Page 28 - ALG Issue 2 2023

chickens
Caring for chickens in ‘flockdown’
Great Britain is in an avian influenza prevention zone. By law, anyone who keeps birds must follow the hygiene and disease prevention rules, including allotmenteers.
Housing birds has been the requirement in England and Wales since November 2022. This compulsory housing during the disease outbreak may impact the welfare of chickens, especially if they’re not used to being housed for long periods.
However, there are several ways in which plotholders can keep their fowl happy and healthy whilst in ‘flockdown’.
To ensure the wellbeing of
chickens, there are some minimum considerations that should already be in place for housed birds:
• Make sure chickens are not
overcrowded.
• Natural light where possible – do not
keep them permanently in the dark. During the day a person should be able to see their birds clearly and artificial light should follow typical day and night patterns.
• Consider installing a thermometer at bird level and do not allow temperatures to go significantly above 21°C.
• Make sure there is enough ventilation.
• Provide food and fresh, clean water.
• Clean water-drinkers frequently and
do not use standing water as it may have been contaminated by wild birds.
• Use good quality litter that crumbles easily – you can use damp-proof membranes for earth floors to help keep litter dry.
• Check them more than once a day.
• Check for skin parasites like red mite.
• Consider providing aerial perches
for your birds. This helps prevent overcrowding and gives them more vertical space and room to move away from pecking by other birds.
PROVIDING ENRICHMENT
Providing enrichment items to prevent boredom goes a long way towards a positive living environment while birds are housed. The market for ready-made
Providing enrichment items to prevent boredom goes a long way towards a positive living environment while birds are housed
toys for poultry is huge, and owners can buy anything from mirrors, dust baths and pecking blocks, to xylophones, perches, and footballs. All of these
are valid and useful in their own right but, in order to keep birds busy in the long term, there are cheap DIY options available to chicken keepers that offer more sustainable solutions.
Adding extra levels and textures to their living area like straw bales, shaving bales, low barriers and ropes can be very mentally stimulating for birds. Chickens like to explore new things and are very curious. Straw and shaving bales can be used as bedding once the occupants lose interest.
Introduce new snacks that have challenging consistencies and will entice an inquisitive bird. Cooked spaghetti hanging off the roof or
sides of the coop provides fun and sustenance. Frozen peas for pecking, or a ring of watermelon suspended from above by a rope, will provide hours of physical and mental activity.
Left over brassicas like cabbages from an allotment plot also make great enrichment, along with pumpkins and their seeds. During the early part of the year, surplus crops may be few and far between, but it is worth remembering for late summer and autumn when there is an abundance of growth. Be sure to mention to fellow plotholders that might have spare.
28 Allotment and Leisure Gardener