Always protect your chickens

I thought id drop a quick post to everyone about protecting your chickens. Now many of you might be thinking that your chickens are well protected but i was chatting to this lady the other day who woke up to find that most of her chickens had been murdered, my heart bled for her. Quick point to remember, predators will climb, dig and chew to get to your precious chickens so double check tomorrow that your chickens protection is up to scratch.

Essential points to remember when building your hen house

When constructing your hen house / chicken coop there are some important points to remember.

1). Planning - You should make sure you have well drawn plans before you start to build your coop. The plans ensure you are on the right path to constructing your coop and you don't drift off. This saves you time and money.

2) Lighting - you should ensure you place the coop where the chickens will enjoy the maximum light possible. It is estimated that chickens need around 14hrs of light a day, so ensuring this is done naturally, through the sun and placing lighting within the coop for the winter months.

3) Forces of nature - You should make sure you hen house is protected from the ever changing weather.

4) Predators - When you build your hen house you should ensure that you have adequate protection against predators. I recently read a blog where a poor lady had lost all of her chickens to a predator, therefore you should position your coop close to your house and it's well protected, e.g using steel for around the run instead of regular chicken wire.

Chicken Breeds for Cold Weather

A quick chat on common chicken breeds for cold climates.

If you live in a cold climate where the temperatures drop below freezing during part or all of the year, it's better to have to have Standards than Bantams. Standards are hardier and fare better than bantams. Also chicken combs and wattles are an important factor to consider as the smaller they are, the less likely they will be affected by frostbite. Lets also not forget that they need an insulated hen houses

Common Cold Weather Breed Chickens

• Langshans
• Opringtons
• Chanticleers
• Plymouth Rocks
• Wyandottes
• Sussexes