I'm not sure my two laying pullets, Matilda and Misty, realise that it's the Christmas holidays, as they appear to be working overtime when it comes to producing eggs.
The arrival of the first snow of winter doesn't appear to have affected their routine, with each laying another egg this morning.
We're not the biggest egg eaters in the world, so we're getting a bit of a backlog now. With that in mind, I received a very thoughtful Christmas present yesterday - an egg skelter.
This marvellously simple, yet effective device allows me to store my eggs in perfect condition in date order. Simply remove the oldest egg from the bottom of the skelter and the second oldest rolls into position ready to be used next. As the image above hopefully illustrates, the egg skelter is also a fairly attractive way of displaying your eggs. It certainly makes an interesting point of discussion whenever anyone is visiting.
For a few weeks I've been aware of a shallow scraping in the sandy substrate of my chicken run.
No matter how often I filled the hole with fresh sand, my five chickens enjoyed nothing better than re-excavating it the moment my back was turned. Today I finally saw them using the scraping as a dust bath.
Dust bathing is a very natural part of a chicken's routine, but doesn't look that natural when you first see it. The chicken's legs are flailing as it lies awkwardly on its side. I've heard people say that it gives the impression the chicken is having some sort of seizure, but it is perfectly normal behaviour.
When a chicken dust bathes the particles help to clean its feathers of all manner of little critters that would otherwise live in there - things like fleas, lice and mites. In a chicken's natural habitat these dust baths would be the only way it had of removing parasites from its feathers.
It is always a good idea to have a small area of clean, dry ground set aside for dust bathing.
I have never noticed parasites living in the feathers of my birds, but even so I give them a thorough dusting with red mite powder every month. The bedding of their chicken loft is regularly changed and sprinkled with diatomaceous earth, which helps kill lice and mites by shredding their outer coating.
Star the Cream Legbar at 36 weeks old - pale/dry comb and wattles.
My eldest Cream Legbar pullet Star, now about 36 weeks old, has still not started laying, even though her younger sister Misty, now about 30 weeks old, has been laying an egg a day for the last fortnight or so.
I'm rather confused at this situation and I'm beginning to wonder if there might be some sort of problem with Star that has stopped or delayed her from laying.
Star's behaviour seems pretty normal. She eats well and is inquisitive about anything new entering her space. She likes nothing better than to peck at my hands and legs when I do the daily chore of tidying up any spilt food, droppings or wood shavings from the floor of the chicken run.
Star the Cream Legbar also has quite a full figure!
If you stand Star and Misty side by side it is very obvious that Misty's comb and wattles are much larger and redder. Misty, just as you'd expect for a pullet in lay, has developed the habit of squatting every time she thinks a mate is approaching.
Star's comb and wattles appear pale, shrivelled and dry. Looking at her comb in particular I get the impression there is a slight yellow colour to it. Star does not squat in readiness for mate. It would also be fair to say that Star is heavier than I would like her to be.
Misty the Cream Legbar at 30 weeks old - larger/redder comb and wattles.
I cannot really account for the difference, other than to blame the individuality of the birds. I'm hoping Star's just a late developer, rather than anything more sinister. All of my pullets live in exactly the same conditions and experience the same food, water and daily regime.
Of course it is winter here in the UK and the hours of daylight are very short, with the sun rising at about 8.30 am and setting shortly before 4 pm. Maybe Star is just holding on for the longer, warmer daylight of Spring.
If anyone has experience of such things I would appreciate their opinions in the comments below.
Despite the winter chill I've been out in the garden making a YouTube video about how I feed my chickens.
I did a lot of reading around before I embarked on my chicken keeping adventure and I think it's fair to say that different people have different ideas about what to feed their chickens. Only six months in I can't profess to be an expert, but I've picked up quite a few tips along the way.
Pellets:
Pellets are a chicken's main food source and they have to be available at all times the birds are active. My five pullets are still on growers pellets, because they haven't all started laying just yet. Once they do start laying they will be fed on layers pellets instead.
