Care for our Chickens

The welfare of our chickens is our key priority and this extends from egg to full grown birds. Our incubators are monitored and maintained regularly, cleaned weekly and even housed outside of our bedroom for ease of access at night!

Our newborn chicks are moved from the incubator usually around 12 hours from hatching. They are kept in a heated cage with a 100 watt heat bulb (once again outside of our bedroom) on newspaper for ease of cleaning, fed honey and water (fresh every day) and Integra 1000 before being moved to the brooder 48 hours later. They are cleaned twice daily at this stage.

Our heated brooders house our chicks for a two weeks until they are ready to move on to the next stage. Fed Integra 1000 and freshly watered daily with Vitmin Pro and weekly with Premoxil powder. They are kept on rice hull over newspaper for a natural environment and monitored regularly.

Having had a warm and cozy first two weeks our chicks are then transferred to the post brooder pens to begin their moult. They will remain here for at least four weeks.

At this stage the temperature is reduced but still monitored and the chicks have access to heat when needed.

Depending on development feed is changed to Integra 2000 supplemented with dried mealworms and ground copra which we find helps the birds in the moulting stage.

Fresh water is provided daily still supplemented by Vitmin Pro and Premoxil.

Once the chicks have successfully moulted and provided they are ready (usually around six to eight weeks) they are released into an outdoor holding pen in readiness for release to the coop.

They have access to roost, grass and sand baths.

The feeding and watering regime remains the same with Integra 2000 supplemented by dried mealworms and ground oyster shell for additional calcium. Fresh, supplemented water is provided daily.

Having had a period of adjustment in the transfer pen the birds are now ready for transfer to the coop and the rest of the flock.

The feeding regime is upgraded at this stage to a mixture of Integra 2000, Integra 3000, dried mealworms and 18 Kinds mixed grains.

Clean, supplemented water is still provided daily.

The birds have access to both indoor and outdoor areas, nesting boxes and roosts.

Our chickens are monitored twice monthly by our government registered vet.

For more information on our vaccination and medication regime see our detailed page on the same.