BARASTOC NATIONAL CHOOK HEALTH WEEK 2018

Monday 10 September to Sunday 16 September.

As the days are getting longer, there is change going on in the brain of every chook kept in backyards across the country. Their brains are telling their bodies to restart or ramp up egg production after a slow-down over the coldest period of winter.

Our own poultry enthusiast and animal nutritionist, Elise Davine, says these changes are collectively called the Spring Flush. We’re welcoming the season and shining a light on chook health with the Barastoc National Chook Health Week.

This week, we are asking chook owners to:

1. Do their Chook Check-up
Do your Chook Check-up to ensure your flock is fit for spring. The Chook Check-up Checklist is a simple, six-step checklist outlines what poultry owners should look for to check their chooks are fit and ready for another season of laying eggs.

2. Share the care
Share with your family and friends on social media that you have completed your Chook Check-up and encourage them to take charge of their chooks’ health too, by sharing this Chook Check-up Complete social media sticker. Remember to use the #readytoroost and #checkyouchooks hashtags.

3. Print, play and read the Top Ten Tips for Healthy Hens
Whether you have a small flock already or are just thinking about starting out, Barastoc is happy to share with you our top 10 tips for keeping backyard layers in peak hen health. Its fun, egg-concertina design means that once printed out, children can cut and fold it, with adult supervision of course.

4. Give their chicken coop a good spring clean
“Pull on your gloves and clean out dirty nesting and other dropping build-ups because hens like to lay in a place that’s clean and secure,” Elise says.

5. Ensure feathered friends are getting the right feed
Egg-laying is very demanding on a hen and you need to make sure she’s getting everything she needs to stay healthy and produce quality, nutritious eggs.
“Remember that you get back what you put in – the better the quality of the feed, the better the quality of the eggs you’ll get,” Elise says.

The Barastoc range of feeds will provide your birds with a nutritious, balanced and complete diet and at every stage of life. Find out more here.