SPRING FLUSH IS HERE

The afternoons are getting longer and it’s a little bit easier to get out of bed in the morning. Spring is here! This increase in day length, noticeable from mid-August, reminds us that sand, sunscreen and shorts will soon be with us again – and also kickstarts a process in chickens known as Spring Flush.

Egg production in most chickens will slow down over the cooler winter months, and may even stop altogether. From the chicken’s perspective, this is a good thing! The primary purpose of laying eggs is to produce a new generation of chicks, which are much more likely to survive in the summer months with their warmer temperatures and abundance of food. This downtime also provides an opportunity for chickens to moult and replace their old feathers with new ones.

Spring Flush is the process whereby chickens gear up again, ready to start laying more frequently. The increase in day length is picked up by the pineal gland (located in your chicken’s brain) which in turn signals the body that it’s time to ramp up egg production again.

Spring Flush is the perfect time to invest some time and love into your feathered friends:

• Give them a good visual check-over to make sure that there are no underlying health issues that they may have developed over the winter months. Chickens can be very good at hiding these from you, so be sure to check carefully! Josh Murray has given us his top 5 things to check for
•  Give their coop a solid Spring Clean. For guidelines on how to keep your chickens’ home healthy and safe, see the Barastoc Chook Book
• Check that their feed is the right one for them – and for you. For information on Barastoc’s range of complete balanced and nutritious poultry feeds click here.