Superb Chicken Coops, Henhouses and Brooders

Why Keep Chickens?

“Every time you consume factory-farmed chicken, veal, beef, pork, EGGS, or dairy, you’re eating antibiotics, pesticides, steroids, and hormones!“
– Rory Freedman

In case you’re not sold yet on chickens, here are ten excellent reasons to call them your own:

Great-tasting, Nutritious Eggs

We all love our dogs, cats and fish, but do they produce something edible? Or pay their way? Chickens do, and once you’ve dined on their eggs, you’ll never reach for a dozen in the supermarket again. They’re so much more flavorful, in no small part, because you’ll eat them when they’re only minutes or hours old, not weeks or months. You’ll even see the difference in the yolks, which are warm orange – not pale yellow.

Plus, you can feel right about the organic eggs you’ll feed your friends and family. All it takes to get organic eggs is to provide natural chicken feed!

Free-range hens lay eggs with:
• 1/3 less cholesterol
• More vitamin A
• Three times the vitamin E
• Two times the omega 3’s
• 4-6 times more vitamin D
• Seven times more beta carotene 2/3
• 1/4 less saturated fat
• They taste better.

Chickens Have Personality Galore – Seriously

Each chicken has its own unique, quirky, kooky and endearing personality.

Get One Step Closer to Sustainable Living

1. Reduce food waste.
   Chickens can eat a variety of food scraps, including vegetable peels, fruit rinds, and bread crusts. This helps reduce the amount of food that goes to waste.
2. Provide fresh eggs.
   Fresh eggs from your chickens are a healthy and sustainable source of protein. They are also free of hormones and antibiotics, often used in commercial egg production. They are also much fresher than eggs you buy at the store, which can sit in a warehouse for weeks.
3. Produce compost.
   Chicken manure is an excellent source of compost, which you can use to fertilise your garden. This helps to reduce your reliance on chemical fertilisers, which can pollute the environment.
4. Help control pests.
   Chickens will eat insects, snails, and other pests that can damage your garden. This helps to keep your garden healthy and pest-free without the need for pesticides.
5. Provide companionship.
   Chickens can be great pets. They are social animals that enjoy being around people and can provide you with years of enjoyment.

A Healthy Lawn without the Chemicals

Chickens love to range freely, and allowing them to do so kills the proverbial two birds with one stone: they’ll eat any garden pest they can get their beaks on and turn it all into treasure in the form of fertiliser. Say goodbye to toxic, costly pest control solutions, wasteful bags and bottles of commercial fertilisers. Chickens will even cut down on the amount of mowing you do because they love to eat grass.

One Man’s Unappealing Leftovers are another Chicken’s Feast

Chickens can eat almost anything people can, and they adore “people food”, – so you can throw those unwanted leftovers into the chicken run. However, watch out for the garlic and onion unless you want your eggs to taste funny. Please don’t give them avocados and uncooked potatoes, as they poison chickens.

A Balanced Compost Pile

Composting is a beautiful way to reduce your ecological footprint, and a nitrogen-rich compost pile is a healthy compost pile. What better to provide nitrogen than chicken poo? Eggshells are a great addition, too, especially in areas with lots of clay in the soil. At the end of the composting process, you’ll have “black gold” soil because it’s rich and fertile.

Handy Leaf, Weed, and Grass Clipping Removal

Leaves, weeds and grass clippings are a treat for Gallus gallus domesticus; They’ll happily dig through whatever you give them, eat what they can, and pulverise the rest. Give a small flock a heap of the yard and garden debris; a week later, it’ll be gone without a trace.

Save a Chicken from a Factory-Farm Life

If you’re aware of conditions in factory farms, even in some of the so-called “free-range” farms, we needn’t say more. If you’re not, please research it. Factory farming is terrifyingly cruel. The good news is that by keeping a few pet chickens of your own, you’re reducing the demand for store-bought eggs and sending a message to those factory farms that you don’t want what they’re selling.

The Very Definition of Low-Maintenance

Chickens don’t need to be walked, brushed, or fed twice daily. Mostly, all you have to do is gather eggs daily, fill their water and food containers a couple of times a week and change their bedding once a month!

