Winter Chicken talk

Its winter, your hens have probably taken their much needed annual leave and they have stopped laying.  Taking care of them through the winter will help give them a boost for spring.  Also now is a great time for coop reno’s before you introduce any spring chicks.

1)      Keep the coop dry, and draft free (still allow for fresh air and ventilation, just stop the breeze making a push in) Damp floors are much colder then dry ones. So keep the water out.

2)      If you use bedding in the coop, add extra depth, consider the deep litter method. If you have a dirt/sand floor or you have pavers/tile keeping the floor dry during the colder months will help keep your chickens healthy, you can always add some insulation around the walls and under roost bars to help keep the chooks warm.

3)      During the colder nights chickens will burn more calories, so giving them some extra mealworms, BSF (Black Soldier Fly) larvae or corn will help give them a calorie boost, so will grapes and small amounts of banana or cooked fish all on top of their regular balanced feed.

4)      You may see info on adding heat to the coop, but in the Redlands we don’t get any where close to those freezing temps, and a heat lamp just becomes a hazard. Your chickens will be fine in their feather jumpers also long as the coop is draft free, dry, and they are not bald or infested with mites.

5)      Chickens can get bored in the winter, as there is not as much happening, particularly in small coop spaces.  Interactions and daily treats also tend to happen less as we don’t like to go out in the cold either.  Add a hanging cabbage or bundle of leaves for them to peck around, add leaf litter for them to scratch though and look for the meal worms in. string apple pieces on a dowel and leave it for them to peck, or fill a hamster treat ball with some grains and watch them attempt a world cup match.  Live foods like crickets are also good for a entertaining treat. Bored chickens can get destructive and start to peck at each others feathers, causing bald spots.

6)      Cleaning.  As painful as it is to go outside in the cold and clean out poop (nitrogen gold) its also harmful to leave chicken deposits sitting in the coop for days. The build up of the ammonia released from the poop can damage your chickens lungs and lead to immune depleted chooks. Healthy chooks with good lungs can fight off respiratory infections.  And a clean coop is less likely to attract sky rats (pigeons) into it and keep your birds healthier all round.

7)      Add in a diverse mix of forage greens for the hens.  Change up what gets offered daily, and compost what doesn’t get eaten. and keep up with the shell grit.

- Silver beet for Vitamin A, C and Calcium chopped fine to avoid impacting the crop

-Chickweed,14-20% common weed chooks go nuts for,(same as the bindis, chooks love them young and tender)

- Moringa, sitting at 38% protein, age them a day to improve digestibility for the chooks

-Papaya, feed leaves or fruit, leaves are 26% protein.

-Tagaste (Tree Lucerne) 20-24% protein, and part of the legume family

- Pigeon Pea, 9-22% protein, chooks can eat the leaves (save the seeds for planting)

- Sweet Potato, 12% Protein, dried leaves or fresh.  Allow it to grow through the coop for free pickings

-Pumpkin vines (and shelled seeds) trim of the excess vines and pop in the coop.

- Herbs, parsley, plantain, thyme, calendula(flowers and leaves), marigold (petals), Oregano, Comfrey (in moderation), Mint, Basil, Rosemary, Dill, Coriander, fennel, Lavender, Sage, Dandelion, chamomile, Turmeric (dried root powder), Yarrow, Nettle.

Best time to take on big garden projects is now, so if you are thinking of getting chickens in spring (day olds around end of September, and point of lay is good mid February (18wks old) around to end of March (24wks old) then now is the best time to build your coop. Chickens need shelter from the sun and the rain. They need a place to go to get out of the wind. They need a rodent proof feeder, fresh water daily and preferably space to have a dust bath, a scratch around and forage. Chickens also need a roost to sleep and if you don't want it to be easter Sunday every day, a nesting box for them to lay eggs. You should also check the local council regulations on chickens for your block.

Happy chook keeping.