Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => Poultry FAQs and other Information => Topic started by: joyfull on January 20, 2011, 21:31
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Must haves before you get them:-
- coop and run - Which could be homemade, plastic, recycled plastic or wood, new or second hand.
If you are having a run make this big enough - they need at least 2 square meters run space per bird preferably more. You need to provide a dust bath area in the run - ideally undercover. - bedding - dust extracted shavings, equine bedding such as aubiose or hemcore, straw or shredded paper (make sure it is cross cut and not in strips).
- Diatomaceous earth or similar to help to combat red mite.
- Poultry shield - to treat wooden coops several times a year.
So what else do you need? :-
- A feeder and a drinker (at least one of each).
- Feed - this can be either layers pellets or layers mash. Always check the use by date as the vitamins can deteriorate after this date. Store in a metal bin.
Grit and Oyster shell. - You need a vet - so before you get your chickens ring round your local vets to see who will treat chickens some will even offer a free check up look here for some poultry friendly vets:-
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=26140.0 - A medicine chest.
- antiseptic spray such as purple spray
- wound powder
- Flubenvet for worming your birds
- Frontline spray or drops but as it isn't licenced for poultry it has to be obtained from the vets and signed for.
- Coxoid - used to treat coccidiosis but again keep a check on the use by date.
- There are all sorts of lotions and potions but most are not really needed. If you need anything stronger your vet will let you know.
Treats.
Not necessary but are nice. Feed these late afternoon so that you know they have had plenty of their layers feed. :-
Ideas for treats can be:
- mixed corn
- meal worms
- sweetcorn
- pasta
- pumpkin
- sunflower hearts
- melon
- grapes
- tomatoes etc
but remember these are only treats.