Getting mites in your coop is pretty heart breaking, your poor hens will be itchy and uncomfortable. Red Mites along with other mites live on the bird but can also live in the wood of the house and can also reside in their bedding. They can cause skin rashes and irritations, lameness, diarrhoea and can even be fatal if left untreated.

YES!
Here is out 3 step guide to treating red mites in your poultry and house.
​
Step 1.
Take all your chickens out of the house and run and put the girls somewhere temporary for a few days, try to limit the places they go so as not to spread the infestation around even more.
 
Give each hen a good wash in warm water using a medicated pet shampoo, make sure you rinse each bird thoroughly and pay special attention to their bottom area as this is where mites like to gather. Blow dry the hens fully then cover them in Natural DE powder using gloves you can massage it into their feather base to ensure it makes contact with the skin.​ Use a DE Puffer for easy application, simply puff the powder directly on to the hen with no mess or fuss.
​
Step 2
Remove all dirty litter form the hen house and then scrub the house down with a poultry cleanser inside and out, use warm water and a good strong scrubbing brush. 
Then, using a Virkon sachet diluted into 5ltrs of water in a garden sprayer, spray generously to disinfect the entire coop inside and out, get in all the corners and at the same time do the entire run ensuring the Virkon solution gets everywhere, (use gloves and wear a mask). Virkon is fantastic we use it on our farm and it will kill everything.

Step 3
Once you have done this you will need to let the house and run dry out unoccupied for 24 hours, you can then put fresh wood shavings back in your coop, do not use straw! Straw can actually contain mites and could bring mites back into your now lovely clean environment. Sawdust or wood shavings are heat treated when sealed killing off all mites and bugs.
Repeat the entire cleaning regime every 2 months or so until you are on top of it and then to maintain good cleanliness going forward repeat the whole process once every 4-5 months or if you spot another mite. A really deep clean will prevent mites taking hold and performed regularly means you should never have an issue with mites again. Ensure you provide your hens with a dust bath that has been treated with Natural DE powder, this will allow your hens to naturally keep mites at bay by dust bathing in this mixture of sand and DE powder. We also recommend applying DE powder direct to you hen with a puffer bottle once every month going forward.

​We have received many emails with your concerns regarding the COVID-19 virus and its relationship to poultry and poultry products. We have been in contact with our farm veterinarians and DEFRA authorities and will continue to monitor the situation.
 
DELIVERIES.
At this time, we are still delivering your chickens nationwide, we plan to continue to offer delivery for our customers through this difficult time. We are an online pet store and are allowed to remain open during the shut down, online sales and deliveries are allowed to continue as normal.

 We will begin Nationwide deliveries as of the 1st week of April, we will be on contact with anyone prior who has made a pre order. 

Biosecurity is the most important line of defence that each breeder, hatchery and poultry owner have against diseases. At Pipinchick Poultry, we are committed to providing the highest quality and healthiest birds for our customers. This commitment to excellence is what has kept Pipinchick Poultry an industry leader in providing stunning pet chickens for your homes and gardens.
 
We have very stringent biosecurity procedures at Pipinchick Poultry and as such we cannot allow any farm visits at this time. We will, however, be able to offer local collection points and nationwide delivery.
 
To reassure you.
 
·       There is no evidence that COVID-19 can affect poultry this includes eggs.

·       Human-to-human contact is the main route of COVID-19 transmission.

·       Coronaviruses (CoVs) are a large group of viruses which continuously circulate in mammals and birds. The major CoVs in poultry, infectious bronchitis viruses (IBVs) belong to the genus gammacoronavirus which is different from beta-CoVs that infect humans including the current COVID-19.

·       There is no evidence of transmission of poultry coronaviruses* to humans or other mammals

·       There is no evidence of human coronavirus transmission to poultry.

As a general precaution, it is important to remember to:
·       Wash your hands — especially before and after handling poultry.
​
·       Practice good biosecurity at home, and when handling your flock by regularly disinfect tools and other surfaces.

Thinking of keeping chickens? Not sure what you'll need? Pipinchick have put together an essential check list for the first time chicken keeper.

