A Family Guide To Keeping Chickens (22 page)

Some drinkers have legs or can be hung up. Otherwise they should be placed on a stand or bricks to prevent the water becoming soured with debris.

All drinkers should be regularly cleaned to prevent a build-up of poisonous algae. White plastic and glass-topped drinkers will need cleaning more frequently. Placing drinkers out of direct sunlight helps prevent algae forming and keeps the water cool as well.

A 2.5-litre galvanized metal drinker

A 2.5-litre glass-topped metal drinker

Plastic ‘tower drinker’ with locking base

Some drinkers have legs . . .

. . . or the drinker can be placed on bricks to keep the water clean

Storing Feed

News of a free meal spreads quickly in the rodent community and they will find a way into your storage area if they scent food. They have a very good sense of smell – I left some corn in the boot of my car and somehow ratty sniffed it out. We never discovered how he got in, but for weeks afterwards I had visions of a whiskery face peering at me through the air vents.

So store your feed carefully and sweep up any spillages. Containers need to be secure and airtight – damp feed quickly goes mouldy and will have to be thrown away. Keep your feed container under cover, for example in a shed or garage.

You can buy proper storage bins, but unless you need to keep large quantities of feed, a dustbin is cheaper and will take a 20-kg feed bag with room to spare. If you have several chickens an extra bin will allow you to store a reserve bag, but chicken feed has ‘use by’ dates so it’s not a good idea to stockpile.

Small feed storage bin

Larger storage bins can be divided into compartments

Metal bins are more expensive but more secure. Rats have been known to chew through the plastic variety – although unless you have a real rodent problem, a heavy-duty plastic dustbin should do the job. Make sure the lid fits snugly and stand the bin above ground level if there is a possibility of damp.

A spare bin is useful for storing the chicken feeder overnight. Leftover food shouldn’t be returned to the feed bag but if it hasn’t got damp it can be used the next day. Always remove the feeder at night – even if empty it will attract vermin and their droppings can spread disease.

Providing a Dust-Bath

You should provide a dust-bath if your chickens aren’t able to make one – or if you wish to dissuade free-ranging chickens from making one in the garden.

A shallow plastic storage box, a sandpit tray or even an old tyre could be used. A lid keeps the soil dry in wet weather and prevents cats using it at night. Cardboard quickly disintegrates and the chickens will eat it.

The box should be two-thirds filled with fine, dry soil or play sand – sharp sand can irritate the chickens’ eyes. Wood ash mixed into the soil will make it lighter.

Some poultry equipment stores sell dust-bath trays and suitable sand.

Place the dust-bath in a dry area, away from food and water containers. Make sure other animals can’t use the dust-bath as a toilet and that children don’t mistake it for a sandpit.