. If you won’t eat it yourself, your chickens will probably not appreciate it either. Favourite treats include corn, blueberries, sunflowers, kitchen vegetable scraps (except potatoes), almost all fruit and cooked grains.
Treats are a good encouragement to use with free-range chickens to train them to return to the coop when you call. A glass of sunflower seeds, along with a simple familiar call – Chickens, here chickens – will encourage the hens to return when you want to put them in their pen. It usually takes less than a week to train chickens to come when called, far less time than needed to train a dog.
Try to find a veterinarian that is gentle, caring and treats all animals respectfully. As not all veterinarians treat farm animals kindly.
Health
Like most overbred creatures, chickens do suffer a wide range of health problems. Respiratory illnesses tend to be the most common. Nuisance problems can also include Bumble Foot, mites and worms. Though if a chicken coop is kept clean and dry, good quality organic food is provided and chickens are given regular access to non-fouled ground, your hens will thrive and live a long healthy life. Consider purchasing a simple home chicken flock guidebook to help you identify some of the more common ailments or conditions. Try to find a veterinarian that is gentle, caring and treats all animals respectfully.
Respect Thy Chicken
Chickens can live to be 30-35 years old, although the average lifespan of a healthy free-range chicken is about 15 years. The average life span of a factory-farmed meat chicken is about 6 to 8 weeks and a battery-caged egg laying chicken’s lifespan is between 16-18 months. A free-range chicken may continue to lay eggs for 12-15 years if treated well. After a hen’s egg laying life comes to an end, her usefulness is far from over. A chicken will continue to keep soil aerated, free from unwanted garden pests and produce valuable nitrogen rich manure for the duration of her life.
Resources
Backyard Chickens: http://backyardchickens.com/
Battery Hen Welfare: http://www.bhwt.org.uk/
Chicken Out: http://www.chickenout.ca/
Chicken Out TV: http://www.chickenout.tv/
Compassion in World Farming: http://www.ciwf.org.uk/
Support Chicken Now: http://www.supportchickennow.co.uk/
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written by Keila , June 07, 2010