​If you want to keep chickens the first thing you need to think about is how much space you have. Most of the pet chickens available from Pipinchick need little room and are well suited to a back garden or small paddock. If you want to keep Hybrids then you will need a larger area as they will ruin your garden and create quite a bit of mess, especially through the winter. With Pipinchick’s birds you will need less room and can keep your chickens in a back garden and smaller space, we recommend about 1.5 mtrs square per bird.
Once you have decided how much space you can spare for your chickens you will need to create a run, (your house should be inside this secure area). If you have flightless birds such as Cochins, Silkies or any Fizzle Feather Bantams a 2ft high fence will keep them enclosed. If you choose birds that can fly you will need a 6ft high fence. Make sure you dig your fence wire down into the ground by about 2ft, this will make it difficult for the fox to get in under your wire. We recommend a small gauge wire and double layer if you can, foxy loxy can’t get his paws and snout through a small gauge, if the gauge is larger than 2.5cm he will be able to rip it open. 
You can have a grassy run, however, chicken do like to scratch about so we recommend an area within your run that is laid to gravel or bark to allow them to scratch the ground which is a natural behaviour and makes them happy, it will also mean their nails won’t get too long as scratching in the bark or gravel will keep them short.
If you can create a covered section of your run, most delicate bantams don’t really like to be wet and having a dry area will also help with any mud or mess during the winter months.

​Housing is very much dependent on what kind of birds you want and how many. Bantams require little room so you would not need a very large house, Cochin and Brahma will need a slightly bigger house and opening. We recommend a starter house that can hold up to 5 or 6 bantams, these are usually about 1.5 - 2 mtrs squared. The house space is less important than the outdoor space as the birds will mainly use this for laying and sleeping. They snuggle up together at night and you’d be surprised how little space they take up when sleeping. If you have flightless birds do not get a house with a ladder as they won’t know how to use it properly and will become stressed if they cannot get in and out easily. If you have birds that can fly then an Eglu “Go Up” or a wooden house with a ladder is ideal, they will also prefer to roost at night so make sure there are perches inside. This is less important for flightless birds as they will sleep together on the floor of the house. Plastic houses are good because they are easier to clean and keep on top of mites and bugs. Wooden houses are lovely to look at but can be difficult to keep clean. Mites live in wood so with wooden houses if you do not keep a strict cleaning and disinfecting routine can cause problems. Make sure which ever house you choose there is a separate area within for your hens to lay their eggs, this should be off the main sleeping or roosting area.

​We recommend a deep clean of your houses every 2-3 months. We use a disinfectant called Virkon, it kills everything! You can buy this in one dose sachets from most agriculture centres or farm shops. It is diluted in a 5ltr garden sprayer. Remove your birds and take out all their litter and then clean the house with washing up liquid in warm water. Once you’ve done this spray the entire house and run inside and out with the Virkon solution. Leave for 24 hours then you can put fresh litter and your birds back in.
​Always use a face mask and rubber gloves when spraying disinfectant. 

​We recommend using sawdust or wood shavings only! Straw can contain mites and bugs and you could be bringing in unwanted guests to your clean and disinfected chicken coop. Sawdust and shavings are heat sealed and then vacuum packed which kills any bugs and nasties.

You will need a drinker and a feeder, which type you get is up to you. We prefer galvanised drinkers and feeders as opposed to plastic, this is because they last longer and look nicer but this really is up to you. Plastic drinkers and feeders can become brittle and break over time. There are many different brands but we like the Eton galvanised range, they are a little more expensive, but look good and will last longer. They come in many sizes and colours so follow the guidelines for how many birds you have to which size you get. Remember where there are chickens there are usually rats, it's a sad fact of chicken keeping. You can minimise this by not over filling your feeders and raising them off the ground.

​We strongly recommend that you use a multi vitamin for your pet poultry, this should contain B12 vitamin. You can buy tonics and multi vitamins from most pet shops nowadays, or you can always go to a farm shop or even buy online. They are very easy to buy and well worth doing! Delicate bantams will need this bi-weekly in their water and then constantly through the winter months. It will help boost their immune system and keep them strong and healthy. You can also give Apple Cider Vinegar as well. We use a farming brand of tonic with B12, this is only sold in large quantities, but have a look at what is available for the back-garden chicken keeper, there are lots of options available online or in stores.

