Your chook’s feed is most important, use SURE TO PLEASE 16% protein layer pellets and ensure you keep a constant amount of this feed in front of them at all times, they should never run out of feed.  Your birds will have less stress if you keep them on the same feed we have been feeding them, in fact this applies to all livestock.

 

Whilst feeding vegie scraps to your chooks may seem like a treat, it can unbalance their diet and reduce the number of eggs they lay. Dried meal worms are an excellent alternative treat for poultry, they’re high in protein and amino acids.  Feed mealworms to your chickens in moderation, one or two beaks full, twice a week, is more than enough as the protein content of a mealworm is high.

 

Do not feed extra wheat or corn as this will cause a protein imbalance, this is the most important factor for laying pullets. Scatter a handful of scratch mix on the ground daily to encourage the hens to scratch the litter over.

 

Clean water is a must and should constantly be available.  Change their water often, especially when temperatures are hotter than usual.  The 12-litre nipple drinker bucket is the perfect waterer. It’s designed to provide clean, easily accessible drinking water and it reduces the number of times you have to refill and clean their drinkers.  Try dropping a bottle of frozen water in it in the hotter months to keep the water cool.

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Poultry should be wormed about every three months, we use KILVERM.  A good idea to help you remember when to treat for worms is to do it at the beginning of each season, spring, summer, autumn and winter. To ensure the birds drink the medicine, temporarily take their water away so they are thirsty enough to drink the medicine. Postpone treatment on hot days or treat in the cool of the day in warmer seasons.

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Mite and lice also need to be controlled, we use PESTENE.  The birds, their perches and nesting boxes should be dusted with the powder.  You can examine the birds for these pests by holding them upside down and examining their rear end. If either of the pests occurs and you have not noticed, one of the results will be no egg production.  Use wooden perches with a 3” wide standing area x 2” deep.  Use softwood shavings in your nesting boxes, not straw.

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When you first buy your birds it’s wise to keep them locked up for three to four days before letting them out, by doing this, they will always go back into their house on dusk but do try to remember to lock them back up because Mr or Mrs Fox are always on the lookout for a nice chicken dinner.

 

With good care and feeding, your birds will produce eggs for at least two years or longer.  If you keep the birds for more than two years, you should look at the economics because the cost of their feed compared to the rate of their egg production may be too much.  Also, a sign that you may need to replace your birds is when the shell quality deteriorates and becomes thin.

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Laymour's birds are farmed under happy conditions,
so here’s to happy hens and
plenty of eggs!