Chicken Care Guide: Keeping Backyard Chickens Healthy and Happy. Unlock 4 Simple Secrets for Beginners Today!

Unlocking the Chicken Care Code:
4 Simple Secrets to Your Chickens Health and Happiness

The Basics of Chicken Care:
After many years of looking after poultry, I have found that the secret to keeping chickens healthy and happy is simple: feed them the correct feeds and keep them dry. When it comes to maintaining the well-being of your chickens, there are four simple yet crucial secrets that every poultry enthusiast should know.

1. Provide Shelter, particularly dry and protected enclosures: Ensuring chickens have a dry and secure shelter is paramount. Shielding them from the elements helps prevent stress and health issues. Ensuring your chickens are sheltered from the elements ensures good health and eggs for you! Providing your chickens with a dry and secure coop helps prevent stress, which we all know can lead to illness and death. Sometimes, the only warning you get is NO warning: a dead chicken and a heartbroken family or child (if it was the family pet).
   
   
2. Nutrition and Hydration: Like us, chickens need balanced nutrition and constant hydration. A well-balanced diet and a consistent fresh water supply enhance their well-being and vitality. They sometimes find fun ways with their food – based on a true story.
   
   
3. The Essentials Beyond Basics: While we may be tempted to pamper our chickens with extras, the basics matter most. We can be insatiable about our pets, which is what we do: Fancy outfits, walking leads, and extravagant living quarters might amuse us, but chickens are content with simplicity. Seriously, they don’t even need nesting boxes. I left my chickens to their own devices to see what would happen, and they hatched out chickens from a dirt patch in the open paddock – Momma hen made a slight hollow and hatched her babes. While our affection for our pets is understandable, chickens don’t need the same luxuries we do. It might amuse us, but they’re not necessities for chickens.
   
   There is one exception that I don’t use because I don’t overstock rooster numbers to chickens, but if a rooster is constantly mounting a chicken, you can provide a materialistically crafted saddle that offers the chicken saddle feather protection from being pulled out by the rooster’s claws. The other spot chicken’s loose feathers to over amorous roosters are behind the neck. How romantic: NOT.
   
   
4. Human Connection: Chickens thrive on gentle human interaction. Regular interaction and the occasional treat create a positive bond and enrich their well-being. However, chickens do not need treats to survive; if overdone, these treats can harm their health and decrease their egg production. Be sure to offer a balance of good nutrition with minimal treat-giving. If you offer a treat, ensure it is a protein treat, not sugary or dangerous. All in all, we humans have a unique connection with these beautiful creatures. Engage with them with occasional healthy treats: an earthworm, a mealy worm, or an insect. It enhances their well-being without overwhelming them.
   
   
5. Disease and Pest-Free Living: Chickens are very prone to pests like mites. Mites are the chickens’ worst enemies. The red mite loves to live in wooden structures. They hide in cracks and crevices by day and suck your chicken’s blood by night. They are the vampires of the chicken world. So, it is best to provide suitable housing made from anything but wood. You can use wood but must do extra work to protect your chickens by keeping mites away. You will find more in the article: Red Mites (coming soon).

Remember, the key to successful chicken care lies in simplicity and focus on what truly matters. Provide a balanced environment that caters to their essential needs. This will ensure a happy and healthy life for your chickens. Focus on their basic needs and minimizing unnecessary frills, you’re setting the foundation for their well-being.

Are you eager to keep Chickens in a Built-Up Area?

These extra rules for keeping chickens are especially for poultry in built-up areas. Depending on where you live. You may need to check out your local bylaws to see if you can keep chickens. (Sad but true). Some smaller breeds, such as Pekins and Silkys (or silkies), are suitable because they are quieter and take up less space. Most times, you hardly know a bantam pekin is present. Sometimes, they may become scared by a predator, and they may make a noise to alert their friends and their human friends, but other than that, the only time they make any noise is when they are laying eggs.

You may check out this guide to keeping chickens in Northern Sydney for further advice on what is allowed in North Sydney.