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Bury Green Poultry

February 2023

Hi all, I hope you and your flock are well!

This month I’m advising on how to keep your birds happy and healthy whilst they’re in ‘flockdown’ during the Avian Influenza outbreak, I’ve compiled some information below which I hope you’ll find helpful…

Bird Welfare When Housed

To ensure your birds are kept healthy and happy during ‘flockdown’, you should implement the following:
  • Prevent feather pecking and bullying by making sure you do not overcrowd the enclosure
  • Allow as much natural light as possible to enter the enclosure. If possible, use a transparent roof to cover the run so your birds have good access to light (during the day you should be able to see your birds clearly and artificial light should follow typical day and night patterns).
  • Make sure temperatures in the enclosure do not go significantly above 21 degrees Celsius
  • Ensure there’s plenty of ventilation in the coop but that it’s not draughty (vents should be located above head height of perching birds), ensure vents do not allow access to your coop by wild birds
  • Provide enough food and fresh water and keep it covered so wild birds can’t contaminate it
  • Keep their bedding dry; a ground sanitising powder works well to absorb moisture to prevent the smell of ammonia and prevent respiratory issues
  • Give your flock regular health checks to ensure they’re free from parasites, that they’re a healthy weight, that they aren’t suffering from any injuries (eg: peck wounds), that they look well and aren’t experiencing feather loss
  • Consider adding calming herbs to the enclosure like lavender and chamomile, or add a calming supplement to your birds’ drinking water, to help reduce stress
  • If you have multiple birds in one space, consider providing multiple food and water stations so birds at the bottom of the pecking order get a chance to eat and drink without being chased away
  • If your chickens don’t have access to a hard surface to file down their beaks, consider adding a brick or another type of pecking block to the enclosure that they can scrape their beaks on

Pictured above is the BGP flockdown set up; all runs are covered with a corrugated, clear plastic roof.

Boredom Busters

Try adding some of the following to your enclosure to keep your flock entertained and busy whilst in flockdown:
  • Tyre(s), perches, branches, tree stumps, logs, ladders, wooden pallets
  • Hanging CDs
  • Treat dispensers (don’t exceed 10% of their daily diet with treats to ensure they’re getting the nutrition they need from the everyday feed and also to prevent obesity)
  • Hanging cabbages
  • A bale of straw for your flock to scratch through
  • Woodchip
  • Dustbath using sand, dry soil and wood ash from untreated wood or a small amount of DE powder (you can use something like a cat litter tray for the dustbath)
When adding perches, think about utilising the vertical space in the enclosure so your flock can access space upwards, as well as at ground level.

Some boredom busters are seen above; a hanging cabbage and CDs, a dustbath, a tyre, a food dispenser, wood chip and I’ve also added a brick to enable the birds to file down their beaks if they need to whilst they don’t have access to hard ground to do this. There is a perch situated on the right just out of shot too.

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