Keeping Chickens Month by Month: April

If you are new to keeping chickens, have you ever wondered what others are doing with their hens this month? Well The Mad Chicken Lady (she's lovely really and not -really- mad at all) brings us her monthly account of henly experiences and plans her month as a new urban chicken keeper.

Well, it's been a long hard winter. After the cold and wet, it's wonderful to see hints of spring making their presence known. One of the surest signs for me is that the hens are in full song. Now that they have recommenced laying and earning their keep, they spend a lot of the day bokking off and generally making it known that they are full of fertile thoughts. Ahem. With no cockerel to make doe eyes at, my girls take to crouching directly in my path and generally getting under foot. Hanging out the washing becomes an assault course of hormonally challenged chickens. I have found that April is a peak for this sort of outrageous behaviour, so don't be surprised if your hens seem a little...frisky.

Hatching time

Of course, it's not just the hens that start to consider fertility at this time of the year. Like most poultry keepers that have got the bug, my mind is turning to hatching. I managed to hatch three pekin bantams last year with a little Covatutto 7 incubator.  I was ridiculously pleased with myself, until at four weeks old they all grew combs and wattles. Yep, three boys. I had made provision for any surplus cockerels, but all I   will say is that the idea of culling is very different from the reality when you have the chick in front of you. Luckily, I found excellent pet homes for all three handsome chaps, but I think it is worth emphasising that this isn't always the case and shouldn't be relied upon. If homes hadn't been found, my three cute bundles of fluff were on a way trip to the vet. If you are thinking of hatching this spring, get your head around the boy chicken issue first. It'll save heartache in the long run. For my part, I am going to have a go at hatching serama this month. I say have a go, because apparently they are very difficult to hatch. I do like a challenge.

The Dreaded Red Mite

April is also the time when I start really closely watching out for the dreaded red mite. If you keep hens, you will know that these tiny beasties are your nemesis. I will be creosoting the hen house in the next month in a bid to make the coop as inhospitable as possible to any passing parasites although it's worth mentioning though that the newer Creosote substitute available in DIY shops doesn't work like the good old fashioned 'dangerous' stuff. I also step up my dusting routine at this time of year, and squirt powder in to the dust baths and nest boxes twice a week. Prevention is always better than cure, so learn the signs and check your housing regularly. Being on the ball means that you will catch any infestation early and have a much better chance of keeping it under control.

Foot Soaks and Pedicures

Spring brings out the chicken beautician in me. As soon as it's warm enough, all of my feather footed girls get themselves a foot soak and pedicure. Strangely enough, chickens seem to quite like this attention. They are slightly less keen on having their undercarriages cleaned, but keeping your hen's nether regions muck free is important. Hens can suffer from fly strike, so if you see a mucky bottom do make sure that you give them a quick dunk in a bucket. This is often less appreciated than the pedicure, but on the plus side there is something hilarious about a straggly bummed hen as she struts indignantly away from you up the garden. At this time of year, I let my girls air dry, but if you have to clean up a hen when the weather is less warm it's best to give them a blow dry. I have yet to meet a hen that hasn't fallen asleep while having her knickers wafted with warm air.