So you have decided it is time to get some chickens for your backyard?

Before you purchase your chickens make sure you have organised:

1. A comfortable hen house or chook tractor for them to sleep in at night.
2. A chicken run, secure from foxes.
3. Food hopper
4. Hanging water container
5. Shell grit tray
6. Container to put their kitchen scraps and greens into, out of their own poo.
7. (optional) a container to put their morning mash into.
8. Straw or other comfortable bedding and to line their laying box 
9. Chicken food, either pellets or kibble.
10. Shell Grit
11. Diatamaceous Earth, and lime, for dusting perches and the coup for mites. Pop a half teaspoon of daitamaceous earth into their mash as well.
12. A dustbath, for example a covered kitty litter tray filled with sand, until they are old enough to go out and forage beyond their coop.

Planting up in readiness for your chickens
It is a good idea to also begin establishing some varieties of plants with medicinal properties for chickens in or near their coop and free range areas.
Such species include: lavander, rosemary and wormwood to deter mites and lice, rhubarb,  thyme, nastursiums, fennel, dill, dandelions, echinacea, garlic, nettles, parsley. 
Many weedy plants are excellent food for your chickens. Put those weeds to good use!

Selecting and Buying your Backyard Chickens
Choose an appropriate breed for your backyard. I like to keep a heritage breed, so that you are helping to maintain a diverse genetic poultry gene pool alive and well. The next decision to make is whether you want full sized hens, or bantams, or a mixed flock of both full sized birds and bantams. Bantams are lighter and will make less of a mess scratching around your yard, if this is an issue, or your garden is small. They also make lovely pets for children, especially if you buy small pullets that they can regularly handle and bond with. Standard sized birds make equally good pets for older childern, but don't expect older birds to be trained to be picked up and handled easily!

Some terrific Backyard Breeds

Wyandottes
My personal favourites.
They are a dual purpose heavy (feathered) breed, thus good for cold climates, laying eggs and even eating!
Available in both standard and bantam sizes.
The gold and silver laced birds are particularly beautiful.
They have a lovely temperament and are hopeless flyers, so are unlikely to stray from your backyard. They will lay well for many years. However they will stop laying during their moult and until days begin to lenghthen after the winter solstice.

Barnevelders
My friend Dora loves her Barnevelders. They lay almost throughout the entire winter. However the breed has a reputation for hiding its eggs.
Available in both standard and bantam sizes.
They are gentle, friendly birds and prolific layers of brown, speckled eggs, over a long period, though do have a dormant period whilst recovering from their annual moult.

Australorps.
The Australorp, as its name suggests, is the only chicken breed to have been developed in Australia.
Available in both standard and bantam sizes.
Black plumage has a lovely green, to blue and purple sheen.
Highly prolific layers that have broken many world laying records.
They are gentle birds but can be a little aloof.

Silkies
Reputedly the friendliest chicken if you are seeking an excellent childern's pet. Silkies have long silky feathers.
Bantam size only.
Silkies lay approximately 3 eggs a week.
They are known for going broody and being exceptional mothers so are terrific for putting an egg set from other breeds under, when broody.
Their flesh is uniquely blue and they make excellent eating!

The Sussex.
Another lovely docile breed for backyards is the Sussex.
They are available as standard or bantams and come in a wider range of colours than just the light Sussex, pictured here.
They are excellent layers and good eating!

More excellent backyard chickens

• Orphingtons
• Rhode Island Reds
• Plymoth Rocks
• Leghorns
• Favouroles
• Isa Browns (excellent layers even over winter but very short lived)

Avoid flighty breeds such as:

• Araucaunas
• Old English and Domestic Game Birds

How Many Chickens Should I buy?
Chickens naturally live in flocks and establish a pecking order. 
A sole chicken, or even two will not make for a happy flock for those reasons.
Your chickens will bond with both you and your backyard very quickly, unless you select a breed that prefers to range over a wide area and roost in trees. This may be great if you live on a large acreage or farm, but is not appropriate for urban settings.
For backyard chicken keeping 3-5 birds from any of the recommended breeds above is the ideal number.
Check local Council Bylaws to make sure you are able to keep chickens, rooster bans and permitted numbers.

