How to tend to your chickens, ensure their happiness & protect their safety

It's really quite simple to keep chickens, and we do get so much pleasure and enjoyment out of having them.

They are real characters, and their fresh eggs are second to none.

CLEANING

I clean out our chickens once a week. I use one bucket for the dirty waste - lightweight and with handles for easy transportation. You can pick ones like mine up in Homebase & B&Q. I then have two different secure bins kept nearby, one for feed to keep their bellies full, and one for shavings, straw and my disinfectant spray to keep them clean and comfortable.

We use an Omlet and I cannot tell you how wonderful it is. The chickens love it, it's super-secure inside and cleaning it out is a doddle. You simply slide out the bottom trays and tip them into your waste bucket. 

Give them a good spritz with disinfectant spray, then pop on a lovely blanket of shavings and slide them back in.

Every couple of months I do give the trays a good jet-wash down. 

Moving round to the side, we get to their nesting box. Be mindful of the potential presence of eggs! Scoop all of the older straw out, spray your disinfectant onto the bottom surface, then refill with your new fresh and fluffy straw.

FEEDING

The first thing I grab is a half of a mug of grit. Grit is so important for chickens to have in their diet - it sits in their gullet and makes the shells of the eggs harder so they don't break so easily. Do try to give them a good helping once a week with their feed. 

Fill the remainder of your mug up with Layers pellets. Our chickens get through about a mugful of pellets a day, alongside a handful of corn, a treat that they absolutely adore!

Tip the contents of the mug into the feeding bowls and voila! 

SAFEGUARDING

I like to shut my chickens into their run late afternoon. It is quite important to lock your chickens in before it gets dark to protect against other animals. I also pull the latch of the Omlet across once they've finished eating and tucked themselves in for the night. 

Our chickens sleep within the Omlet overnight, but do roam around freely throughout the orchard during the day. Fingers crossed, we have completely fox-proofed their surroundings. 

Earlier this year, we sadly lost a few of our dear chickens and so made it our mission to ensure their safety. To do so, we dug a trench all along the perimeter and sunk chicken wire down into the ground and covered it back with soil. 

If you have any questions regarding keeping chickens or would like further tips - do get in touch below!

Love, Charlie x