Page 7 - chook book Essential 2

Looking After Your Chickens

Chickens are relatively easy to look after if you follow some simple steps.

A Safe Enclosure Mobile
Tracter
Type
It’s important to provide a safe place for your chickens Coop
to roost at night, this not only protects them from the
elements, but will also provide protection from any wild
animals that may be out and about. Your enclosure
should contain a laying box or nest which will allow your
chickens to safely lay their eggs. Keeping you chickens
in a safe enclosure will also encourage laying to occur in the
designating nesting box and not at random locations around your
home, this will also protect your eggs from other animals such as
dogs.
Drinking Water Barn Style Coop

It is vital to the well being of the chooks to have access to adequate
clean drinking water. This can be administered through the simplest of
methods such as a bucket, but you must ensure it remains topped up to
ensure ease of access. The best method is through a dedicated drinker,
this is a simple device that can be purchased at your local produce/pet
store and requires minimal cleaning. The drinker usually has a reservoir
and keeps itself topped up. Advice should be sought on purchasing the
best drinker for your situation.
Feeding Chicken Drinker

Just as important as water, it is critical that your chickens have access to
feed. Once again this can be done with a dish on the ground; however
this will allow the chicken to jump onto the dish and scratch & flick the
feed out causing mess and wastage. Dedicated feeders are designed
to minimise spillage and loss and depending on size and number of
chickens, will only need to be topped up every couple of days.

Chicken Feeder