Egg sets, pullets or mature chickens; which is best for you?
The cheapest way of aquiring some pure breed heritage chickens will definately be to hatch your own.
That said, you will need to purchase an incubator, the eggs will need to be turned regularly until hatching time and you have no guarantee that they will not all turn out to be cockerils rather than pullets!
Personally, I would leave incubating eggs and caring for newly hatched chickens to more experienced poultry keepers.

Be very careful if buying older birds. You may get caught like my nephew did, with hens that are too old to lay.
However you may also be able to purchase birds not up to show standards from a poultry fancier, wishing to cull some of his younger birds for very reasonable prices.

Personally I prefer to purchase young pullets, so that they bond both with me and my backyard. There is some risk you may end up with a cockeril or two, when buying heritage breeds as they are slow maturers in comparison to modern hybrids!
Some poultry outlets will exchange any that prove to be cockerils. Otherwise you can look forward to a yummy chicken dinner, or offer your cockeril to breeders of your chosen heritage breed, to increase the gene pool of their own flock, or even show them, should they be shining examples of breed standards.

The day you bring your chickens home and things to check as they grow up:

• Keep your chickens inside your chicken coop until they have settled into your backyard and in the case of very young pullets, old enough to not be easy prey for larger birds or cats.
• Introduce your new chickens to other family pets under supervision. Dogs should be kept on leads until used to their new family members. Keep your chickens secure until family dogs can be trusted with them!
• Ensure your chickens go into the shelter of their chicken house by nightfall, if not you will need to pick them up and physically put them inside, where it is warm, sheltered and safe. It is easy to do this as chickens sleep very soundly!
• As pullets get older they will naturally begin to use their perch. If not you may need to help them to do this once they are fully fledged in their adult feathers.
• Chickens naturally head for their chicken coop at night, so you should never have to chase them around to get them into the coop. However, if they get used to you feeding them in their and you need to lock them up early for some reason, they will co-operatively go into their ight enclosure to be fed during the day. It is worth training them to be fed only in their coop from day one, for this reason!

When the winter chills really hits you need to also make sure your pets are keeping warm too.

Elderly pets are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of the cold, as are fine haired dog breeds like whippets, Weimararians, small dogs like chiuhahas, Italian Greyhounds and mini pinschers. All should ideally be largely indoors or at very least have a kennel, lined with warm bedding such as regularly changed straw, inside a shed and out of drafts and prevailing winds if kept outside, or spending time outside during the day. All will benefit from a warm, waterproof coat for walks on cold days.

Cats always gravitate to heat, even in all but the warmest weather. Many can be found lounging in front of, or even on heaters.They too should be housed indoors and out of drafts at night.

Guinea pigs are also particularly vulnerable to the effects of the cold and may even die of exposure if not given ample warm bedding. My friend Melissa houses her guinea pigs inside during the depths of winter in cages that line her sitting room and are easily kept clean, lined with straw.

All your pets, except reptiles, will eat more during winter, as many kilojoules are burned keeping their bodies warm. This especially applies to outdoor animals, like horses.

Make sure birds are kept well out of drafts and their cage is covered up at night with warm, breathable fabric.

Chickens benefit from a warm morning mash in winter. Mine enjoy a mix of pollard, bran, rolled oats, powdered milk and a seaweed supplement, made into a kind of porridge by adding hot water. A friend adds corn to a similar mix to mine. Our chickens adore their breakfast mash and begin laying as soon as days begin to lengthen shortly after the winter solstice.

Wild birds will enjoy household scraps like stale bread, rice ond offcuts of meat scattered on your lawn during the day. Do not leave such scraps out close to dark or you may encouage mice or rats!

