Backyard Chickens

Simple – Fresh eggs! Do you know the real age of the ‘fresh’ eggs bought at the supermarket are? Of course you don’t, thats half of the problem. Are you sure free range chickens don’t eat the same modified foods that their sisters in the sheds next to them eat? The best way to know that you are eating fresh eggs by free range chickens is to keep your own.

For the budget conscious – Chickens are cheap to keep and more so if you buy your Free Range eggs. Balanced chicken feed is not expensive and you don’t need alot of space to house the chickens.

Other reasons for keeping chickens include the taste (eat a freshly laid egg and you’ll know what I mean) , teaching your kids the values of where their food comes from and also simply as pets!

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Almost all local councils allow chickens to be kept in the backyard. Most councils supply a few regulations, such as the amount of chickens you can keep, distance from your fence line and pen requirements.

Yes – Hens will the same amount of eggs whether a rooster is present or not. Suburban Farmer does not supply roosters as they generally not permitted under most council’s regulations.

You would be surprised to hear that chickens really don’t smell. They will start to smell a bit if their coop is left uncleaned, the pen stays wet for an extended period or you have too many chickens confined in a small area.
Chickens are no different to any other animal, so as long as their pen is kept dry and relatively clean, then your chickens will be happy and odour free.

Unlike roosters, hens are not noisy – and as most councils do not permit roosters in suburban environments we deal only with hens. The sound of hens clucking in the background of your garden is quite soothing as they scratch around. When hens lay an egg they make a louder than normal clucking sound and if the hens are unhappy or scared they may make more noise than normal. Most councils allow up to 9 hens per backyard, which gives you an indication of the little noise a couple of chickens make.

This mainly depends on how much space you have and how many eggs per day you need. Chickens don’t need alot of space, but they also don’t like to be cooped up! The general rule is one chicken per square metre. For a family of four,  2-3 chickens will provide enough eggs to feed the family. Remember you will receive about an egg per day from your chickens – so you’ll have a carton about every 4 days. The eggs will keep for a couple of weeks but if you have an abundance, why not give some to your friends and family!

After the initial introduction, your existing pets should get on fine with their new neighbours, and your chickens are likely to pay no attention to your other pets once they are settled in. Of course, if you have particularly aggressive dogs then a small fence separating the dogs and the chickens can be arranged.

Almost anything! We deliver a certified organic layer pellet, that supplies all the nutrients and minerals needed by chickens at the laying age. This feed is your only option if you are looking for a feed where it can be proven that the ingredients haven’t been sprayed with herbicides and pesticides. In addition chickens will eat anything from garden weeds, table scraps, vegetables from the garden or crisper, lawn cuttings, rice, spaghetti, bread…the list goes on. There are a few things you shouldn’t feed chickens, including dry beans, off foods and anything highly salty. We provide a feeding guide to any chickens customers.

Your children will love your chickens. Most chickens don’t mind being picked up, but make sure younger children are supervised as chickens can get hurt by playful young ones. If young children are hand feeding chickens they may get a small fright if the chicken pecks their hand.

Pests such as mice are attracted by food and not by the chickens. You have as much chance attracting mice with chickens as you do with other pets such as birds in an aviary or a bird feeder, rabbits and guinea pigs. Chickens are messy eaters so keeping wasted food to a minimum will help pests be less attracted to your chicken pen.

The key to keeping chickens safe from predators is a good strong pen – with sturdy walls, enclosed top and measures to stop predators burrowing under the wire.

This mainly depends on how much space you have and how many eggs per day you need. Chickens don’t need alot of space, but they also don’t like to be cooped up! The general rule is one chicken per square metre. For a family of four,  2-3 chickens will provide enough eggs to feed the family. Remember you will receive about an egg per day from your chickens – so you’ll have a carton about every 4 days. The eggs will keep for a couple of weeks but if you have an abundance, why not give some to your friends and family!