Healthier chook management

I previously had a large run for chooks (chook is the Australian generic for chicken/hen/rooster) which became unmanageable, the chooks constantly escaping and eating every seedling in the backyard. A conventional feeder meant I was also raising about 40 sparrows and four pigeons. Open water meant dirty water, worms and sick and dead chooks.

A fox came and cleaned up that flock. I replaced the chickens in that large run with asparagus, strawberries, leeks, artichokes, zucchini, yakon, youngberry, herbs, etc.

I resolved to start again but with closer management: small house for three hens, small mesh/net run to be moved around garden for day forage, vermin and weather proof feeder, my own construction, and nipple drinkers, to provide only fresh water.

From Ebay I bought some new items, like these:

a chicken house, luxurious (I see prices constantly changing)

and a puppy exercise playpen:

and, from friendly Mr ClickBuy in Hong Kong, a quantity of nipple drinkers

I mention where I got those because I did quite a bit of research and first bought a lower quality product. I bought 20 from Mr ClickBuy, for $30 delivered. I have used three of these nipple drinkers, have given some to friends... how nice to be able to offer friends free nipple drinkers for Christmas!

For the feeder, I had a length of 100mm pvc pipe already. I bought 100mm fittings from the hardware: two end caps, one 45 degree t-piece. one 45 degree elbow. Tools: angle grinder.

To cover the 'puppy run' I had a piece of bird netting (actually fish netting)

So, here are the results:

The house: I have mounted it on treated pine runners, so it will not rot and can be slid or carried to clean ground, a loop of rope at each end to drag without distorting the light frame.

The feeder and nipple waterer:

- note three things

[1] the feeder is a simple assembly of suitable length pipe sectiions, with cap at top and bottom. Scratch mix is added by removing the top cap and filling the vertical shaft, cut length to suit your situation. The sideways pipe branch has been set up and cut with an angle grinder to provide a weather-proof cover over the eating point. The depth of the cut is such that the scratch mix naturally falls out of the main tube into the branch, within reach of the beak of the hen, but not so close to the edge as to allow chucking the seed about. No glue needed. Different feeds (scratch mix/pellet) are going to fall at a different angle —you have to figure out your own set-up. I could of course have used 90mm pipe, but the storage capacity (and problem of filling without spilling) would not be as good. The feeder is fixed to the side of the chicken house with cable ties. As these chickens are young and while they are young they have a concrete block to climb on to access the feeder.

[2] This first watering device - for my convenience (being able to sit the bottle down) I put the nipples on the angle of the bottom. If the bottle hangs perfectly, the nipples work perfectly, but if the bottle tilts to an angle, the less vertical (more horizontal) nipple is going to drip and drip, excellent for training, but not good for ensuring the birds have water!

[3] the black plastic tray, under the house: I leave items like this and old plant pots upside down in the garden. Snails find refuge in them. Move the container to the chicken house and chickens find snails in the containers!

Instructions with the nipple drinkers advised me to drill holes in whatever plastic. I eventually decided not to have a system with nipples on pipe connected to tank, too complex and disaster-prone. I elected to use four litre bottles — big enough for the water supply to last, not so heavy as to be difficult to carry or put in place. I also decided that it would be better to heat the back end of a long drill (5/16 or 8mm) and push that through the plastic (no loss of plastic material, thickened and stronger edge of hole, no cracking). I have put a hole in the bottom of a second bottle — and it does not leak!

You need to heat a length, not just the tip of the drill, otherwise it won't get hot enough — select a drill bit that is long and has a rounded back end. This is an old 200mm x 8mm masonry drill

The hole (if using 5/16 or 8mm drill) will initially be smaller than you need, you can use the hot drill stalk to gently enlarge it, testing for size as you go. Useful to start smaller and increase, always hard to make a hole smaller (but if necessary use plumber's tape.

Screw the nipple dripper in until the o-ring washer at the top is slightly compressed - do not over-tighten. I used a 15mm ring spanner. Be gentle. No leaks from the top.

The nipple dripper should deliver water with a bump of the beak.

I am training the chickens, early days, by touching beaks to the nipple each time I move them from house to run and back. It is an advantage of moving them from their house to the run some days as you can clean the house without upset. Here is the run. I had an old potting table (from someone's kerbside chuck-out) which works perfectly as a shady day-hide and roost — and it also keeps the net from sagging and falling in. The net is secured (scarcely needed) to the sides by three clothes pegs. The water bottle is clipped to the side at an appropriate height. If thirst increases over summer, I can add an extra bottle. This run is moved through the garden to fresh pasture in the morning, before the chooks are transferred from the house. Grass is a good high protein meal for growing birds, they also reach through the mesh for anything nearby (in this case, to the right, a live comfrey mulch that keeps the kikuyu from away from a young tamarillo tree. It's always greener on the other side, as you can see in the photo.

End (or beginning) of story.