A hen keeper for more than 20 years with a 300 strong flock on her Hampshire / Surrey smallholding, chicken expert Suzie Baldwin from Hollywater Hens offers her advice and November tips for keeping chickens:

The trees are almost bare of leaves, there's a nip in the air and fireworks are pervading the night skies. It must be November! This can be a trying time for the girls. Rosie, a very independent, headstrong Pekin Bantam, who's generally last to bed, is firmly tucked up before dusk, while the usually contented and mellow Buff Orpingtons are being rather tetchy with each other - disturbed nights really don't suit them! In recent years, firework displays seem to be more frequent, causing problems for some chickens. They are sensitive creatures and susceptible to stress, which affects their behaviour, Iowers their immunity 
and reduces egg production.

Dried lavender, either sprinkled on their bedding or placed in bags and pinned inside the coop, helps them to relax. You can also use homeopathic treatments such as phosphorous, or Bach Rescue Remedy - these anxiety-relieving solutions seem to work almost instantly (both products are available from most good health-food shops). Covering the coop with blankets
 can muffle the outside noise (take care
 not to block ventilation holes) and
 extra bedding will help them feel secure. During the day, I place crushed garlic
 cloves in filled drinkers - it boosts the
 girls' natural defences without altering 
the taste of their eggs
.

Click here for details of Suzie Baldwin's hen keeping courses at Hollywater Hens, and have a look at some more of Suzie's tips for keeping chickens

A hen keeper for more than 20 years with a 300 strong flock on her Hampshire / Surrey smallholding, chicken expert Suzie Baldwin from Hollywater Hens offers her advice and August tips for keeping chickens:

The Pekins have a new coop this month and seem rather taken with it, they’ve been clucking excitedly while exploring, rather like a group of girls in a new boutique. If you have a wooden hen house, reduce the amount of time you spend scrubbing it by lining the floor with remnants of cheap vinyl - simply turn up the sides and tip the droppings straight into the compost bin.

During summer, chickens love to dust-bathe. Shaking the soil in among their plumage helps them to keep cool and healthy, it removes excess oil from feathers and eliminates any pests. Your flock will burrow into the earth, often choosing areas by boundaries to create their hollows. You may wish to provide ready-made dust baths to prevent them undermining your fence. To do his, fill large, high-sided seed trays with dry soil, compost, sand and ash, then position in a shaded area.


HENKEEPING TIPS

• Gather nettles (wearing protective gloves) then blanch them for a few minutes and freeze in small batches. Give them to your flock for a dose of vitamin c and iron.
• Keep chickens healthy by worming them with a natural product such as verm-x.
• Once a month hang bunches of fragrant herbs, including mint, rosemary or lavender, in the coops to mask odours which are especially pungent in the heat.

Click here for details of Suzie Baldwin's hen keeping courses at Hollywater Hens, and have a look at some more of Suzie's tips for keeping chickens