Preparing Chickens for Winter

Winter can present it's challenges for any animal, and it's no different for chickens. No matter what season it is, providing the optimum conditions for your flock is essential. They may not be producing in the winter, but invest effort in their upkeep and they will start the new laying period in prime condition. On some days they will elect to spend the majority of the day inside the coop because of the snow. The top ten tips we have on how to help our chickens through the winter months are:

Housing matters
1. Ventilation in the coop is essential for our poulty throughout the year, so don't be tempted to block up every hole in the coop in the belief it will keep the birds warm when the wild weather comes along. The chickens will be spend longer roosting due to the shorther daylight hours, but during this time they will still need a flow of air through the house. Roosting birds produce a lot of moisture and if this allowed to become condensation on the walls and ceiling of the coop' it will cold and damp conditions which are far from ideal for our birds. Do carry out any repairs on the coop to block out any drafts, as these can kill a rooosting bird, but ensure there is a way for warm air to depart and fresh air to enter.
2. Bedding and litter should be of an adequate depth to provide a level of insulation but don't be tempted to stuff the coop full of straw thinking it will create a cosy house. Straw can look clean and dry, but it is not particularly absorbent and has a habit of sweating when soiled with droppings or muddy feet. This can quickly give rise to fungal growth and the resulting spores can lead to illnesses in the chickens. If possible it's far better to use shavings or litter products on the market.
Mucking out
3. This should be at least a weekly task, but during the winter you may need to increase the frequnency due to the birds spending longer in the coop. If you are unable to increase the freguency of our cleaning regime then try a quick spot of poo picking each morning or placea sheet of newspaper under the perch that can be removed when you let the birds out each day. It will prolong the life of the litter and help keep the coop clean.
4. The weather will also mean that the chickens will be traipsing mud or snow into the coop from outdoors. This can be reduced by providing a dry porch area next to the pop hole and by putting a slightly raised area at the entrance using a pallet or section of pallet. It may be a little unsightly but it gets the birds off ground near the pop hole which will be getting poached in wet weather, and it can be cleaply and easily replaced or cleaned when it becomes too dirty.
5. Dampness can occur  on the floor of the chicken coops despite your best efforts, so winter is a good time to invest in in a powder-type disinfectant such as Stalosan F. Sprinkling this on the floor of the coop after it has been cleared and before the new litter is applied, it will not only act as a disinfectant, but it will pervent smells and help dry the floor of the coop.
Feed and water
6. Disinfect the feeders and drinkers every week using a good quality disinfectant, but always be sure to give them a good rinse and dry before refilling them. Also check the grit pots are not soiled and clean them too.
7. It's worth considering giving your chickens free access to feed during the day as opposed to measuring out a specific amount, because their consumption rate will vary depending on the weather. If you use mash as opposed to a compound pellet feed, then mixing it with a little warm water when you feed them in the morning will be appreciated by the chickens, but mind that the mash doesn't freeze during the day. And ensure the food is removed at night if you use outdoor feeders otherwise you run the risk of attracting veminin.
8. A handful of corn grain given as a scratch feed an hour or so before our flock goes in to roost will provide some extra energy to keep the birds warm during the night.
9. Bring drinkers indoors at night or empty them completely. It's far easier to fill an empty drinker in the morning than wander around with a kettle of boiling water trying to defrost a solid drinker-besides, in a really heavy freeze the drinker stands a good chance of being broken by the expanding ice.
10. On some days the temperture may not get above zero and any water put out first thing could quickly freeze over. Your chickens need constant access to water as even on cold days they will drink a significant amount. If you are around during the day, it may simply be a case of breaking any ice that forms; otherwise consider putting the drinker in a sheltered spot or positioning the drinker on a heat source running at a very low setting just to keep the edge off. I've seen people place drinkers on an upturned flower pot that has a tea light or candle inside- it seemed to work very well but obviously be aware of any potential fire risk. Don't be tempted to add anything to the water to stop it freezing' daft as it mat seem there have been cases of salt or even antifreeze being added to stop the water freezing. That's all the tips.                                 

BBC Radio scotland _ out of doors link

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b016wxn6/Out_of_Doors_05_11_2011/


here is a link to the banff comumty chicken project article on bbc radio scotland we are at 1 hour 6 minites enjoy

BBC Radio Out of Doors

Just interviewed for BBC Radio Scotland Out of Doors Programme...It will air on Saturday at 9630.  Wow!

Carving Pumpkins

We carved pumpkins for our chicken Halloween opening party on Saturday. The launch party for our chickens began at 3pm on Sunday 0ctober 30th at Banff Castle. All of the community chicken group and guests attended the party. The Aberdeenshire Provost Bill Howatson opened the project and local M.P. Dr Eilidh Whiteford attended the party. We had lots of party food at the party like halloween cakes, sausage rolls, drinks, punch and sweets. I.T.V news channel filmed the opening and it has been put on T.V. on the program Daybreak and it will also be on the bbc programme out of doors.       

Norvite

We visited Norvite chicken feeds on Monday at Old Meldrum to collect 3 months supply of feed for our chickens, we would like to thank Norvite for supplying us with chicken feed.