Be the Coolest Kid on the Block

Despite their many merits, backyard chickens are still relatively uncommon. Impress neighbours, friends and family by being the first person they know to have chickens. Amaze them with the green eggs from your Ameraucana hens. Confound them by scooping up your pet chicken and cuddling it. Astound them when your chicken falls asleep in your arms after you’ve lovingly stroked its comb and wattles. Make them green with envy at the lawn your flock has made effortlessly fabulous.

Chickens are, after all, the most “chic” pets you could have. And we think it’s time everyone knew.

OK, chickens are extraordinary. But are they right for you?

Chickens aren’t suitable for everyone – even if you love the idea of having them. Here are a few things to think about:

Do You Think They’re Cute?

You are reading this part, so you probably do. Excellent! Off to a good start.

Seriously though, if you’ve spent time around chickens and you’re not particularly fond of them, or having them doesn’t appeal to you, you may be less inclined to care for them, which isn’t suitable for you or your chickens. And be forewarned: if you love them, but your spouse or partner does not, you’ll be the sole caregiver!

Can You Dedicate Some Time Each Day?

Although low-maintenance, chickens require a small amount of daily care and monthly and semi-annual maintenance. Plan on spending 10 minutes daily on your pet chickens, an hour or so per month, plus a few hours twice a year on semi-annual chores. If that sounds too much, then chickens aren’t suitable for you.

Do You Have Enough Space For Chickens?

Chickens don’t require a ton of space. If they are “cooped up” with no area outside to roam freely, your coop must provide a minimum of 0.9 sqm per bird. On the other hand, if they’ll have an outdoor “run” area or will be allowed to range freely, which is preferable, they only require 0.18 to 0.37 sqm per bird inside the coop, as long as they also have at least 0.9 sqm per bird in the outside run. (Amelia Quinn addresses this issue in detail in her blog ‘What should be inside a chicken coop’)

That said, the more space, the better indoors and out! Chickens are excellent foragers, eating insects, grasses, weeds, and many other tidbits they find in the garden. The more foraging they do, the healthier – and happier – they will be.

Also, remember that the less outdoor space they have, the more they will destroy their area. Chickens obsessively scratch up the soil, peck at what they find, and scratch some more. They also dig holes for “dust baths”. And they love to eat plants and weeds. Consequently, they’ll make a dust bowl in a week if their run area is small. On the other hand, give them a significant run area – or better yet, let them range freely, and your garden will benefit immensely. Their scratching behaviour aerates the soil, their droppings fertilise it, and they’ll eat pests such as grubs and ticks.

Does Your Town Allow Chicken?

Very few municipalities do not. Check before you get chickens. Enquire with your local Health Inspector.
The City of Johannesburg allows us to keep up to ten hens without a permit (Act No. 32 of 2000, Part 4, Section 129).
The City of Cape Town allows us to keep up to five hens without a permit. No roosters are permitted (SMC 05/09/05, Paragraph 12).

Considering Your Neighbors

You need to consider your neighbours if nothing has given you pause. They may not be educated about chicken-keeping and could have concerns ranging from noise to smell (which shouldn’t be a problem if you follow the guidelines in Caring for Chickens) to accusations that you’re “downscaling” the neighbourhood. It might be a good idea to check in with them early on and address any concerns. When you do, don’t forget to mention all the free, fresh eggs they’ll be getting! (Plus, having their support could mean free pet-sitting when you go away for holidays.)

What Is The Cost Factor?

Having chickens won’t save you more money than backyard gardeners save cash on their tomatoes. There are plenty of good reasons to keep chickens, but this isn’t one of them. Between building or purchasing a coop, supplies, and the birds, getting your brood up and running involves significant upfront expenses. These, along with ongoing costs for food, undermine the idea that eggs are “free”.

Cluck, cluck – show me the chickens!

If you’ve decided you want to raise chickens, CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve joined a growing number of people who realise all the benefits these lovely pets offer. This chapter will help you decide how many hens to get, which breeds are suitable for you, whether to start with baby chicks or grown chickens, get roosters and finally, where to buy your chickens.

How Many Hens Should I Get?

Chickens are social birds and do not fare well on their own, so you should have a minimum of two. As a rule of thumb, one hen per family member should cover your egg needs, or two if your family loves eggs.

Which Chicken Breed Should I Get?

There are 414 chicken species globally, of which four are South African listed as Ovambo, Potchefstroom, Venda and Boschvelder. With all those options, it can be tough to choose!

