Keeping pet chickens
Introduction
Chickens make wonderful backyard pets. They come in many breeds, shapes and sizes, provide an endless source of entertainment with their antics and interactions with people and each other, are real characters and of course produce lovely home grown eggs. Owners and their pet chickens can become very bonded to each other.
What kind of chickens?
There are hundreds of breeds of chickens in existence around the world and many of these are found in Australia. Most people recognize the brown commercial laying hen as the typical chicken, and this is the most common type of chicken found in Australia and around the world. These chickens (known as ISA browns or Hyline browns) are bred to be extremely good egg layers and will usually provide an egg per day for most of their lives. As they are used in intensive farming, they are bred to be extremely productive over a shorter lifespan and these birds do not typically live for as long as the more traditional breeds which are not bred for high production of eggs.
Many traditional breeds are also available throughout Australia. Many people prefer these breeds as they are colourful, come in all shapes and sizes and are used in showing and competitions at rural shows and events. Children also love the smaller bantam breeds such as silkies and pekins as they are so soft, docile and cuddly. Some chickens such as the Araucana lay very pretty blue shelled eggs. Others like the Polish have very interesting plumage and a large “pom-pom” crest of feathers on their heads.
Where to obtain birds
Chickens can be obtained as day old chicks, older chicks, pullets (young hens) at point of lay, or older adults and ex battery/intensively farmed laying hens. Commercial laying hens can be bought as chicks from commercial hatcheries, as point of lay pullets from breeders or ex farm stock. Traditional breeds are often purchased as day old chicks from chicken hobby enthusiasts. Older birds may sometimes be available. Remember that some breeds when purchased as day old chicks will be unsexed, therefore you will need to have a plan in place for what to do with any that turn out to be roosters if you are unable to keep roosters on your property.
When purchasing chickens, give each bird a good physical inspection before agreeing to purchase. The chicken should be bright and alert. Feathers should be clean and intact. Check the head for fleas; look under the wings and tail to check for mites. The area under the tail should be clean. Legs should be clean and scales should be healthy. Roughened, uneven and deformed scales can indicate the presence of scaly leg mite. Avoid purchasing chickens with parasites, injuries/deformities, listless/dull birds, birds with dirty, tatty or faecal stained feathers.
Housing
Chickens should be housed in an area that can easily be secured, e.g. a good quality coop or aviary, ideally with access to an outdoor area or run during the day where they can forage, exercise, scratch
around and dust bathe. Materials used to construct the chicken house should be of either plastic or metal, rather than wood, as wood can be an ideal place for parasites such as chicken mites to live. The chicken house should be locked up at night in order to make sure that the chickens are safe from roaming cats, foxes and other predators.
Feeding
Chicken feed is available in complete rations as pellets and crumbles. Pellets are suitable for large breeds whilst crumbles are suitable for bantams and small breeds. Different feeds are available depending on the life stage of the chicken and each feed is nutritionally balanced for that particular life stage. Chicks from day old to six weeks should be given chick starter, which is high in protein, and may contain a medication to prevent coccidiosis (depending upon brand). Chickens from 6 weeks old to point of lay (usually around 5 months of age depending on breed) may be fed a grower feed. Once egg laying begins, chickens should be fed a layer feed which is high in calcium and supports shell production.
Other feeds are available which contain a mixture of grains. These diets are often unsuitable for chickens which pick and choose to eat the grains that they like, and waste the rest. These grain mixes can often be given more successfully as a treat in addition to the main crumble or pellet ration provided. When handfuls of grain are thrown into their area, chickens love to scratch around and find them in the ground.
Chickens also love fresh vegetables and table scraps which can be given in moderation. Other dietary supplements such as shell grit may be provided to ensure hens have enough calcium to produce healthy egg shells. Chickens grind up the food they eat in their muscular stomachs and often will swallow small stones, grit and sand to help them break down their food. Foods to avoid giving chickens include chocolate, Avocado, coffee or alcohol, as these may be toxic to pet chickens.
Health care and preventative medicine
Worming: Chickens are particularly susceptible to worm infestations as they are constantly pecking at the ground where worm eggs are found. Chickens should be wormed 2-3 times per year with an all-worming product such as Vetafarm Worm-Out tablets/gel or Coopers Nilverm Pig and Poultry Wormer (liquid to be added to drinking water). These products are safe for use in laying hens.
Treatment for lice, mites and fleas: Lice are small brown insects that live on the chicken’s body. Mites are microscopic invertebrates that live in the chicken’s environment, such as a wooden coop, and attack the birds at night when they are sleeping. Scaly leg mites infest the scales of the chicken’s legs, causing roughened, deformed scales. Chicken fleas (also known as stick fast fleas) are similar to the dog flea in size and appearance however they attach themselves firmly to the chicken’s comb, wattles and around the eyes, sucking blood. All parasites can be debilitating to chickens, causing blood loss and a drop in egg production, and can even cause death in some cases. Killing and preventing these parasites involves treating both the chicken and the environment. Note that not all products are registered for use in chickens, please contact a veterinarian to discuss use of these products.
Products available for treating the chicken include: Maldison; Pestene powder; Ivermectin (not registered for use in chickens). If the flea burden is low, fleas may be individually removed with tweezers and killed. Legs infested with scaly leg mite may be coated with Vaseline to smother the mites.
Products used for treating the environment include: Coopex; Maldison; lime wash of the ground, walls and living area of poultry.
Parasites can be prevented by keeping housing areas clean and by careful introduction of new birds. When purchasing new chickens, always given them a good physical inspection to ensure there are no external parasites.
Common diseases and problems of chickens
Low egg production: It is normal for egg laying to be seasonal in most breeds. Most chickens will start to lay in spring when day length increases and warm weather begins. Egg production may slow over the hotter weather, and by the end of autumn and onset of winter many chickens will have a much needed rest whilst they recuperate their reserves. Egg laying starts again the following spring.
Some chickens such as the commercial layers will lay year round for their first couple of years of life, but most will gradually stop laying by the time they are a few years old. Traditional breeds may lay for many years. As the age of the bird increases, they will usually lay less eggs but the size of the eggs will increase.
Moulting usually occurs annually each autumn. Large numbers of feathers are lost and replaced with fresh feathers. Egg production drops dramatically during this time which is a normal occurrence because production of new feathers is very demanding on the chicken’s energy reserves.
Mareks Disease – This is a fatal viral disease which generally occurs in chickens younger than 1 year old. Purchasing vaccinated birds helps prevent this but this does not guarantee that they will not get the disease. Signs of disease include leg paralysis, lameness and falling over.
Respiratory infections – Chickens are susceptible to several bacterial and viral respiratory infections. If you purchase “point of lay” birds at 22 weeks – they should also be vaccinated against respiratory disease viruses. Infected chickens can be treated with antibiotics.
Egg peritonitis and other female reproductive problems such as tumors of the reproductive system are commonly seen in laying hens.
Pox Virus – Spread by mosquitoes and will appear as small black scabs around the chicken’s comb and wattles.
Predator attacks – commonly due to dogs and foxes.
Coccidiosis – an intestinal protozoal disease which can cause diarreah containing blood. Young chicks are particularly susceptible. The disease is prevented by keeping living areas clean and by feeding a medicated chick starter feed.
Intestinal worms – Can cause weight loss and a loss of production of eggs. Worm chickens 2-3 times per year for prevention.
Further information
Backyardpoultry.com.au – An Australian website which contains breed information and a member’s forum.
Australasian Poultry Magazine