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.