Let me start by saying, there are chook experts out there who can be consulted if you really want to know what's what! But in the last few weeks I've been asked "what does having chooks involve" quite a few times actually, because more and more people are interested in having chooks in their backyard. So who are these experts? Ella from www.chooktopia.com & the ladies from www.citychicks.com.au are the first two places I would start. Of course there are books but they all say different things and you can't really ask them questions if you're unsure of something.

So, here’s what I’ve learnt about having chooks in the last month of being a chook owner and 6 month of reading about being a chook owner!!

• First, they are great to have around, but that’s not what you wanted to know!
• There are many different breeds but ISA browns seem to be the first choice for many backyard pets, they are reliable layers, friendly and easily fit in with children and don't go broody (on heat). It's worth investigating for yourself to make sure you get the right breed for your needs
• Keep the coop clean – chooks poo – a lot - so depending on the size of the coop and how often they are let out to roam free, they’ll poo in the coop, especially if they spend a lot of time there. Remove the poo as often as required to reduce the smell & avoid flies & contamination of food, water and eggs
• Give the coop a full clean every one to two weeks, remove all the hay & clean it out thoroughly (put aside to go onto the garden or into compost)
• Put the poo & hay aside to rest for a few weeks to a month before putting it straight onto the veggie patch or plants because it’s strong stuff and can burn the roots, especially if the plants are new. Or put it into the compost bin
• They will also poo in their food and water so keep this clean too by changing frequently
• They poo everywhere (in case you hadn’t got that already) so if they’re roaming free and you don’t want poo in particular places then create a section of your yard for them, or keep your doors closed because they’re very friendly and will come inside – and poo!!
• They need shelter from rain (make sure the coop is kept dry all the time) & sun, they don’t sweat so need to be able to keep cool under the shade of trees or shrubs, they will also use these for shelter if they feel threatened by larger birds, dogs or other bullies
• If you have a mobile coop move it around the yard to give them new, clean grass to scratch in and allow the previous spot to regenerate. Water-in the poo left behind so it doesn’t kill the grass or go hard as a rock
• If they’re allowed to roam free keep them away from the veggie patch if it’s only just been planted until the plants have had time to develop, or keep them away from any plants you really like that may be delicate, especially if they’re mulched!
• You might need two waterers, one for in the coop and one for around the yard, it’s important your chooks have access to clean water at all times, especially in warm weather
• Mice are sneaky and will try to get into the coop for the chooks food so only feed enough table scraps that will get eaten within an hour or so, if food is left around it will either attract mice, which attract snakes or the food will go rotten, create a smell and maybe even make the chooks sick
• If you have mice around the coop they’re more likely to try to come into your house
• They can take a while to get into a routine of laying, I had it explained to me in relation to the female reproductive cycle, just like it can take a while for us to settle into a regular cycle as we reach puberty, so it does for our feathered female friends, plus there is often the change in environment because it’s common to buy chooks when they are at ‘point of lay’ which is when they first start laying at 3-4 months old
• Most chook enthusiasts recommend giving a mash or porridge for breakfast, I didn’t do this for the first two week, but now give them pollard, rolled oats and wheatgerm with boiled water poured over it, let it cool down and when I take it out to them they almost peck their way out of the cage. There are hundreds of mash recipes on the internet and over the next week I’ll be adding a few more ingredients into the mix to increase the range of nutrients
• I then give them about a cup of feed at night when it’s cooled down a bit which is 50:50 organic grains and layer pellets. They don’t eat a lot during the heat of the day and they are usually let roam round the backyard eating weeds & bugs from the dirt
• We also give them scraps from breakfast, lunch and dinner which are small amounts that they can eat in one go, they get very excited when we bring these out to them
• You can put garlic into their feed or water if they aren’t well (chooks can catch a cold and sneeze), it will also help to prevent internal and external parasites
• There are lots of herbs you can easily grow in your garden and feed to your chooks to keep them healthy like wormwood, peppermint, sage, garlic and more, see this article……
• They need to have a dust bath or access to a dusty part of a garden bed to help naturally remove lice from their feathers
• Shell grits are available from pet stores and are kept in their throat to help them break down the outer layer of the grains, if they have access to rocks or gravel in the yard this will do the same job
• Get the kids involved, the look of pure joy on their face is absolute gold, and in contrast, the look of disappointment when there aren’t any eggs is a little heartbreaking, but we’ll take it easy on the chooks for now!!
• Like people they can get stressed easily if chased or feel threatened by kids or dogs!
• Getting them back into their coop doesn’t have to be difficult, just don’t chase them! If you do attempt the chase they will always be one step ahead, you’ll look like a fool and everyone will get tired and frustrated. Once your chooks are tame you will be able to walk over to your chook, slowly bend down over top of her, she will most likely squat in anticipation of being picked up. Scoop your forearm under her and tuck her under your arm. You’ll get used to doing this so her wings don’t flap and feet don’t scratch and if she’s comfortable with you and held reasonably tight then neither of these will happen
• Chooks will naturally go into the coop at dusk, which is quite late during daylight savings so I prefer to put them in after our dinner at about 7-7:30 if they are still out, in this case they are used to getting some food at this time so they are more than happy to go into the coop on their own accord, sometimes they are in there waiting because the door to their house is always open in case they want to go and lay an egg! 

If you are unsure, just learn as you go like I am and enjoy. Of course like anything worth doing there is work involved, but the rewards are numerous and well worth it.