Standard vs Bantam
The first decision is getting Standards (normal-size), known as “Large Fowl” chickens or Bantams. At just 0.5 to 1 kg each, Bantams are a fraction of the size of Standards and are kept mainly for ornamental purposes. Being cute and flashy, they make great pets. But they lay less frequently, and their eggs are tiny, albeit edible. They are also more susceptible to predators – for instance, crows will take your bantams but wouldn’t dare to go after your giant fowl chickens.

Some breeds, such as Silkies, Belgian Bearded D’Uccles and Sebrights, are only available as Bantams; others as Standards, and many as both. You can combine them in a flock, mixing and matching if you want both types. Many people worry that if they mix their congregation, the Bantams will be at the bottom of the pecking order, but we haven’t found that true. Besides, no matter what breeds you decide on, one bird will be at the bottom of the pecking order, and another will be at the top.

Cold Weather
Suppose you live in a cold climate that regularly gets below freezing during the year; there are certain breeds to avoid. Standards are generally hardier than Bantams, and heavier species fare better than the lighter variety. Combs and wattles also come into play: the smaller they are, the less susceptible to frostbite.

Especially cold-hardy breeds include:

• Plymouth Rocks
• Wyandottes
• Orpingtons
• Sussex
• Rhode Island Reds

Hot Summers
If you live in an area that regularly gets over 38 C, you want to avoid the fat, fluffy and feather-footed breeds. Bantams do well in the summer (except for the feather-footed varieties), and the best Standard species for hot climates are:

• White Leghorns
• Light Brown Leghorns
• Blue Andalusians
• Golden Campines
• Koekoek
• Boschvelder

These birds originate from the Mediterranean; their large combs and close feathering help them handle the heat well. You might also consider Turkens, a.k.a. “Naked Necks”. They were bred in France to have fewer feathers so they’d be easier to pluck, and while not used for that purpose today, they’re a fun, goofy addition to a heat-hardy flock.

Egg Production

Some breeds are valued mainly for meat, some for laying eggs, and others, called “dual-purpose”, for both. Still, others are kept primarily for ornamental purposes, including all Bantams.

Great egg-producing breeds:

• White Leghorns
• Rhode Island Reds
• Stars

Dual-purpose breeds that also lay well:

• Plymouth Rocks
• Wyandottes
• Marans
• Australorps
• Orpingtons

To Chick or Not to Chick?

An important choice is whether to start with baby chicks or “started pullets”, hens that have just started laying.

Baby chicks require much more tender loving care than full-grown chickens, and it’ll take 4-5 months before they start laying. If you go for baby chicks, be sure to purchase “sexed” female chicks as opposed to “straight run” (mixed male and female). Otherwise, you will end up with roosters.

Roosters

Contrary to popular belief, roosters are unnecessary for hens to lay eggs. Plus, they are loud and may cause problems with zoning ordinances and neighbours. Cape Town and Johannesburg do not permit roosters in urban areas. Many people think roosters only crow in the morning and consider that myth busted! They do this throughout the day.

Where To Get Chicken

One can obtain baby chicks at a bird hatchery, garden, or farm supply store. You can purchase grown chickens at a hatchery or nearby farm.
Please note that many scams are going on regarding chickens and chicken coops.

Below are a few names of people and organisations that might be able to provide chicken. They are in random order. We have no affiliation with anyone and thus accept no responsibility:

Food – What and How Much?

Customers often ask us whether they can feed their chickens scraps, worms, and other bugs from the garden. Small amounts of vegetables/dairy should be OK; they’ll love it, and the same goes for insects and worms. But consider those like dessert, not the main course. Starter feeds and laying hen pellets contain everything birds need to survive and thrive, and filling them up with too much of the “other stuff” can throw off their nutritional balance.

People want to know how much food they should give their birds. The answer is as much as they want! Don’t ration it. Give your birds 24/7 access to all the food they can eat. They are not like dogs, and they’ll self-regulate.

It’s easiest to purchase “complete” feeds with the right mix of vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates and fat. If your girls have started laying eggs or are 20 weeks or older, purchase a complete “layer” or “developer” feed, depending on their age and the variety of feed you’ve chosen.

