Pecking order

By VANESSA PHILLIPS - Nelson

Chickens are the new chic addition to urban and rural backyards around the Nelson region, as Vanessa Phillips discovers.

Each day, Siggy Hilton and her children wander down to the bottom of their Nelson city property to gather eggs. "I used to buy normal eggs, not free range," Siggy says. "But you can't go back once you've had free range."

Siggy and her partner Evan McLean have three hens in the chicken run at their Orsman Crescent home. They're among a growing number of people keeping their own chooks. It's not just an activity for people with rural lifestyle blocks. Like Siggy and Evan, these days plenty of urban dwellers in the Nelson region are keeping chickens.

Those keen on doing so should first check their council bylaws. You might be surprised by just how many chickens can be kept on a suburban plot.

In urban areas of Nelson city, up to 12 are allowed, while in Tasman district up to six can be kept by people living in a residential zone.

Roosters, because of their noise, are not allowed in urban areas, and both councils have rules about the appropriate containment of chickens so they don't cause a nuisance to neighbours.

Siggy's family have been keeping chickens at their Victory property for about 2 1/2 years, after inheriting them from the previous owner.

About four months ago, they replaced the old chickens with a new lot of young fowl obtained from friends. "We had 10 chickens, but seven turned out to be roosters," Siggy chuckles.

The roosters had to go, leaving the three hens which now peck around the run, eating bugs and a mix of kitchen scraps, wheat and pellets.

Siggy estimates that if the hens were fed wheat and pellets only, it would cost about $20 a fortnight, but because they are also fed kitchen scraps, the family spends only about $40 every three to four months on feed.

Their hens have been laying for a couple of weeks now, producing two eggs a day - enough to provide a good weekly supply of eggs for cooking, and to give away.

Siggy thinks five chickens would be the perfect number. "You get too many eggs, but it's good to have some to give away."

The supply and superior taste of eggs fresh from their own backyard aren't the only reasons why the family keeps chooks.

Siggy's family always had chickens when she was a child growing up on the West Coast, and she says the enjoyment her children Oscar, 3, and Arlo, 18 months, get from watching the birds and collecting the eggs is a bonus.

Across the road from them, Siggy's brother's household also keeps chickens.

"We probably know three or four people in town with them," she says.

Brightwater couple Fionna and Gordon Appleton breed poultry at their Mt Heslington Rd property "as a hobby", and Fionna says she's noticed an increase in the popularity of keeping chickens. The couple have mainly heritage chooks, which come in a range of sizes and colours, live for 10 or more years and lay eggs for four to six years.

"A lot of people are getting into having some chooks in their backyard, basically because of the economic conditions," Fionna believes.

Knowing what is being fed to their chickens, and knowing that the eggs are not battery farmed, also appeals to people, she adds.

"A lot of our chooks have gone into backyards in Nelson (urban areas), and (to) a lot of people who have shifted out to lifestyle blocks who have never had chickens before."

The Appletons sell their chickens from 12 weeks old to the age where they're about to start laying, with heritage chickens costing about $35 to $40 each.

Retired minister Max Hornblow keeps about 20 chooks at his Bronte Rd East home near Mapua, including several roosters, which are allowed in rural areas of the region.

Max, the president of the Nelson Poultry and Pigeon Association, says there are four essential factors in keeping poultry - good housing, good food, good hygiene and good stock.

There are many different breeds, so it pays to carefully consider what you want.

If you want a "laying machine", shavers or Hy-Line are the best choice, Max says. These breeds will produce an egg nearly every day for a couple of years before they "run out of steam".

Heritage breeds such as Rhode Island Red, Leghorns, Sussex, Ancona and Plymouth Rock lay well but don't compare with the shavers or Hy-Line for egg production. The heritage breeds lay about four to five eggs each week for nine to 10 months of the year, Max says.

People wanting smaller birds can opt for bantams, which are essentially miniature fowl, and come in many of the main breeds and crosses and have lovely colours, but with smaller and fewer eggs.

"If someone wants colour in the garden, the bantams are a delight," Max says.

"It all depends on the household. For a couple, two Hy-Line or shavers will probably mean they've got more eggs than they could use. For a family of five, three to four shavers would have more eggs than they could use."

Bantams will scratch in the garden if allowed, devouring bugs that attack plants, but because they're small, they don't do a lot of damage, he says. The larger breeds, however, can if left to scratch in a prized garden.

Stock agents can usually put people in contact with reputable breeders. Max knows of breeders in Timaru who bring shavers and Hy-Lines up to Nelson every month, selling them for about $20 each at the age when they're about to start laying.

Like any animals, poultry need care and attention, and providing good shelter is important.

A 2.4-metre square fowl house is suitable for hens, and should be draught-free, with a laying box attached - preferably one that can be opened from outside the house, Max says.

The floor should be covered with about 50 to 100mm of straw or non-treated wood shavings as bedding, and Max's tip is to throw a couple of handfuls of wheat into the bedding to encourage the hens to scratch, for exercise.

The bedding should always be dry and changed every couple of months, and helps to make great compost for the garden.

Max says it's important poultry are properly fed with mash or pellets in the morning and wheat at night (available from stock agents). Kitchen scraps can be added, but not used as a substitute.

A container with fine shell and grit should be available, to help the hens produce strong egg shells, and fresh water is needed daily. Also important are greens, such as spinach or silverbeet, or from the hens foraging.

Max says it's important to get the feed quantities right, because leaving food around encourages vermin. "If there is feed left over from the day before, then give a little less the next day, but don't starve the birds."

He says hygiene is crucial, both for the birds and in the fowl house. The birds need to be kept free of lice or mites by using a spray, available from veterinarians, every couple of months. The fowl house should also be sprayed once or twice a year, and more often around the perches, where the red mite parasite hides.

Clubs such as the Nelson Poultry and Pigeon Association are a great way to gain knowledge about keeping poultry, whether for show or food production.

"It's an interesting fraternity," Max says. "The club is more than keen to help people."

WHICH CAME FIRST

• The middle of the egg is made first, and the outer shell made last.
• Erect permanent or temporary fencing when chickens are roaming outside, to protect prized gardens from stray hens looking for food, and to provide protection from predators such as cats and dogs.
• Poultry housing needs to be well-cleaned to prevent the buildup of ammonia and the spread of disease.
• Hens have a natural tendency to perch at night, so provide perches in your fowl house. The average hen needs about 15cm of perch space at a comfortable jumping height of about 60cm.
• Clean drinking water is essential, as chickens won't drink dirty water. A hen that is without water, even for a short time, will show a sharp decline in egg production.
• Source: Egg Producers Federation of NZ