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Selecting Birds

01/09/2010 When choosing your birds think about sizes obviously its not a good idea to place large fowl with bantams so make sure your hens will be roughly the same size. Also ages of birds to be mixed must be as near to each other as possible any young pullets put with older hens can be bullied so do your research and do not impulse buy.Also remember to select birds which will meet your housing needs, so if your tight on space or have a small hen house and run Bantams will obviously be a good choice

Take time to pick a suitable source to buy your birds from also. Purchases from markets are best avoided as they can be a hotbed of disease and infection, as you will not see the conditions of which birds are kept. Its far better for you to buy from a reputable breeder who will take the time to take you through things if you are a novice some breeders even give taster sessions before purchasing, covering certain aspects of poultry care.

The conditions birds are kept in will be a good indicator to your bird’s health. Look for clean shavings on the floor of the chicken houses, clean feeders and drinkers and generally good husbandry. If a place you visit looks dirty and birds unwell never be afraid to walk away.

Remember if stock is looking healthy they can still be carrying unwanted disease. If you already have existing poultry at home its best to quarantine newcomers for a few weeks after purchase in a separate coop just to make sure they are as healthy as they seem.

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