One of the best ways of keeping warm with your dog or cat is to simply cuddle up in front of the television and enjoy each others body heat!

The idea of providing a home and life-long care for an abandoned pet is something many people aspire to and it is a very admirable and satisfying thing to do, especially when thousands of wonderful dogs and cats await just such an opportunity in shelters across the country.

It is wonderful to give such animals, from dogs and cats, to guinea pigs, ferrets, rabbits, birds and even reptiles a second chance at a quality life.

However, recue animals all come with some sort of history. No animal can tell us about its past life. While some have been well cared for prior to their abandonment, others have undoubtedly experienced abuse in various degrees. Many have had little or no training, except for the very basics at the shelter. Much loved pets rarely find their ways to an animal shelter where they may end up on death row!

For instance, my own darling Moggy Boy was dumped at the school where I worked. He was always a friendly and out-going individual and gave me endless love and devotion.

However, Moggy Boy was six months old by the time he came into my life. He had not been trained as a kitten that kitchen benches were off limits and correcting this took some effort.

I also discovered that it was likely at some point in his kittenhood, my darling little boy had been subjected to violence. It took a long time for males to win his trust and only those that were quietly spoken ever gained his affection. The minute anyone came to my home who was loud, or stamped a foot , or dropped anything by accident, Moggy Boy was a cringing mess and headed for the door. He would never give such people his trust, or affection, even if their loud voices or actions were not aimed at him and even if that person fed him on a regular basis. Only a bad past experience could have accounted for such behaviour.

A number of my friends have adopted rescue dogs.

One believed she was adopting a young dog, but when later vet checked her young dog turned out to be old and with a chronic illness that would prove a costly exercise needing monthly vet visits and expensive medication. The shelter she had adopted her boy from had claimed her dog had been vet checked, but she was given no certification of that check. By the time she had discovered her dog was old and had a chronic illness, she and the dog had bonded and fallen in love with each other. She was up for hefty bills for the rest of her dog's life and knew that life was not to be as long as she had initially believed, in good faith when she chose him at the shelter.

Reputable shelters will offer certified vet checks and also have a cooling off period, if anything goes wrong , for a couple of weeks after you have adopted the animal. Use only well known and reputable shelters who have vets on staff as part of their service, to avoid the circumstances my friend found herself in. The shelter concerned, did refund her purchase money when she communicated the inaccuracy of their so called vet check. The shelter in question claims never to put an animal down, but ensures rehoming to all. Reputable shelters rarely make such claims, for good reason. Some animals temperaments could endanger humans. Some animals have chronic health problems that will be an ongoing burden for a new owner, if a new home can be provided for such an animal, the new owner should be informed, from the beginning, of what such levels of care will involve and the associated costs. This is likely to put many potential new owners off. Animals in those categories, may well end up facing euthanasia. It is a sad reality. Shelter animals compete for limited numbers of homes. But there are many happy stories of successful adoptions of recue animals. 

Another friend fell in love with a rescue dog that was lacking in confidence, often fearful and had never been trained to walk on a lead in city streets. She found it necessary to employ a dog trainer to help her little one gain confidence and learn how to relax and go for a walk. Her dog was by then about six and has since led a very happy life. Slowly she relaxed and gained confidence around humans and other animals.

Another friend has had many rescue dogs over the years. She chooses youngish dogs and until recently all her dogs proved excellent companions that soon settled into thier new home and way of life and rewarded her with excellent obedience and much love. That is until her most recent rescue dog placement. For the first two weeks, Helen and her new rescue boy were getting to know each other. Her little fella was in unfamiliar territory and not very confident, so on his best behaviour. However, once settled in and relaxed, Helen describes her new boy as turning into "the Monster". The "Monster" climbs up onto the kitchen bench and steals food. His favourite spot is on top of her table. He is digging trenches in her backyard. He steals food from the hands of ayone he can, and off plates left on coffee tables. Helen is in the process of teaching her "Monster" acceptable behaviour, but she has found the whole situation very stressful. She had expected her new boy to be as well behaved and mild mannered as her previous dogs. She just wanted a quiet, obedient companion and has instead got herself a very big challenge on her hands.