The Launch Party

At Banff Castle this Sunday we are having an Launch Party for our Community Chicken Project Party. The Provost Bill Howatson will be there to open the project. We our also carving pumpkins on Saturday for our Party.

For the past few weeks we have noticed the chickens have not been laying very many eggs and there is a few reasons for it

1. The weather effects the chickens egg laying because they are using the energy that they use to lay there eggs to warm thereselves up.

2.the chickens need at least 14 hours of light per day.

New chicken feeder

We have got an new chicken feeder for are Banff castle community chicken project for the chickens. It is a big green container that has black stands, so it can help it to stay up right. The chickens peck at the bottom of the container to get the food which drops from the container to the floor. I think it is a good container for the chickens and us, so we don't have to keep on filling the container up everyday, like we did with the old one.    

Sustainweb

This is an list from Sunstainweb about 7 principles of sustainable food.

1) Use local, seasonally available ingredients as standard, to minimise energy used in food production, transport and storage.

2) Specify food from farming systems that minimise harm to the environment, such as certified organic produce.

3) Limit foods of animal origin (meat, dairy, products and eggs) served, as livestock farming is one of the most significant contributors to climate change, and promote meals richin fruit, vegetables, pulses, wholegains and nuts. Ensure that meat, dairy products and eggs are produced to high environmental and animal welfare standards.

4) Exclude fish species identified as most at risk by the Marine Conservation Society, and choose fish only from sustainable sources- such as those acredited by the Marine Stewardship Council.

5) Choose Fairtrade-certified products for foods and drinks imported from poorer countries, to ensure a fair deal for disadvantaged producers.

6) Avoid bottled water and instead serve plain or filtered tap water in reusable jugs or bottles, to minimise transport and packaging waste.

7) Promote health and well-being by cooking with generous portions of vegetables, fruit and starchy staples like wholegrains, cutting down on salt, fats and oils, and cutting out artificial additives. 

This is Our New Chicken Rota

New Chicken Rota

We have made an new chicken rota with an new family joining are rota for the chickens at Banff Castle. The new family is Bryan, Carla, Izzy and Alex Angus who are on the rota every Wednesday of the week. Our tips to give them are to make sure the chickens have enough food and water in the cointainers, make sure inside the coop is clean, if not clean it with the equinment from the pink bin and put the poop in the big black bin and that's our tips for them.                

update from the 22/08/2011

I got the bus to Eden gardens and waited for Roger to arrive. When Roger arrived he told me that we had got things to finish in Banff Castle so I got in the van and went to Banff castle and had a warm drink before we started work. Once we finished our drink Roger put us in groups and me and James went in the van to Banff day services to pick up slabs.   There was 6 of them so me and James carried them to the van.

We drove back to Banff Castle and me and James put the slabs in a wheelbarrow and dropped them beside the chicken run. I and James had to level out the ground before we could put the slabs down.   When we did put the slabs down we had to make sure the slabs wouldn’t wobble. Roger was moving the chicken boxes to the front of the coop and making a flap so we can get the eggs out easier.

garlic for pets

Animals too benefit from garlics amazing power fedding tiny pea sized pices of raw garlic to your pets at meal times will help deterticks fleas and parasites just feed them the garlic occasionally to keep pets away or when you notice an infestatioon adding garlic to the diet of chickens will help them cintaine to lay eggs during very cold and very hot spells simpley grate pea sized pices of garlic in there water daily quanity is for 10 to 15 minutes chickens so ajust accordingly for the size of your flock make sure you observe your pets and if you notice and adverse reactions stop the garlic ttreatmenst immediatley

grants visit to the chickens

by granty

Today i went down to see the chickens.   Some people were digging and others were hammering.   James simpson got upset when he was in with the cickens because he thought that it was going to attack him.  We found three eggs inside and i got to take one home.

 i like going down because john's car was cool and so were the chickens and i like collecting eggs.

Chicken meeting 2

Just to remind you that we will have a second chicken meeting on Monday August 29th at 6.30 pm in the green tree, Banff.  Afterwards we will have an on-site visit to train new recruits!

See you there

harry and team

New Chicken Run

This is the new chicken run for Banff Castle Community Chicken Project which was made by Roger Ward who works at the Garden of Eden Project who made the run.

Meeting at Banff Castle about the Chickens

There was an meeting on Friday 12th of August at Banff castle about the chickens and how we will look after them. At the meeting there was Jay Wilson the manger of Banff castle, Mark McDermott the manger of Banff day services, Emma Watt, me (Harry Rusling), Zander Sutherland, Linda Gibson, Darius Gibson, Kaitlin Gibson, Susie Bijl, Duncan Bijl and Hamish Bijl who are all involved with the Community Chicken Project at Banff Castle. We talk about how the chickens would be kept by organising and making a bigger run for them. We also finish the chicken rota and we also tell everyone who is on the chicken rota what to do on their days. We also suggested that we can use spray for cleaning out the coop to stop the chickens from getting mites. We also agree on are agenda and aims and objectives which were to have fun, to work together as a responsible community group to learn about chicken keeping and basic animal husbandry, to encourage individuals and recognise the strengths of all involved, to run a project that the members of the group are responsible for as a collective, to ensure that everyone in the group is clear about their responsibilities and to decide on a strategy to make the project sustainable.

