Rural Smallholdings Magazine » Poultry

Preparing Your Chickens for Winter

Rural Smallholdings — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:25:01 +0000

Egg sales can be a profitable part of making a smallholding successful. Free-range eggs are so much better than battery-cage eggs. You can see it in the color of the egg yolk. So how to do you protect your investment in your chickens so they continue to produce the quantity and quality of eggs you need.

Your first concerns include keeping the birds healthy, dry and comfortable, and safe from predators during the winter months. You don’t want your chickens becoming dinner for the foxes in the area. Nor do you want them to become sick.

Keeping chickens safe from predators on a smallholding

In the UK, everything from foxes and minks to badgers and skunks would love to get to your chickens. As other food sources hibernate, there are less vermin to attract these predators. It isn’t unknown for a mink to burrow up through the floor of a coop, kill every chicken inside, and then only eat one. So what do you do?

The best option for a new smallholder is to build a chicken house that is a half metre off the ground. This makes it difficult for any burrowing predators to hide. But if you already have a building that rests on the ground, dig a three foot deep trench around the building and line it with several rows of chicken wire. Extend the wire about 15 cm above ground and secure with heavy stapes to the chicken coop. Then fill the ditch back in.

As part of your winter preparations, check that all the boards in the chicken housing unit are in good condition. Watch for wood that is rotting around the screws or nails. Hinges and bolts won’t hold if the wood is falling apart. The sensitive noses of the dreaded predators detect these weak spots and can paw their way in.

Install welder’s mesh in all window openings. Then fit each window with acrylic translucent panels that can be propped up if the day gets warm (Perspex is one brand available in the UK). You can also make a “screen” door for the main entry using welder’s mesh.

Keeping chickens dry and comfortable on a smallholding

As a smallholder, keeping your chickens dry involves more than covering them with a roof. It also means preventing excess moisture from building up in the chicken house. You want the chicken house to keep the chickens warm enough, but don’t want to encourage the growth of molds or pests. Ventilation is key. Not only does the free flow of air keep dampness from building up in the chicken coop, it also keeps the chickens healthy by providing fresh air.

Raising a chicken coop off the ground helps with ventilation as well as predator control. But once again, you can work with your existing building. If you have a shake roof, consider replacing it. The felt that is used under the shingles harbors red mites, which can multiply aggressively during the winter months. Replace the shingles with Onduline roofing panels. The profile of this rubberized roofing creates natural vents at the ceiling, while it provides a level of insulation. Twist aluminum screen into the gaps between the perlons and the roofing. It will keep mice from coming in.

Keeping your chickens healthy

Your chickens will stop laying eggs during the winter. This is for two reasons. First, egg production drops when the chickens molt—usually in the late autumn and early winter. It also falls off as day lengths get shorter than 14 hours.

While the chickens are actively molting there is no reason to light the chicken coop. They won’t lay any extra eggs. All their energy is focused on replacing their feathers. But once molting draws to a close, you can use lighting to extend the apparent daylight hours to increase egg production.

Some smallholders place lights on timers to add light at both the beginning and the end of the day. Others just keep the lights on in the evening. The goal is to expose the chickens to 14 hours of light each day. Using full-spectrum lighting simulates the sun’s rays. Both incandescent and electronic bulbs are available. Incandescent bulbs cost more to run, but add heat to the coop if this is needed. Otherwise, compact florescent lights are the most cost effective over the long term.

To protect your chicken’s combs and wattles rub them with a little Vaseline^®. The thin film of oil helps prevent frostbite.

Water is another concern during the winter. Plan to refresh the water several times a day when weather is really cold. Or purchase a bowl with a heating coil that prevents the water from icing over. Adding a liquid vitamin and mineral supplement to the water is a good winter practice as it boosts immunity.

You want to be sure that the chicken’s feed remains dry and fresh. Damp feed can harbor pathogens. Consider adding sweet corn to their rations to help the chickens maintain their body heat.

Mites and lice can really take over during the winter, so it is important to treat the entire chicken house for these pests. If you don’t get this done before winter sets in, the next best thing is to treat the chickens with a lice powder. There are both organic pesticidal and inorganic pesticidal options.

Still looking for Your Smallholding? Visit Greenshifters for the latest smallholdings for sale, rent and exchange.

Click on the links below for more info on learning to care for your chickens:

‘Omlet’ Chicken Course – Hen Party for Beginners – Christmas Special

‘Omlet’ Chicken Courses – Advanced Poultry Keeping

Chicken Keeping Courses Countrywide

Go to ‘Chicken School’

Article by Rural Smallholdings Magazine

Uses for Egg Shells

Rural Smallholdings — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:56:26 +0000

Okay, so you’ve had your eggies and soldiers for breakfast, but then what? What do you do with your egg shells? Do you put them to good use, or simply throw them in the bin?

Here are some ideas of how you can recycle your egg shells. You’ll never have to throw an egg shell away again!

We recommend that you rinse out all egg shells and air dry before reusing elsewhere.

Deterring Snails and Slugs

In the garden, give your plants some added protection from hungry snails. All you need to do is scatter crushed egg shells around your favourite plants. If you have a lot of plants, then obviously you’ll need a lot of egg shells. You can always save your egg shells over the winter months by storing them in a canister or container of some sort, ready for use during Spring and the Summer months.