Chickens rescued or rehomed from factroy farms have to be taught how to forage and socialise with other chickens, they have learned not to associate humans with good experiences and can be a challenge to get them to adjust to a more natural, if freer environment.

So, if you are planning on adopting a rescue pet, remember it may come with many challenges. It may present you with unexpected and inappropriate behaviours. However, from my experience, once you discover its unique personality traits and correct any behavioural problems, you will be rewarded with a pet that does value and recognise that you have provided it with a secure and loving home. That was certainly the case with my beloved Moggy Boy.

Remember too, that even pure bred animals that come into our lives as quite young animals, from reputable breeders, can present challenges you have not anticipated, when you bring them into your life!

Rescued or otherwise, every pet is unique. Never be afraid to seek help from an experienced and reputable trainer if you are having trouble training your dog!

Your Pet's vet and sites like the RSPCA, offer wonderful advice on animal care and behaviour. You can also phone in and have questions answered on the ABCs 774, every Saturday morning at around 9.00 AM. Phone 1300 774 774, to speak with vets, including RSPCA's Dr Hugh Wirth, or Dr Sasha Herbert of Melbourne University.

Have you ever noticed how your pets are way more confident in your presence than they are when a stranger enters their home?

Recently I was visiting my friend Melissa. Her guinea pigs just adore her and take every opportunity to greet and chat to her whenever she approaches. Yes, Melissa does provide her boys with food and water, they even get taken by her inside every evening, to ensure they never overheat or get too cold. 

Melissa's guinea pigs love and trust her. She is truly their human. However, I am not. When I approached Melissa's guinea pigs, they took shelter in a safe place while they checked me out. They repeated this behaviour every time I approached. This is because I am a stranger. I have not built the same trust with her boys that Melissa has. For all they know, I may be a very big predator about to eat them!

My own guinea pigs always greeted and chatted with me the moment I entered the backyard. However, if a stranger arrived, like Melissa's guinea pigs, they would head for cover to make sure they were safe.

If you own a cat, dog or even a horse, you will be aware of what behaviours your animal(s) use to greet your arrival. Some dogs even turn summersaults of excitement when their human arrives home. All my horses would always give me a welcoming whinny of greeting and my dear Moggy Boy, would come running and smooch, following me around when ever I arrived home. A previous cat would wait for me to arrive home from on top of a pillar, at the gate.

Animals can be quite different with how they greet their favourite person in the world, but one thing is for sure, they can and will recognise the humans that regularly love and care for them and acknowledge this in their behaviour. They often reward us with undying loyalty once we establish trust with them. They will be more confident around that person, always. Even our hereford cows would be wary of strangers, as opposed to being friendly and confident around familiar humans.

This is why it is vitally important that you observe what is normal and repeated behaviour in your animal(s). It is also important, when bringing a new animal into your life that you introduce it gently to your world and gain its confidence by offeriing it regular nutritious food, a constant supply of fresh water and lots of specific individual attention and care, appropriate to the species. Don't ovewhelm it with affection for hours at a time in its first days with you. Give it some time out to rest up.

A funny case in point is the day I had an animal photographer here, doing a shoot with my menagerie. All went well with Whippet Boy and my Moggie. Then came time to shoot with the chickens. I led Peter down to chookyard and decided we might go for something arty; in this case, me lying on the ground, with my chooks dining on top of me.
Problem number one. Peter was an unfamiliar human. Problem number two was that I didn't want to lie in chook poo, so spead out a big purple sheet to lie on. Peter was then going to dot me with food and the girls would oblige by eating it off me.

