The document outlines essential care guidelines for backyard and exhibition poultry, focusing on housing, food, water, and health management. It emphasizes the need for accessible nutrition and proper living conditions, ensuring birds have enough space, shelter from the weather, and protection from predators. Additionally, it includes specific requirements for water consumption, feeding approaches, and biosecurity measures.

1. * Housing & Protection
• Food and Water
Summarised for Backyard and
Exhibition Poultry Keepers
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2. • Readily accessible food and water to maintain
health and vigour:
• Freedom to move, stand, turn around, stretch sit
and lie down:
• Visual contact with other members of the
species:
• Accommodation which provides protection from
the weather and which neither harms nor causes
distress:
• Prevention of disease, injury and vice, and their
rapid treatment should they occur.

5. • Readily accessible to all birds at least once in a
24hr period – 10cm food trough per bird
• Diet containing adequate nutrients for good
health
• Free range hens provided with supplementary
food in sheds
• Diets that birds will not eat cannot be used
• Feeding equipment checked daily

7. • Potable – suitable for human consumption
• Not to exceed a temperature that makes it
unpalatable
• A minimum of one days water supply per bird
available in storage accessible to birds – 10cm
water trough per bird or two nipple drinkers
per cage, 4cm per bird in pen
• Water wastage and water deprivation to be
avoided

9. • Be aware of your chickens nutritional
requirements at each stage of their
development. If you don’t know how to
provide a nutritionally balanced diet, use only
a commercially prepared complete food
source.
• Mixed grain and food scraps don’t provide all
the nutritional requirements your chickens
need

10. • Two basic feeding approaches
• Demand feeding – Chickens provided with a
variety of supplements e.g. shell grit, mineral
and vitamin concentrates that chickens access
as they need them ( Free range with
supplement)
• Controlled feeding – Chickens only provided
with diet providing 100% of daily
requirements

12. • Check your water is safe. Would you drink it?
• Monitor the amount of food and water that is
being consumed. If levels are too low, it may
be unpalatable or not adequately accessible
• Each bird drinks up to 500ml/day in summer
• Each bird eats up to 200g/day depending on
breed, age and size of pen
• Be aware of normal behaviour and monitor
any change in habits
• Know your birds – Don’t be afraid to ask Q’s.

14. Housing Requirements
• Access to shade
• 45cm high minimum
• Wire floor up to 4 weeks
• Access to dry litter/sand for scratching or dust
bathing
• Access to shelter, windbreaks
• Runs positioned so they are not muddy
• Protection from predators
• Adequate ventilation

19. Minimum Housing Requirements
• Perching for each bird
– 20cm away from wall
– Between 30cm and 1m apart – not too high
– 15cm minimum perch per bird – 450cm2 i.e. 15x30
• Nest boxes
– 1 per 7 layers
– 1900cm2 per 5 breeders (50x38cm)
– Easily accessible but secluded
– Positioned and designed so they are not heat traps

22. Water fowl - Ducks and Geese
• Graziers
• Supplementary feed required
• Access to water
• No force feeding
• 1m2 per bird for cover
• Care in handling – never grab legs or one wing

23. Other Requirements
• Hatchlings removed from incubator to
brooders within 48hrs
• Supplementary heat provided up to 5wks
• Twice daily inspections for birds in brooders
• Have an effective treatment plan for parasites
• Birds not to travel in boot of car
• Dispatch birds humanely – neck dislocation or
decapitation recommended

24. Practice good bio-security
8 step guidelines for individuals
Biosecurity guidelines for EXHIBITION POULTRY - D.A.F.F.