Kathleen Taylor knows her chooks. And her ducks. And her geese. And her turkeys. 

“Generally poultry means chickens and ducks,” Kathleen told Rural Living. “But some people do mean all of them.”

If you are thinking about getting some chickens Kathleen suggests you start by doing some homework. “Study some books or get in touch with your local poultry and pigeon club.”

It is also vital, Kathleen told us, to find out what the local council bylawas are concerning hens and roosters. “There are MAF requirements about how many birds you can have per square metre and each council has its own specific bylaws.  A lot of councils won’t allow roosters and limit the number of hens.”

Once the red tape is sorted, chickens need a well ventilated house with shavings or sawdust on the ground along with perches and nesting boxes filled with hay or something similar.  As well as a suitable water container, chickens also need, of course a suitable food mix  - Kathleen suggests the complete mix from NRM in pellet or mash form.

“They also  need grit and household scraps are a great added extra.  They also love fresh grass clippings – just be sure they’re fresh.  And watch for poisonous plants – no rhubarb!”

Your chickens should be allowed out into a run each day or  even better to free range.

So once you’ve got the basics sorted, what kind of chicken is the best?

“It really depends whether you’re interested in pure bred or not.  If you’re not really interested in the breeds and are just looking for some chickens to lay for the house, it’s probably easiest to get shavers.”

Shavers can be bought as day old sexed chickens, as point of lay pullets or as end of lay pullets. “If you buy baby chickens you need to keep them in a brooder. You can make one from a plastic tub with newspaper or sawdust and a lamp to keep them warm.”

This will be their home for the first three weeks.  A desk lamp with a flexible stand and a sixty watt bulb is ideal for the lamp as it can be adjusted to suit the small birds.  If they are huddled together the lamp needs to be lowered closer to them, if they are scattered to the corners of the brooder the lamp needs to be raised away from them.

“They’ll also need fresh water and chicken start crumble.”

Your chickens will begin to lay around six months old and each year will moult and go off the lay for the winter. “But don’t worry, they’ll come back into lay over the spring,” Kathleen reassured us.

If you are interested in pure bred chickens, you’ll be in good company.  Kathleen is passionate about purebred hens. “A lot of breeds are becoming rare simply because people aren’t interested and they’re not being bred.”

Again Kathleen recommends doing your homework.

“Get some good books and find a breed that will suit what you are looking for.  Heavy breeds are meat and egg birds and are generally more placid.  Lighter breeds are usually only egg birds and tend to be more flighty.  Banty breeds are very broody and have smaller eggs.”

You can tell if one of your hens is broody – or clucky – they’ll want to sit on eggs all the time.

“In fact they can get quite grumpy – or protective I suppose.  You need to put them in a separate coop so the other chickens don’t bother them. It takes about twenty one days from sitting to hatching.”

It is important to worm chickens regularly and to watch they don’t get too fat. “They can prolapse if they are allowed to get too overweight,” Kathleen said.  If you are in any doubt, call your vet in.

On the whole, chickens are fairly easy care.

“I love to observe them,” said Kathleen. “They all have their own quirks.  They’re just nice to have around.”