In my pursuit of art, I forgot my girls were simply chickens. Yes, Peter, was not someone they knew, however, I made the situation way worse, by introducing a big flappy bit of fabric. My girls would have been thinking giant scary predator, not mum with food. They beat a hasty retreat under the safety of the fig tree. No amount of coaxing would get them out, until I got rid of that scary fabric and asked Peter to back off. Once they relaxed, the girls were happy to oblige for photos in a natural, familiar setting. 

The point here is that we should never forget that our pets are not human. They come to us as descendants of their wild forbears. Horses and cows are herd animals on the look out for big prey animals. Dogs are pack animals, descended from wolves. Cats are solitary. Both are hunters. Small animals, like rabbits, guinea pigs and birds, including chickens, are at the bottom of the food chain and on the look out for predators constantly.

As a pack animal your dog must be put in its place. Humans are at the top of the pack. The dog is on the bottom of that scale. Your cat will come to you when it chooses. You can not call the shots with a cat, they are notorious as independant thinkers. As for those animals we keep that are used to being on the lookout for predators themselves, be gentle and reassuring in their presence. You will soon be accepted as friend, not foe.

However, remember that everytime you bring a new person into their territory, they too will have to earn the trust of your animals to be regarded as part of the family.

Observe your own animals' behaviours as consciously as you possibly can. You will never stop learning from them.
They will demonstrate passive and agressive behaviours, excitement, fear, hunger, contentment and temperature sensitivity. Recognising these behaviours can help you in the process of meeting their needs as well as in their training and interaction with you.

My beautiful girls are no more!
On Saturday morning, I awoke to the devasating sight of my poor girls all lying headless, strewn around the chook yard. Feathers everywhere!
Only my darling Semillion, or Semi as she was most commonly called, still had her head, but her eyes were lifeless. 
Semi was my special girl, rarest of the rare Buff Columbian Wyandotte bantams, but it was her personality and predisposition for eating out of my hand and chookey smooges that made her my favourite.
So too that she was invariably the first to go clucky, the most reliable of mothers and my best layer.

I confess to becoming complacent about urban foxes. In over two years, since my girls first joined me, never had we had any problems with foxes.
But on Friday night I was invited for dinner at a friends.
I returned after dark, to a very distressed Whippet Boy.
I put this down to the fact he was likely feeling a little neglected, as work demands and now an evening out had robbed us of much of our usual time together.
I didn't realise Whippet Boy was already grieving and trying to let me know all was not well in the chook yard.
I went straight to bed.

Whippet Boy woke me early, but I turned over to get a little extra sleep. By seven thirty I went down to tend my girls and was at that point confronted with the sight of my poor lifeless girls, victims of an urban fox attack!

With such a small flock, it is impossible for them not to become pets. I could not help but think over the wonderful memories I had of my girls, beginning with their nursing home visit to my dad, the day they came into my life, through watching them grow and mature, begin laying, moulting and the amazing chookie olympic events and yoga stretches they regularly amused me with, as well, of course as supplying me with eggs, for the better part of three years.

Each of my girls was named after a wine variety, being Wyandottes, so along with little Semillion, there was Shiraz, Merlot and Masanne and originally Chablis, who grew into a fine but impertinent rooster, so found his way to a new home, where he could bring new bloodlines into the Wyandotte gene pool of Victoria.

I fell in love with this breed, my dad had so highly recommended and prized. A breed that originated in Massachusets, in North America and were named after the original Wyandotte native Americans. They are a hardy, heavy dual purpose breed, as well as being fabulous layers over many years, their flesh is reputedly excellent eating, though I confess never having knowingly eaten it.

Having kept both the full sized girls and my bantams, the bantams are my favourites, but a mixed flock of both bantams and big girls ensures a mix of good sized eggs, along with smaller batam eggs as well.

