Page 24 - ALG Issue 2 2022

chickens
Safe and sound in the coop!
As hen keepers, we all want to do what we can to keep our hens safe, not only to ensure a steady supply of eggs, but to make sure our hens’ happiness levels and quality of life are what they should be. As any hen keeper knows well, there are many things to look out for when maintaining the welfare of our feathery friends.
RATS
Ultimately, your chicken feed is potentially attracting rats – particularly with all those hiding spots on your allotment! Not only that, but your chickens’ eggs that you yourself enjoy, are an attraction too. If that’s not bad enough, the sound of rats scurrying around may unsettle your chickens and reduce egg production, and there’s the risk of disease and contamination too.
If you’ve got rats around, you might see signs of chewing damage, strange holes in your coop/run, missing eggs, or that the hen food is disappearing faster than usual. Even if you haven’t got any signs, as with most things it’s best to deter the potential issue before it becomes one.
The easiest way to deter rats is to remove the main attraction: food. Removing food and water from your chicken run every night is a good routine to get into if you can. Hanging feeders or troughs are a good idea. Alternatively, there are receptacles that will make it difficult for rats to get to the food, such as treadle feeders that your hens have to stand on for the feed to be accessed.
Also, make sure you clean up spilled feed where your chickens are over- eager in their eating! Personally, I know that one of our chickens gets a little tetchy when all the ‘best bits’ are gone from the food mix, and as well as getting vocal about it, stroppily pecks into the feeder, spilling some in the process!
FOXES & BADGERS
A badger may snatch one of your hens, and a fox or two could carry off more than a few. Both are active predators
of your hens. No keen chicken keeper wants the heartbreak of discovering there are fewer hens than there should be! Preventing the loss of your chickens this way starts with making their surroundings secure.
Foxes can climb, and foxes and badgers can dig, so the outer defences need to be a secure enclosure of wiring. Wire should be buried at least 10-12 inches into the ground and turned outwards by 8 inches, then covered by bricks/slabs. Upwards, the fence should be at least 6 feet high, either topped with spiky strips or with a mesh cover across the top. Foxes can chew through chicken wire, so the mesh needs to be good quality with a thick gauge.
And don’t just rely on your outer defences! Use bolts to secure henhouse doors and structures. Foxes are known for being sneaky and clever for a reason – they can open catches, and are also able to squeeze through small spaces, so make sure there are no gaps in your henhouse.
There are things you can do around the allotment too. Avoiding use of
Perches make your hens feel safe, so lifting them a bit higher is in no way a bad thing.
‘blood, fish and bone’, covering your compost heap, and spraying repellents around the plot are good options for deterring foxes, who are smell sensitive. When it comes to badgers, there are similar badger deterrents that can be purchased commercially. Furthermore, badgers do not like high-intensity light – you could try stationing some near your hens’ area. Elevated coops and bedding areas will also make it more difficult for digging predators to get directly inside. Perches make your hens feel safe, so lifting them a bit higher is in no way a bad thing.
Remember: a chicken’s ‘out and about’ hours should be strictly confined to between sunrise and sunset. At dark, they are most at risk of predators. Automatic door openers are a good way to regulate in/out times, particularly during the wintertime and if you work full-time (just remember to adjust when the clocks change!).
BIO-SECURITY
Not only are there animalistic predators of your hens – they can unintentionally harm one another through biological transmission. How?
• Are you planning on introducing new hens to the flock?
24 Allotment and Leisure Gardener