Forget Seed Trays!

Pop your seeds into cleaned and dried egg shells that you have filled with compost, to give them the best possible start in life. Then pop the egg shells back into the egg box to contain them. If you can get your hands on the cardboard egg trays that hold around 30 eggs, then even better. Once your seedlings are ready to be planted out, all you have to do is to gently break the egg shell around your seedling and then plant the whole lot (egg shell included) into the soil / compost. Egg shells contain calcium, which is why they are so good for your very young seeds and plants.

Better Compost

Mix crushed egg shells into your compost to give your plants additional nourishment.

Quick Boost for your Plants

Add crushed egg shells around the base of your plants to give them an injection of nutrients. Particularly great for your tomato plants!

Did you have boiled eggs for breakfast this morning?

If you did, what did you do with the water that your eggs were cooked in? Some nutrients are released into the water from the eggs during cooking, which would be a shame to waste. After letting the water cool, use it on any of your plants that you feel need that little extra bit of a boost.

Slightly straying from the topic at hand, we put to good use our small coffee cups and saucers – make great egg cups (providing you’ve got large eggs!).

Ditch the Bleach

Apparently egg shells are a really good cleaning agent. Finely crush your egg shells into a powdery like substance. Add a little water and use in drains, and, for example, a heavily stained teapot. Works wonders, I’m told.

We hope that we have given you food for thought. That’s all the ideas we have here at Rural-Smallholdings.co.uk, but if you have any of your own, please let us know by leaving your comments at the bottom of this page. Thank you!

Article and Photography by Rural-Smallholdings.co.uk

Ex-battery Hens for something EGGstra!

Rural Smallholdings — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:24:32 +0000

AN OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE EX-BATTERY HENS A NEW LIFE

Have you considered buying ex-battery hens? No? Then you should! Once battery hens are no longer of any productive use to farmers, many battery hens are slaughtered. Just because the farmer doesn’t want them any more, it doesn’t mean that their egg-laying days are over, it’s just that they aren’t producing enough eggs to make them commercially viable to the farmer.

So why not consider buying a few ex-batery hens for yourself and give them a good home in a better environment? It’ll certainly give you the feel good factor, and I’m sure the hens will be grateful too!

A couple of groups have been set up that buy ex-battery hens from all over the country from such farmers, and then they sell them on to people that will take good care of them – they actually have waiting lists! We have linked to one such group below.

For more information visit the Battery Hen Welfare Trust.

Have you already purchased some ex-battery hens? What do you think of this idea? Leave your comments to share with others.

Can I Sell the Eggs that my Chickens have Produced?

Rural Smallholdings — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 15:50:52 +0000

THE INFORMATION YOU’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR ABOUT SELLING YOUR HENS EGGS

Eggs can be sold direct to the consumer by you:-

From your own farm/smallholding.
In a local public market.
By door to door selling.

Provided that:-

The Class descriptions (Class A, B, C) and weight grades (Sizes S, M, L, XL ) are not used and
A best before date is given to the consumer by a notice or pre-printed note. This is the words “Best Before” followed by a date until which the eggs will remain in a good condition. The best before date must not exceed 28 days from the date of lay.
Eggs must be delivered or sold to the consumer within 21 days of laying.
Eggs must always be sold at least 7 days before the “Best Before” date (This is to allow the consumer a reasonable period of storage).
If you are not a registered packing station you must not supply your eggs to other retail premises.

Can eggs be labelled to show the method of farming?

Yes – eggs may be described as:-

Free Range
Semi-intensive
Deep Litter, or
Perchery (Barn)

But if one of these descriptions is used then the criteria specified for that method of farming must be met.

How must Free Range eggs be produced?

Eggs described as “free range” must be produced in poultry establishments in which the hens:-

Have continuous daytime access to open air runs.
Have access to ground mainly covered with vegetation.
Each have at least 10 square metres of ground available and their building has either:- i) Stocking density of no more than 7 hens per square metre of floor space and at least one-third of this area is covered with litter material such as straw and a sufficiently large part of the floor area is used for the collection of the bird droppings; or ii) A maximum stocking density of no more than 25 hens per square metre of floor space and the building is fitted with sufficient perches to ensure not less than 15cm for each hen.

How should I handle my eggs?

The following should assist you in ensuring that the eggs you sell are always in good condition:-

You should not refrigerate loose or packed eggs as this can cause condensation problems on the eggs leading to reduction of quality. Instead you should keep the eggs at a cool constant temperature, ideally between 8 and 12 degrees Centigrade. They should be kept dry and out of direct sunlight. Storage instructions on pre packs relating to refrigeration apply only to consumers and caterers.
Small cracks will cause them to deteriorate and lose weight quickly – so handle them as little as possible.
When eggs are displayed loose on Keyes trays do not stack up the eggs on the topmost trays as this causes the eggs to crack and leads to a reduction in quality.
You should rotate your stock to prevent eggs being in stock for too long and deteriorating in quality.

NOTICE The information provided here is as a guide only, as legislation does and can change. These details were found on the Tameside Local Government website and the full factsheet can be found by clicking here.

It is recommended that to verify the information you should contact your local Trading Standards Office.

Why not join the community of smallholders over at www.smallholders-forums.co.uk for support, advice, and friendship?