How I will miss that supply of sweet Wyandotte light brown eggs for the time being. How I will miss thanking my girls for supplying me, my neighbours and friends with those glorious orange yolked eggs everyday.

How I miss my girls running to greet me each time I open the backdoor; a friend suggested this was merely because I fed them. However, with or without food for them, my Wyanos would always run to be with, or near me. They even bonded closely with Whippet Boy, who was grieving so desperately for several days after their deaths he would not eat, and lazed around the house, hanging his head. We are a sorry pair, with our home feeling very much emptier without our girls!

When preparing vegetables I am now in the habit of separating those my girls loved and those that go straight to my compost. I will have to turn the compost myself, for that matter. The loss of the girls permeates so many levels of my life!

I have been offered some new girls, of other breeds, but  confess to becoming a Wyandotte devotee. There are many other breeds my chicken keeping friends revere, such as Faverolles, Australorps, Barnevelders and Silkies. I even quite like buff Orphingtons and Sussex girls, but I have discovered that Wyandottes are the breed for me, and I am acutely commited to keeping this increasingly rare breed alive and flourishing here in my backyard in Ballarat.

My Wyandottes were hopless flyers, as well as being very bonded to their surrounds, so they never strayed into the neighbours. Though they never provided me with even one chicken dinner, as their progeny were highly prized by fellow Wyandotte fanciers, they did provide me with a daily Wyandotte visual feast.

I am forever indebted to my original four Wyandotte girls for introducing me to the joys of chicken keeping. I miss them, but am already in the process of searching for some new Wyandottes to again grace my life and backyard.
Vale Semi, Merlot, Shiraz and Masanne. You were a wonderful flock ad served us well!

Animals Australia has launched its cage free workplace initiative.

It's time to start chatting to your colleagues in the lunchroom to get them on side to end the torture of millions of chickens who face life as battery egg producers!

Proudly, Lyn White, AM, Campaign Director of Animals Australia, sent me an email congratulating Pets and Plants Ballarat for inspiring this campaign. I simply signed Pets and Plants up to the "Make It Possible Pledge", ensuring that this workplace, along with myself as an individual, would be cage egg free!

Already over 1,000 workplaces have signed up, beginning with Pets and Plants Ballarat!

Whilst most workplaces are not in the position that Pets and Plants is, with five free-ranging backyard layers, producing the bulk of the eggs consumed within this workplace, all workplaces can play a key role in ending the miserable life of battery hens!

All it takes is one individual talking to colleagues about the plight of battery hens and their miserable and unnatural caged conditions to begin your workplace's journey to taking the cage free pledge. It's more than likely you will find many co-workers and even your boss is on side already. Transforming  the buying habits  of your colleagues is a powerful action for animal welfare within Australia and even beyond our shores!

The cage free workplace initiative is a true reminder of how small actions we take as an individual, group or workplace can really help transform the world and in this instance, potentially, the lives of millions of chickens!

Get cracking towards that cage free life for chickens with many more "cage free workplace pledges"!

Warming Mash Recipe for happy hens on chilly mornings!
2 scoops pollard or bran
2 scoops rolled oats
I scoop powdered milk,
1/4 teaspoon diatemaceous earth (optional)
I teaspoon organic chicken vitamin supplement (optional)
Mix to a mashy, but not overly wet consistency with hot tap water.

Serve immediately, while still warm. 
Serves 4-5 cold, hungry, grateful chickens!

I love my Wyandotte chickens. They brighten up my backyard, have a lovely gentle but out-going temperament, present me with fresh eggs on a daily basis for much of the year, are hopeless flyers and are good layers as well as fabulous eating.

Their feathers are used for making fly fishing lures for trout, as well as by milliners in hat making, so even their annual moult feathers are highly prized.

Wyandottes are a heritage breed that originated in the cold climate of New York State, USA, in the 1870s and were named in honour of the local Wyandotte indigenous people.