Scratch

Some owners also buy “scratch” for their birds. Give it some scratch if you want to see a chicken go bonkers! It is a mix of grains, including millies, wheat, oats and rye. Unlike your complete feed, which should be kept in a feeder for around-the-clock access, scratch is usually thrown on the ground for the chickens to peck. It should be a special treat – not a staple of their diet – because it doesn’t include all the necessary nutrients. Your girls will tell you if you give them too much, their eggshells will become weak and susceptible to breakage.

Grit

Have you ever heard the saying “scarce as a hen’s teeth”? That’s right; chickens don’t have them! Instead, they eat tiny pebbles and store them in their “crop”. When the food enters their crop, the stones grind it to make digestion easier. You can sprinkle this in their feed or a small cup or bowl. For baby chicks, sand, parakeet gravel or canary gravel, available at your local pet store or grocery store pet aisle, will suffice.

Calcium/Oyster Shells

If your hens have a good, “complete” layer feed, they may never need oyster shells or supplemental calcium! However, offering it a free choice (inexpensive and lasts a long time) never hurts. The reason is that some flocks spend most of the day foraging or are given too many treats, so they don’t get all the calcium they need from their feed. A lack of calcium can cause weak or irregularly shaped eggs and slow laying. It can also cause behaviour problems like egg-eating as they’re desperate for calcium! The best is to cut down on the treats also.

What Not to Feed Chickens?

One of the significant benefits of having chickens is they take care of your unwanted leftovers. There are a few foods they shouldn’t eat, though:

• Citrus fruit – Citrus fruits probably won’t kill your chickens. However, they cause a drop in egg production as they interfere with calcium absorption, leach calcium out of the bones and contribute to thin-shelled and fewer eggs. Fed in moderation is OK.
• Bones
• Meat – Any large serving of meat or meat that has gone bad.
• Spinach – The oxalic acid in spinach can interfere with calcium absorption, so spinach – while super nutritious – should be only an occasional treat.
• Garlic – Toxic in large doses and may affect the flavour of the eggs.
• Onions – Fed in large quantities, onions can cause anaemia or jaundice, sometimes fatal. Onions contain thiosulphate, which destroys red blood cells.
• Asparagus – can taint the taste of your eggs.
• Iceberg lettuce – has very little nutritional value and can cause diarrhoea in large amounts. Far better choices are leafy greens such as cabbage, kale and collards.
• Apple seeds – The seeds contain cyanide, which can kill your chickens. Any other part of the apple is fine.
• White potatoes – cooked or raw, skins or flesh, vines or leaves. They contain the toxin solanine. Sweet potatoes are perfectly safe to feed your chickens.
• Green tomatoes and immature eggplant flesh should be avoided until ripe when the toxin solanine isn’t present in amounts of concern.
• Avocados – Don’t even think about feeding your chickens avocados. Avocados contain the toxin persin associated with myocardial necrosis, where the heart stops working.
• Rhubarb – the leaves are toxic to humans and animals. The entire plant contains oxalic acid, which can lead to soft-shelled eggs. So, it is best to avoid rhubarb altogether.
• Plants that are part of the nightshade family – members of the nightshade family include potatoes, tomato leaves (not the fruit), and eggplant. The Latin name for these plants is Solanaceae. This is because they contain a compound called solanine, which is toxic to chickens. The compound can be broken down if the plants are cooked, however.
• Long-cut grass – could cause an impacted crop.
• Chocolate or sweet things – Chocolate contains the toxin methylxanthines theobromine. Like too much sugar is bad for humans, too much sugar can cause your chickens to be overweight, leading to a drop in egg production.
• Salty foods – Chickens can suffer from salt poisoning, as they don’t naturally ingest a lot of salt.
• Mouldy food – Never feed mouldy food to chickens, as the mould can cause illness and be fatal. Overripe, wilted vegetables or stale bread is fine if the mould is absent.
• Uncooked Beans – Uncooked beans contain hemagglutinin, which can be toxic to your chickens. Cooked beans are fine.

Fun Treats

When feeding treats such as bread, cereals, and pasta, be very sparing as these treats have little nutritional value and can cause your chicken to be overweight. Dairy products and too much iceberg lettuce can cause diarrhoea, so these should also be fed in moderation.