Like all living creatures, chickens need to be looked after and and well cared for if they are to thrive. Weekends away are usually no problem if they are in a self contained house and run unit, secure from predators. foxes are the arch enemy and the birds must be protected against them. Dogs,strangecats and evenmink, in some areas, can be a problem.Hawks can also be a problemin some regions. Large drinkers and feeders will usually last for a couple of days without supervision. longer periods will require friends family or neighbours.

Introduction to chicken keeping

We want to give you tips on how to look after the chickens at the Banff castle community chicken project and your own chickens.

These tips are from a book called Starting with Chickens A Beginner's Guide by author Katie Thear.

 Chickens will live happily in a garden, which are ideal habitats as long as there is wind shelter and from predators. They are relatively inexpensive to keep, and if managed sensibly, will not damage plants. Even the smallest garden has room for afew bantams. Provide a clean house and run, with no stale food and droppings left lying around to attract rodents. Avoid having a cockerel if you have close to neighbours who are likely to complain. It is untrue that hens lay better with one. The opposite is the case for they will not be at risk from his spurs or have infections passed to them. Some cockerels can also be dangerous to small children. Game breeds were, after all, valued for their fight to the death qualities before cock fighting was made illegel a century and ahalf ago! Males are only needed for breeding. A clean, regularly replenished feeder and drinker are essential. Chickens need a proprietary feed such as layer's pellets or mash and grain feed such as wheat. Clean fresh water is essential at all times. Inwinter when it is frosty, checks are needed to ensure this. Flower beds do need to be protected against the hens' scratching, of course. Left unrestricted, they will soon trash agarden. Bedding plants are just like weeds to chickens and are scratched up accordingly. They are no respecters of vegetable beds either, and are partial to greens. In fact, it is a good idea to hang up some garden greens such as cabbages, lettuce and home-grown parsley for them to peck at in the run. They provide added minerals in their diet, and also prevent boredom.  

Chicken keeping story link

This is the Guardian story link
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/aug/01/keeping-hens?INTCMP=SRCH

And this is the Daily Mail link
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2021238/Thinking-keeping-hens-garden-Heres-chicken-out.html

If you want to learn more about people keeping chickens, click this link and read the story.

Read about the hen revolution- 700000 people have joined! Arise of 80% in three years.

The Chickens Are Here!

Me and Harry went to Banff to get our 6 ISA Warren chickens and we gave them food and water and we let them get used to there surroundings. We gave them a ramp to give them easy access to get into and out of the coop. We cleaned out the cage.

Painting Community Chicken Coop

Matt and Emma and Ian were away to go and paint our designs on our chicken coop so we went from Banff day services to the bank to get some money out so we can buy our paint brushes and some red paint. We went down to Banff castle and got the key to open the gate and then we got our boilersuits on and we started to paint the coop and we had to sort out the mistakes that some people had made. There are designs on three sides of the chicken coop and the next time we are going to sort out the mistakes and finish of the painting.

Chicken Coop

We in the community chicken group have ordered the materials for our chicken coop for our 6 I.S.A Warren chickens at Banff Castle. The coop is 6 by 4 size and it is waterproof, so it will protect our chickens from getting wet and they will have nest boxes for the chickens to lay eggs in them and will have an window so the chickens will know if it is night or day, so they will know when to sleep or wake up. When we get our chicken coop we will get to paint it what ever colour we want. We will like to paint it orange colour for the coop.

A transition Initiative (which could, village, university or island etc) is a community-ledresponse to the pressure of climate change, fossil fuel depletion and increasingly, economic contraction. There are thousands of initiatives around the world starting their journey to answer this crucial question for all those aspects of life that this community needs in order to sustain itself and thrive, how do we significantly rebuild resilience (to mitigate the effects of peak oil and economic contraction) and drastically reduce carbon emissions( to mitigate the effects of climate change)?"

I.S.A Warrens

The I.S.A warrens, the chicken we are getting is a French breed of chicken. They can lay 300 medium size eggs per hen per year. Their are an hybrid chicken, an cross between Rhode Island Red and Rhode Island White chickens. The chicken was first introduced in 1978 in France. The I.S.A warrens can also sometimes be called by other names like browns, hylines, gold lines and lohhmans.  It is an very fairly tame chicken and is very friendly and you do not have to clip it's wings because it does not fly and so it will not escape.

Welcome to Banff community chickens

My name is Matthew Taylor and I'am working at Banff Castle looking after Chickens for the community. This will be a joint project with the Scouts, Banff day services and transition towns to look after the Chickens. We are hopefully getting the people from the groups to train and look after the Community Chickens.

Welcome to Banff community chickens

My name is Harry and I'm doing a community chicken project at Banff Castle.We are looking after chickens at Banff Castle, so we can sell eggs at the markets at Banff Castle. We are getting 6 chickens that will lay 300 eggs each per year. The breed of chickens we are getting are I.S.A warrens.