Wyandottes come in many colours, with silver laced and white Wyandottes being amongst the most popular.

My own flock, consists of four gold laced standard hens and one extremely rare buff Columbian Wyandotte bantam, who is my absolute favourite and follows me around like a puppy.  She eats out of my hand and is the broodiest of them all, as well as being an exemplary “mother hen”.

All my “Wynos” take their names appropriately from wine varieties.

Whilst Wyandottes do not lay every day of the year they do produce good sized eggs very reliably. They stop laying during their annual moult, as well as when the weather cools and days are short.

Wyandottes are a round “heavy breed” meaning that they have heavy feathering designed to protect them from the cold. They cope very well with Ballarat's frosty winters.

The Wyandotte Chicken Club of Victoria is very active in the Ballarat area and I have found its members to be an enormous support and resource.

Serious poultry breeders enjoy showing their birds and aim at breeding the perfect Wyandotte.

As an increasingly rare heritage breed, Wyandottes are worth keeping to ensure the breed is preserved. They will certainly be a talking point in your backyard and are to be recommended as highly useful, productive  friendly and extraordinarily beautiful pets, perfect for Ballarat’s cold climate!

Yes, you read my advice and I’m not referring to requesting a sample of KFC, before purchasing the “bucket deal” meal!

I wanted chickens, as part of my ‘urban farm’ lifestyle, here at Pets and Plants Ballarat.

I wanted their eggs, I wanted them to turn my compost heap, I wanted them to eat scraps from my table, or the vegies I had not eaten because I’d dined out. I wanted chickens to add nitrogen to my garden via their manure. I wanted them to aerate my soil and weed before I planted out my vegie patch. Did I mention they also eat pests like slugs, snails and codling moths?

Yes, my chooks are beautiful unpaid workers and friends that brighten up my life on a daily basis, with their amusing antics, their loyalty and rituals. Observing their pecking order and natural behaviours is like one long biology lesson, made highly practical and entertaining.

But like any pet, chickens come with their own set of demands. The last thing I wanted was to make an impulse purchase that committed me to years of looking after pets that brought me little joy.

These critters get up early. They need to be locked up away from foxes and dog attacks at night. There’s regular coup scoop and bedding changing to do. They can decimate emerging seedlings in minutes. Roosters crow and can be highly aggressive!

Then there are local Council bylaws: five hens here in urban Ballarat, no more. No roosters. No game birds, as in ducks, pheasants, peacocks or guinea fowl, ostriches or emus. Given I have a third of an acre that’s a considerable area for my five hens to free range. Chicken paradise!

The answer to my “chook or not to chook” question came at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show. Citychicks had a stall and chicken display.

With Citychicks I was able to rent five Wyandotte pullets (chickens under a year old) for a month and see if I liked getting up with the fowls as a responsible chicken keeper. My girls were delivered along with their mobile “chook palace”, feeders, diatomaceous earth, lime, shell -grit, water and instructions for holistic care.

It was love at first sight and now I can’t imagine life without chooks.

Even my neighbours enjoy my chooks, benefiting from eggs and a reminder of days gone by, when they too kept chickens. Parents and grandparents, bring children in to meet the chickens.

I’ve witnessed several years in the cycle of the hens going broody, laying, hatching and raising clutches. My Wyandottes unlocked the community of chicken enthusiasts, clubs and keepers to me: mentors and new friends.

How glad I am I took that opportunity to rent, with an option to buy package, Citychicks offered!

And yes, I still eat chicken!

It saddened me to hear reports of large numbers of backyard chickens dying as a result of our recent heatwaves.

In contrast, my own flock has thrived, even each producing an egg every day in temperatures of over 40 degrees celcius!

The secret is regular changes of water, huge ice cubes, and a watermelon and grape feast at least once a day.

This hydrates and keeps them cool.
Mimicking their natural shady jungle habitat and providing chicken medicinal herbs is the other hint if you are new to chicken keeping!