Pellets are specially formulated to contain all of the nutrients a chicken needs to live a healthy life, but a diet of pellets alone would become boring for the birds. The chickens will only eat as much as they need, which works out at just over 1/4 pound per day for a fully grown bird (that's about 120 grams in new money). Obviously they'll eat less if alternative food is available and more in the winter or if they're very active.
It is a good idea to use a hanging feeder with a weather hat. This will prevent the birds from soiling their own food, spreading it on the ground or the rain from ruining it. It is also a good idea to remove the pellets last thing at night, so that they don't attract any unwanted furry visitors during the hours of darkness.
I try to make it so that the chickens reach the end of the pellets in their feeder once a week. That evening, after putting the chickens in their loft, I discard the few remaining pellets and give the feeder a really good scrub with hot soapy water. The following morning I refill the feeder with fresh pellets.
I keep my pellets in a galvanised bin outside, which protects them from the elements and keeps rodents at bay. It is a good idea to only buy pellets as and when you need them, because they can deteriorate or attract pests if kept in storage for a long time.
Some people prefer mash to pellets. Mash has a similar composition, but the chickens scratch for it on the ground. This helps to encourage chicken's natural scratching behaviour and it gives them extra exercise, but I am not keen on having mash on the ground for hygiene reasons.
Vegetables:
There is always broccoli and cabbage hanging in my chicken run. These contain lots of essential vitamins and minerals and the chickens have fun pecking at them. I would discourage putting vegetables directly on the ground, because they will get soiled and could attract pests.
It is safe to feed most types of fruit and vegetables to your chickens, but you should not feed them potato or tomato plant leaves. If you are unsure it is a good idea to do some research beforehand, but in my experience chickens have some sort of sixth sense that prevents them from eating anything too nasty.
I purchase vegetables for my chickens, which costs very little money and I can be assured of the quality I am getting. Many people feed their chickens on wild growing dandelions, nettles and the like, which are also very nutritious and freely available. If you do decide to pick your own wild plants, then head for a place away from sources of contamination (e.g. not the roadside).
Grit:
Chickens need access to a mixture of flint and oyster shell grit, which they will take as they need it.
Flint grit is hard and insoluble. It is used to aid digestion. The chickens eat the flint grit and it goes down into their gizzard. The gizzard is a tough muscular organ which churns the grit around and uses it grind food into smaller pieces.
Oyster shell grit is soluble. The chickens eat the oyster shell grit and some of it dissolves inside their bodies, thereby releasing important minerals like calcium. Calcium is needed for the formation of healthy egg shells.
Grit does not deteriorate with age, but it's a good idea to thoroughly clean the grit container every month or so.
Whole wheat:
I feed each bird the equivalent of one small handful of whole wheat every afternoon. I sprinkle this on the ground of the chicken run, which encourages the birds' natural instinct to scratch around for food.
Wheat is good source of energy, which helps to keep the birds warm overnight.
Some people prefer to feed mixed corn instead of whole wheat. Mixed corn has the disadvantage that the birds will only pick out the bits they enjoy eating, which will invariably be the fattening maize.
Whether you choose whole wheat or mixed corn, it is a good idea to sprinkle it a few hours before dusk so that the chickens have a chance to eat it all before it gets dark. Any wheat or corn left on the ground overnight could attract pests.
Mealworms:
These provide a very tasty treat to the chickens, but are fattening so should be reserved for special occasions. They can also be used to nurse any ill bird back to health.
In the UK you should refrain from feeding your chickens any animal product if you intend to sell the eggs to members of the public.
Cat food:
Cat food is a very good source of protein, which can be fed to your chickens as a treat every so often or during periods of stress. Chickens are naturally omnivorous, so will enjoy pecking at the meaty chunks.
Dog food can also be used, but it tends to contain less protein than cat food.
Kitchen scraps:
There are people that feed their chickens nothing but scraps from the kitchen, as if they're some sort of waste disposal system.
I am not keen on the idea of feeding scraps, but in theory any sort of vegetable or grain left overs should be fine.
You should avoid feeding your birds any sort of processed meat, as it contains a lot of salt and attracts pests. Too much salt is deadly to chickens.
I hope you've found my guide to chicken feeding useful.
