Chicken Run

Chickens in the backyard are becoming more popular as households look for ways to save money and the environment.
Story by Graham Readfearn.
Near the back of my garden, beneath the shade of a macadamia tree are six wonders of the modern and sustainable suburban backyard. At least, I think they're a wonder. Marmite, Weller, Dora, Thomas, Fluffles and Butter are the family chooks that put omelettes and creme brulees on our tables and a poultry bit of fun in our lives.
Alongside rooftop solar panels, hybrid cars and wind turbines, chickens have become the poster-girls for sustainability and it seems they're becoming more popular. As any backyard chook-fan will tell you, the humble hen carries out simultaneous jobs as a food waste recycler, fertiliser machine, egg maker and loveable pet.
They are truly a freak of nature or, in case of our half dozen, a product of a commercial breeding program decades ago that produced a friendly calm hen that lays eggs like they're going out of fashion.
Without any liaison with a rooster, our birds have each been popping-out a smooth cream-shelled egg every day or so for the past year. Each morning, they get food scraps and greens. In the afternoon they get fresh water and a serving of organic feed which costs us about $35 for a sixz-week supply. On weekends they get to run around the garden.
No doubt they love the days when our neighbour tosses a pile of home-grown Chinese cabbage over the fence. They like Sundays too, when we get home from the organic farmers market with a bag full of veggie scraps.
There are some basic requirements for chickens, but each backyard set-up can be different. Chickens need protection from predators and the elements, a ready supply of food and fresh water, somewhere to lay eggs and a perch to sleep on. Even though our birds live in a purpose-built shed with a run, there are many ways to house chickens in small, mobile, stand-alone pens.
Anyone new to keeping chickens, as we were can buy birds which are at "point of lay", which means they're about 16 weeks old and almost ready to start laying eggs. Brisbane City council advises conditions for chickens should be clean and should not cause a nuisance to neighbours.
Maybe 10 years ago people thought keeping chickens in a backyard was something only hippies might have done, but now it has become mainstream to grow food and to know where the food comes from.
Obviously most people can't have a cow in their backyard for their own meat, but chickens are small enough and easy enough to maintain.
Some hens are purpose-bred for commercial laying and can provide 300 eggs a year or more, but laying drops off quickly within a few years. One option is to choose a heritage breed which may not lay quite so often, but will keep laying for as many as six years or more.
Rules of the hen house:
Councils have rules for keeping chickens. In Brisbane, premises with a total area of less than 800 sq metres can keep up to six birds. Up to 20 birds are allowed for larger premises.
Chicken sheds need to be at least one metre from a dividing fence and noisy roosters are not allowed in residential areas.
Brisbane City council provides information about keeping chickens at home online at www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/laws-permits/animal-laws-permits/poultry

Click here to check out ABSCO hen house product lines

Safe housing for your chickens

Fencing and housing needs to be well designed to prevent predators from getting in.
Predators in Australia include foxes, dogs, snakes and quolls. Boundary fences are not predator proof, as foxes are good climbers and jumpers and can dig under them.

It's more the eggs that attract snakes and blue tongue lizards.

Have a secure fine netting and lock them in at night.

To prevent predators digging under the coop, use a concrete floor or lay a 30-45mm mesh apron pegged to the ground and attached to the coop, or raise the coop 1.5m off the ground. For portable pens, use a strong mesh floor.

The best thing is to have concrete floor, rails for roosting, and some nesting boxes with straw, have a little door that opens next to them so you can lift up the flap to get the eggs without having to go in the shed. The shed can then have a large wire enclosure around it, with the wire down into the ground with light weight bird netting on top.

We recommend you view ABSCO range of chicken coops for your next hen house and keep your pets safe!

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Best DIY Hen House

The Absco bird aviary is great as an aviary or can be used chook house/coop.

The ABSCO avairy is recommended and a sought after product range of chicken coops for these reasons:

Fast and easy to assemble with the exclusive SNAP-TiTE fast assembly system. This and the below reasons are why an ABSCO DIY kit is an easy option in owning your own chicken coop.

   » Flat roof, gable roof and hexagonal options
   » Size range to suit most applications
   » Easy to follow assembly instructions provided
   » Wider mesh panels for better viewing
   » Maintenance free - all heavy duty galvanised steel construction

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Housing Your Chickens

With so many designs available, it becomes difficult to select the ideal one. Some things that you should consider before selecting a chicken house.
To choose the best one from available designs your checklist should be:

Maintenance : This is the place where most of the chicken coops fail very badly. The best design is one that has easy maintenance and easy to clean.

Ventilation : A good design would have adequate ventilation.

Security : A secure coop design will have some fencing along the chicken house to protect your birds from potential predators.

Construction material : A good chicken coop design constructed using strong galvanised steel for strength and which facilitates cleaning and offers better hygiene.

We recommend you view ABSCO range of chicken coops for your next hen house!

Click here to check out ABSCO product lines