Day to day care of your Backyard Chickens

    1. Your chickens should have access to clean fresh drinking water always
    2. Your chickens should have access to a good quality Layer feed of you choosing always
    3. Add a good splash of Apple Cider Vinegar to their water once a week to aid with good internal health, feathering and egg quality making sure they have no access to other water sources during this time
    4. Add ½ a cup of Diatomaceous Earth (DE) to their feed once a month to aid with good internal health and internal parasite control
    5. Liberally dust chickens, nesting boxes, dust bath areas, hutch floor/run with DE powder once a month to aid with Lice and Mite control and spray perches with Phenyl spray (available from the cleaning aisle at Bunnings).
    6. Once every 3-4 months, temporarily relocate your chickens for a day. Completely clean out the hutch and nesting boxes. Wash all surfaces with warm soapy water and let dry. Spray liberally with Phenyl spray. Reinstate pine shavings, straw and liberally dust with DE and allow chickens to move back in.

NOTE – FOR BEST PRACTICE:

For best practice, use pine shavings in nesting boxes and on hutch flor, use straw on the ground of your chicken run. Be sure to provide your chickens with lots of shade in the warmer months. Keep nesting boxes dark and low to the ground and perches up high and secure.

NOTE:

Please be mindful that once chickens are past approximately 18-24 months of age, laying will become irregular. Shell quality will start to deteriorate and due to a natural moulting process, they will go off the lay for several months particularly in the cooler months. They will continue to lay once they have regrown all their feathers.

NOTE:

All our chickens have been vaccinated for the following:

AGE VACCINATION METHOD
Day Old Mareks (MD) Injection
Day Old Infectious Bronchitis (IB) Spray
4 Weeks Newcastle Disease (NDV) Water
4 Weeks Infectious Laryo Tracheitis (ILT) Water
6 Weeks Infections Bronchitis (IB) Water
8 Weeks Avian Encaphalomyalitis (AE) Water
10 Weeks Deworm with Benzicare Water
12 Weeks Newcastle Disease (NDV) Injection
Egg Drop Syndrome (EDS) Injection
Fowl Pox (FP) Wing Stab
Infectious Laryo Tracheitis (ILT) Eye Drop
13 Weeks Infections Bronchitis (IB) Water
14 Weeks Deworm with Benzicare Water