Free A Family Guide To Keeping Chickens by Anne Perdeaux

around the face
    Question Five
    Is a bantam:
    (a) A small chicken?
    (b) An extra-large chicken?
    (c) A chicken with feathered feet?
    Answers
    One (c); Two (a); Three (b); Four (b); Five (a)
    You should know a lot about the different types of chicken now – did you get all the answers right?

Chicken Chat
    ‘As rare as hens’ teeth’: Chickens don’t have teeth! This saying is used about something that is very unlikely to exist or impossible to find. For example: ‘I’ve been searching the shops all day but trousers that will fit me are as rare as hens’ teeth.’

Chicken Jokes
    Do you know which side of a chicken has the most feathers?
    The outside, of course!
    Why are chickens so well groomed?
    Because they always have a comb!
Something to do . . .
    Think about which types of chicken you would like to keep. Make a note of some suitable breeds or hybrids. Now try to find out more about them. Look on the internet or ask your parents to contact the breed clubs. Ask your friends which type of chicken they keep and try to visit a poultry show or sale.

CHAPTER FIVE
Buying the Eggstras

What Else Will You Need?
    You’ve selected an ideal home for your new chickens and have decided on the ideal chickens to live in it. Surely there’s nothing else to do but reach for your wallet?
    You might just about manage without anything extra but having the right equipment will make life easier for you and better for the chickens.
    There is a vast selection of chicken-related items available online or you can send for catalogues. Alternatively, agricultural stores usually carry a reasonable selection of poultry equipment.
    These are the basics you will need.
Choosing a Poultry Feeder
    A proper feeder avoids waste. Chickens are messy eaters and will happily leap into an open dish, scattering food and adding a couple of droppings in the process. Spilt food soon becomes stale (which can make chickens ill). It also attracts vermin, and if it gets wet will smell very unpleasant – worse than anything the chickens can produce!
    There are various styles of feeder available – these are some of the most popular.
Cylinder feeders
    This popular design is readily available in a variety of sizes. The food is held in a central cylinder and trickles into the surrounding trough, which may be divided into partitions – useful for energetic eaters.
    Check there is space under the cylinder for the food to flow easily into the trough – some models are adjustable.
    The cylinder should have a lid and may feature a circular ‘rain cover’. This helps keep the food in the trough dry and is essential for outdoor birds. Be wary of designs that have a central rod passing through the lid as these can leak in heavy rain.
    Raising the feeder above ground level helps prevent the chickens from scratching out the food and keeps it free of debris too. Some feeders have legs and you can also buy feeder stands – or be self-sufficient and use a couple of bricks.
    A hanging feeder keeps food well off the ground and also away from rodents.
Trough feeders
    Open troughs can only be used under cover – although some designs feature a lid. Troughs with partitions help prevent chickens from scratching out the food.
Peck and treadle feeders
    The peck feeder consists of a container on legs with a spring inserted underneath. The chickens release the food by pecking at the spring. You can buy these complete or purchase a spring to make your own.
    The treadle feeder is a box-like device that opens when the chicken stands on a metal plate.
    Peck and treadle feeders protect food from wild birds and vermin, but are generally larger and more expensive than cylinder feeders.

    The ‘Blenheim’ feeder features a partitioned trough, rain-hat and legs

    The ‘Brittany’ feeder can be hung up, and also has a rain cover

    An open trough with partitions

    Feed cups clip on to wire, and have many uses
Feed cups
    Designed to clip on to wire mesh, a couple of these are useful if