Plans for poultry
Chickens come in a bewildering and enticing variety of sizes, shapes, patterns and colours, although few breeds are easily available to back-yard keepers in South Africa.
We chose the only novel breed developed specifically for South African conditions, the Potchefstroom Koekoek. It’s a hardy mixed breed developed in the 1950s that produces good numbers of eggs, even when the hens are freeranging or fed less-than-perfect rations. Being a mixed-purpose breed, they’re still suitable as meat birds and have a deepyellow skin colour. They look an awful lot like the Plymouth Rock chickens that form part of their ancestry, but also have black Australorp and white Leghorn genes.
• Find out more about chicken breeds at poultryclubsa.co.za. • If you’re particularly interested in indigenous chicken breeds, here’s an article comparing indigenous breeds gonzogardening.wordpress. com/2012/02/15/but-what-do-youmean-indigenous. • For a comparison of egg production in Koekoeks, Venda, Ovambo and nakedneck chickens, check out fao.org/ docrep/012/i1353t/i1353t04.pdf. • Whichever breed you decide on, if you want healthy, inoculated chickens that will reliably produce eggs or meat and have been bred from animals kept in decent conditions, buy from a reputable breeder rather than from people placing anonymous ads in the classifieds.
The only two online small-volume retail options I have found are:
hoender.co.za/OurChickens.html (in Pretoria East)
guineaglen.wordpress.com/chickens (Southern Cape) Both will courier chickens if they can be assured the birds will be collected and handled properly. Growing chicks and laying hens need a diet containing the right amount of protein and calcium. They won’t thrive and produce well on a few scraps and some mielies. Bugs, grubs and fresh greens are great sources of protein, but providing properly formulated laying pellets as part of, or most of, the diet is a good idea.
We found it impossible to locate a hormone- and antibiotic-free laying pellet at any retail or small feed outlet in the Cape Town area. Most retailers and pet shops decant bulk bags into smaller quantities. Despite being assured many times that there were no nasties in pellets we were buying, when we insisted on seeing the bulk bag’s labels, they always contained approved agricultural growth stimulants and antibiotics.
We’ve resorted to using horse feed with between 12% and 14% protein, and making sure that the chickens always have calcium grit available, as this seems to keep them healthy and productive.