Keeping Chickens at Home -
Questions & Answers 3
A selection of frequently asked questions
about keeping chickens and answers.
What is a nest box?
Chickens in the wild will, like other birds, want
to lay their eggs in a nest. They generally want somewhere
secluded and safe to protect both them and their eggs.
A nestbox satisfies this need. It's usually around
a foot square attached to the ark or house with a lid
to enable you to easily retrieve your daily eggs.
What is a perch?
In the wild, chickens would roost (sleep) in a tree
on a branch which would keep them safer from predators
than sleeping on the ground. We provide artificial
branches for them to do this in the house. The perch
should be of wood around 2 inches wide and with chamfered
corners. They only need around 8 inches of perch each
as they tend to sleep close together.
Sometimes a chicken will take a while to use a perch
and some, like ex-battery hens never do, but they should
be provided anyway for them.
Why won't my hen lay in the nestbox?
Annoying creatures! Some times they decide anywhere
is better than the nest box you provide. Without a
nest box an old cardboard box will do or the corner
of the house or under the hedge. It's what they feel
comfortable with, not what you want.
My hen won't leave the nestbox, why?
She is most likely broody (wanting to hatch eggs).
The main thing during this time is to make sure she
is eating and drinking, so you may have to give her
waiter service. The most important thing is she doesn't
overheat. You can take her out for a while. There may
be a squabble with
the others, but this is what they do.
My hens don't want to go into the hen house at dusk,
why?
There's a nasty little parasite that likes to live
in the cracks and crevices of the hen house and come
out at night to feed on the hen's blood called red
mite. The hens don't like this and will avoid their
house so you need to treat them and the house. There's
more about this in Keeping Chickens Healthy
My chicken is ill, what should I do?
There are many forums for you to ask about symptoms
etc., including our poultry
chat forums but each case
is different.
If concerned take them to the veterinarian, but check your vet. has experience
and knowledge with chickens. Some treat them as low value
farm animals rather than pets and tend to cull rather
than cure.
My hens have stopped laying eggs, why?
Hens are living creatures, not just egg making machines
and they avoid laying in winter when chicks would have
the least chance of survival. This winter break or
slowdown in laying is related to day length and providing
artificial lighting to extend the day will keep them
laying. However, many keepers think it over stresses
the hens and shortens their life to keep them laying
when they would naturally be taking a break.
Chicken Keeping Questions & Answers
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