Reap the rewards by having chickens as pets.
ALL CREATURESKEEPING chickens can be great fun and extremely rewarding, as they are easy to look after and provide fresh eggs from your garden.
Whether you are thinking of having chickens for the first time, or a seasoned owner, Scats Countrystores, Newport, has everything you need including housing, fencing, bedding, feed and feeders.
Trevor Frost, product manager for Scats, said: "Keeping chickens brings great satisfaction as well as the reassurance of knowing where your eggs have come from. Simply make sure they are fed every day, eggs are collected regularly and the chicken house and run is kept clean, to get the most out of your chickens."
How do you get started? There are lots of breeds to choose from but the best for a first-time owner is one of the hybrid breeds. These have been bred to be human friendly and to lay regularly.
Start by talking to a local supplier about the advantages and disadvantages of different breeds. The best time to purchase your chickens is at point of lay, at around 16 weeks.
Next, you need to make sure the housing is right for the number of chickens and how free range you want them to be. There are two basic types of housing — arks and coops.
They vary in size and your chickens need enough space to run and forage with protection from the elements, predators, injury and theft. It can be a good idea to position the house in an electric fenced-off area for extra protection from predators at night.
Jonathan Skeggs, of Scats, said: "To give chickens the best quality of life, you need to strike a balance between their freedom and safety. To protect free-range chickens from predators, electric poultry fencing is ideal. Supplied complete with support posts, the netting is easy to erect and move and can be powered by mains electricity or a battery-operated energiser, deterring even the boldest of predators."
Ideally, chicken houses should be rotated to prevent disease and to keep the grass fresh, although you can keep chickens on paved areas by covering it with wood or bark chippings and supplying greenery as a substitute to grass.
Bedding for your chicken house should be straw, sawdust or wood chippings and should be changed regularly. Provide a nest box lined with shavings or straw, one for every four birds. Disinfectant needs to be used regularly to prevent the spread of infection.
Choosing the right feed for your chickens depends on their age and the Scats team in Newport are happy to advise which feed is most appropriate.