If the weather turns cold suddenly in the first week, I may transfer them back to the bins to be safe.
I feed and water them on the concrete and change the sawdust regularly. The chicks are now scratching their food out of the containers and so a lot of it gets scattered on the concrete. There is nothing you can do really to stop this, it is the natural way for the chickens to feed. I just sweep the floor regularly.
About now is a good time to start introducing some greens. I pick silverbeet, dock leaves and spinach. Pick a variety of leaves and see which ones they prefer. Sometimes they go off one green and prefer others.
I also like to start introducing boiled barley and I have found the chickens love it! I may feed it three ot four times a week as variety.
As soon as the chickens are feathered up they can go into an outside cage on the lawn - I prefer one that has no floor so that the chickens can scratch in the grass to their hearts content. It is not humane to have chickens in an environment that they cannot scratch and dust bath.
After I have shifted them from the shed, I wash and dry everything, hose down the floor and when it has dried, sprinkle some lime around. This will rid the shed of any smells and create an environment that bacteria does not like to grow in.
Chickens like short grass so try to move them at least once a day. The more I move them, the cleaner they will be. I mow where the chickens have been so there is less chance of the grass dying off completely.
I may need two or three cages if I have lots of chickens and as they get bigger they will need more space. They should start to roost about now and I can start to throw them pellets and whole barley as they get bigger but I like the mash because I can mix a raw egg in for protein and whatever leftovers I have from the table.
A note on feeding scraps: all scraps like vegetable peelings should be cooked and then the chickens will eat them. Otherwise you will hav slimy old peels lying around everywhere smelling and looking horrible!
If it is a hot summer I make sure the chickens have adequate shade and water. I keep the chickens in my orchard and make sure they are under the shade trees.
I also place a feed bag or sheet of corrugated iron (pinned down with bricks) on top of the run of the cage so they can get out of the direct sun without going into the house part of the cage.
Once I have sorted the roosters from the hens then the hens will need to be separated and moved to a permanent pen with laying and roosting facilities. I am careful when introducing new hens into a pen of older ones as the old ones may pick on new ones and make their lives miserable. I have found that this all subsides in a few days but I keep a close eye on who the trouble makers are and there is too much hen pecking then I will remove the culprits!
Roosters who have grown up together can stay together but be wary of re organising the cag mates. They will probably fight to the death or maim each other quite badly at this age.
I try to sell all the roosters I can - any that are left are killed and plucked and put into the freezer for eating and well worth it too.
When I have spent months feeding, shifting and caring for chickens there is real satisfaction in serving one up for dinner and the taste is definately better.
I am allergic to gluten and most of the store bought chicken and chicken pieces are coated in maltodextrin so I cannot eat it.
When the day comes and my hens start to lay their golden eggs I am ecstatic!
From one egg to many, my chickens are rewarding and worthwhile.
This is a wonderful project to do with your children - after all, who can resist a cute fluffy chicken!
