Janice Murphy helps you get started.
"The hens in the paddocks look good in summer," said the egg-seller at the market, "but you don't want to see free-range hens in the winter, all bedraggled."
Presumably the eggs on that stall were not from free-range hens, then.
But free-range hens usually only look bedraggled when they've been caught in the rain or are moulting.
And their eggs simply look better, with bright yolks from the beta carotene in the grass the hens eat.
For consumers concerned with how their food is produced, eggs pose a bit of a problem.
Do you buy the cheapest, knowing the hens are kept in tiny battery cages and never see the sun? Do you compromise with barn-laid, knowing the hens at least get to stretch their legs? You can ease your conscience by buying the more expensive free-range eggs, or you can keep a few hens in the backyard, as our grandparents used to do.
Here's how. -
Check with your council
If you live in a residential area, some councils are more chook-friendly than others.
There might be a maximum permitted number of hens, and roosters could be a problem - if not with the council, then with your neighbours.
Two or three hens is a good number to start with.
Sort out housing
Hens need shelter, nesting boxes and perches.
There are as many designs for henhouses as there are chook-keepers, but a backyard coop for a couple of hens doesn't have to be much bigger than a rabbit hutch.
You might like a chicken tractor, or ark, which is a small, movable house with nesting box and perch and an attached grazing run.
The hens can eat grass and bugs, and enjoy the sun, and are moved every few days to fresh grass.
Confining the hens to a run means you know where to find the eggs.
Moving them also means less manure build-up.
Plans to build these are readily available on the internet, as are ready-built chicken coops of many designs.
If you want to build a fixed henhouse, you might need a building permit, which you must arrange before you start.
Also talk to your neighbours about where it will go.
Keep your hens and your garden safe
Free-range hens can be very destructive to gardens.
If the hens are not confined and the garden is not fenced, your precious seedlings are doomed, and so are your neighbours'.
A wire-netting pen keeps hens out of the garden and needs to be strong enough to keep out cats, dogs and other predators.
Organise food and water
Your hens will eat kitchen scraps and give you valuable litter material that makes great compost.
But for best egg production, you need to give them some wheat and/or layer pellets or mash.
Most supermarket sell these in 10kg bags, but it is cheaper to buy 25kg bags from farm supply stores, if you have a vermin-proof place to store them.
Hens need access to clean water at all times, and an automatic waterer is a good investment.
Nesting boxes should be lined with straw or other nesting material, to make them attractive to hens and keep the eggs clean.
Lastly, get your hens
Pullets (young hens that are not yet laying) and laying hens of many breeds can be bought on the internet, and are advertised in newspapers.
Sometimes you can buy a hen and chickens.
Though it is nice for children to watch the chicks grow up, remember half of the chicks are likely to be roosters and you will have to get rid of them.
Point-of-lay hens are just ready to start their laying life, and will give you the most eggs, but they also cost the most.
End-of-lay hens can be bought from commercial poultry farmers very cheaply.
These have often had a hard life and though they are just over a year old, they can look pretty rough.
They probably can't perch and might be scared of open spaces for a start, but they will eventually grow their feathers back and start laying again.
Hens lay the most eggs in their first season, until they moult and go off the lay.
At this stage a hard-hearted chook-keeper will wring their necks and put them in the pot, replacing them with new stock.
But backyard hens can easily live for 6-8 years, though egg production decreases over time. It's up to you.
Your questions answered
Q. Do hens need a rooster to lay eggs?
A. No.
Q. How often do they lay?
A. A well-fed hen usually lays one egg per day.
Q. Do they lay year-round?
A. Typically, no. Egg production falls off as winter approaches and resumes in the spring.
Q. Are they noisy?
A. Only when alarmed or laying an egg.
Q. How long do chickens live?
A. About seven years.
Q. Do they lay eggs their whole life?
A. They are most productive in their second and third years, and then laying declines markedly.
Q. Are they good for the garden?
A. Yes and no. They will scratch garden beds, dislodge plants and eat seedlings. But they will devour bugs and slugs, and their manure and bedding make great ingredients for the compost pile.
Q. How do you protect them from predators?
A. Both the henhouse and run should be fenced with chicken wire and covered with netting or wire to keep out stoats and ferrets, hawks and dogs.
Q. Do they need their beaks trimmed?
A.Beak-trimming causes pain and distress to hens, though it is carried out to prevent cannibalism in commercial flocks. Such behaviour is rare in free-range hens.
Q. Do they smell?
A. If the coop and run are left uncleaned, yes. Occasional removal of droppings for the compost pile and placement of fresh bedding will keep the henhouse odour-free.
Trimmings from sweet-smelling herbs (e.g. mint, lemon balm) or pine needles add a pleasant scent.
- Los Angeles Times-Washington Post and Janice Murphy
