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

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. ]]> http://www.rural-smallholdings.co.uk/running-smallholding/poultry/battery-hens/feed/ 0