Often, people who keep backyard chickens need to make a decision about acquiring a new bird. Usually all works out well; both parties (buyer and seller) are happy, and the chicken does well in their new home. But this is not always the case. You may be able to obtain…
Council restrictions The rules and regulations for keeping chickens vary depending on your local council. Many city councils allow you to keep a certain number of chickens (often five) without a permit, while rural councils are often more lenient. City councils often impose other restrictions; e.g., to minimise noise (no…
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicine Authority (APVMA) has defined food-producing animal species as any animal used to produce food for human consumption, or which is used as food for human beings, and includes any buffalo, cattle, deer, fish (other than ornamental fish), goat, kangaroo, pig, poultry, rabbit, sheep, bee,…
Even though they have been domesticated for thousands of years, different breeds of chicken have been developed under the influence of geographical isolation and selection for desired characteristics (e.g., egg laying, show quality, etc.) creating regional types (breeds) with distinct physical and behavioural traits passed on to their offspring. There…
Types of housing for chickens Chicken enclosures generally consist of a coop (a solid structure that houses the chickens at night) and an external run. The coops for night time housing of the chickens can be: Permanent, with the chickens housed on deep litter – usually on a concrete slab…
Although chickens are very social animals, the structure of their flock is based on their ability to communicate, a dominance hierarchy known as their ‘pecking order’ (in fact, it’s where the term ‘pecking order’ comes from!), and their ability to recognise other members of their flock. In these flocks, hens…
You should watch for signs of disease or distress in chickens on a daily basis. This starts with a good look at the chicken before you handle them, and then a closer exam if warranted. Looking at the chicken from the distance The examination should start with looking at the…
You are responsible for your chickens’ health and welfare, including ensuring that they have a humane death when the time comes. Ensuring a humane death requires that the method used results in rapid death, or loss of consciousness without pain, suffering, or distress followed by death. The AVMA Guidelines for…
Ideally, backyard chickens (because they usually live longer than commercial chickens) should be vaccinated against a range of diseases during their lifetime, including Marek’s Disease, Fowl Pox, and Infectious Laryngotracheitis. However, the actual diseases vaccinated against, the vaccines used, and program and timing of vaccinations will vary according to the…
As with the husbandry and management of any animal, there are disease problems associated with backyard chickens. Understanding disease We divide disease into two categories: non-infectious and infectious. Care must be taken not to confuse the words ‘infectious’ with ‘contagious.’ Infectious diseases are those caused by micro-organisms (viruses, bacteria, or…