• Oatmeal (cooked, cold and warm)
• Flaxseed (mixed with food or straight)
• Yoghurt (plain, probiotic source)
• Rice, Pasta and Spaghetti (cooked)
• Stale bread (sparingly)
• Sunflower Seeds (unsalted)

Protein Sources

• Fish and Shellfish (flesh only)
• Eggs (scrambled or hard-boiled)
• Mealworms, Earthworms and Crickets (freeze-dried or fresh)

Fruits and Vegetable Scraps

• Watermelon and Cantaloupe (including rinds and seeds)
• Strawberries, Blueberries and Raspberries
• Pumpkin and Squash (raw or cooked)
• Leafy Greens (such as Kale, Clover and Mustard Greens)
• Cherries, Grapes, Tomatoes, Bananas and Apples (no seeds)
• Broccoli and Cauliflower (stems, leaves and flowers)

Healthy Foods

• Leeks
  Its rich vitamin content will give your girls a healthy boost that may help them lay even more delicious and nutritious eggs. Another interesting side effect of feeding your chickens leeks is its sulphuric content, which will help their bodies repel pests like lice, mites and worms.

Caring for Grown Chickens

Caring for pet chickens is pretty easy! They have the exact needs of almost any other pet. In this section, we’ll fill you in on daily, monthly, semi-annual and annual chores and different nuances of chicken farming.

On their first day with you, teach your girls where “home” is by confining them to their coop for three to four full days. After that, they will always return home. The saying “chickens come home to roost” is correct! You’ll never need to worry about them getting lost.

Dust Baths

Chickens love to take dust baths! They dig a shallow hole, loosen up all the dirt, and get as dirty as possible. (Don’t worry; they shake the dust off later.) Dust baths are necessary: they prevent parasites such as mites and lice from finding a home in your chickens’ feathers and legs.

If your chickens aren’t free-range or their run area doesn’t have a dry patch of ground where they can dig a hole, you’ll need to provide them with an artificial dust bath.

What to Do Daily

• Keep feeders and waterers full.
• Make sure the water is clean. Chickens will be less inclined to drink dirty water, and a dehydrated bird can quickly become ill or die.
• Collect and refrigerate eggs, pointy side down, for maximum freshness. Others say that eggs do not need to be cooled.

Remember that you CAN leave your chickens alone for a few days, provided they have enough food, water and space for your trip. The eggs they’ll have laid in your absence should still be good to eat. Fresh eggs keep for several days without refrigeration. Are you surprised? Consider this: hens lay an average of 10-12 eggs per “clutch” (the group of eggs a hen sits on to incubate). They lay one egg per day, and at the end of a 10-12 day laying period, they roll all the eggs together to hatch them. That means the egg laid on day one is still good enough on day 12 to become a living, breathing baby chick – so it should be good enough for you to eat, too!
Egg Tip: Your eggs may have slight traces of dirt or chicken faeces. Please resist the urge to scrub them clean! Outside the egg is a delicate membrane called the “bloom” that wards off bacteria and other foreign matter, and scrubbing will damage this membrane. If you’re one of those Type A people needing perfect-looking eggs, gently rub them with your fingers under warm water. Then, wash your hands thoroughly.

What to Do Monthly

• Changing the bedding in the coop and the nest is necessary for sanitary purposes. Excessive ammonia buildup is dangerous to poultry and can cause respiratory illness.
• Remove the faeces. We put ours in the compost bin or use it as fertiliser.

What to Do on a Bi-annual Basis

Twice a year, you’ve got to scrub your coop clean! Remove bedding, nest materials, feed and water containers. A strong citrus cleaner will do the trick. Never use bleach to clean chicken coops. Moist chicken poop will produce ammonia, and mixing bleach with ammonia creates a dangerous chemical reaction. After cleaning, rinse thoroughly and let dry before replacing it with fresh bedding. Do the same with the feed and water containers: clean, rinse, and replace with a new supply. You should be able to do this all in a couple of hours!

Summer Precautions

Excessive heat is a real risk to birds. Make sure they have access to fresh, clean water at all times. Please provide them with a source of shade outside and as much ventilation as possible inside.

Help on Social Media

There are many groups on Facebook where chicken enthusiasts share tips and tricks and offer advice. Some of those are listed below in random order. Please let us know if you know of any that we are unaware of (info@gardenstuff.co.za).

• Cape Chicken Club C.C.C.
• Western Cape Poultry Club
• Pet Chickens South Africa
• S.A Poultry Enthusiasts

Does my town allow chickens?

How many hens should I get?

What not to feed chickens?

Do I have enough space for chickens?