Again, this is down to personal choice. We use Fancy Feed as they are a well-known brand for poultry rearers and their quality of feed is good. You can choose any brand you like, even organic if you prefer. The type of feed depends on their ages.
0 – 4/5 weeks use a good quality chick crumb or mash.
4/5 weeks – point of lay (POL) use a good quality rearer or growers pellets. 
POL onwards – layers pellets, you can mix some dried corn, seeds and grain into their feed as well. 
You can give treats once they are fully grown and on layers pellets, introduce treats carefully as too many can cause diarrhoea.
(for more information on how to introduce treats and new feed please see our FAQ page)
Your Chicken's diet should be made up of 80-90% pellet feed and then you can offer corn and treats as well.

You can choose to have any value or if you prefer, you can request specific breeds and even colours! With more pet hens ready this spring we will have lots for you Mum to choose from including: fluffy Silkies in 12 colours, Pekin Bantams, stunning Cochin Chickens and for something a bit different we will even have Bantam Hybrids in 5 colours, great little laying hens laying up to 200 eggs a year!
If you would like to order a chicken gift voucher for your Mum this Mother's day, then just email us by following the link below.

YES, they are!
There are many breeds of chicken that are better as laying hens and to be admired from a distance as they chicken about the fields, but there are many breeds of chickens especially the bantam chickens that Pipinchick rear that make wonderful pet chickens as well.
Chickens although will need care like any other animal, they are well suited to a busy lifestyle. As people are working longer hours and have less free time the pet chicken is becoming a favoured choice. They don’t need walking, can be left home ‘garden’ alone, they are pretty inexpensive to keep, with a bag of feed or grain costing anywhere from £4-£10 and let’s face is they’re just so cute and they give you eggs for breakfast!! ​

1. Silkie Hens
2. Polish Hens
3. Cochin Hens
4. Bantam Faverolles Hens
5. Pekin Bantam Hens

Meet Fred, Fred is our stunning black laced Polish frizzle.
Fred was selected along with Marilyn our lovely white show girl Silkie to be part of fashion brand Burberry's Winter '18 Best of British ad campaign.
Fred and Marilyn were whisked off to London to star in their very own photoshoot. They stole the show and caused quite a fuss as most of the crew had never seen chickens like them before.
Unbelievably professional our Pipinchick chooks took the whole day in their stride, posing like seasoned pros for the photographer and winning the hearts of everyone involved.

Our birds were part of the larger ad campaign for Burberry's Alphabet Charms, the inspiration behind the shoot was Best of British reared and grown. There were butterflies, gorgeous fruits and even a stunning black horse!
We are so proud of our Pipinchick chickens and how they performed on the day we definitely have 2 new stars in the making!

You can see the final images at www.burberry.com

Pipinchick decided after having been asked so many times why we don’t show our lovely hens that this would be the year to take the plunge into showing!

As the morning closed and ribbons were being handed out, our hearts sank a little as we noticed we had nothing on any of our pens... "Oh well" we said "maybe next year."
No sooner had we spoken than a steward came and whisked our Gold Laced Poland Mabel out of her pen and wandered off with her!
OMG!!
New to showing we had no idea where she was going! We watched anxiously as she was walked over to the other side of the show area and popped in another pen!

Off we went to investigate!
To our surprise and joy Mabel had ben selected Champion Bantam Soft Feather!
....... CHAMPION!

On returning to our other pens we then saw that our lovely Partridge Silkie Lady P had also been awarded a green 3rd place ribbon!
And our other 2 Polands LouLou and Loop had also been awared 2nd and 3rd in class!!

What a day and we could not be happier with the result of our first ever show!
Champion Bantam Soft Feather
3rd Pace for Light Feather Large Silkie

Well done girls!
 
We will be taking Mabel, Loop and Lady P to our next Pop up on the 9th June where they will be available to purchase.
LouLou  has already been sold.

Every year Pipinchick Poultry has an end of season sale for their Silkies.
July 8th - July 9th is our great big Silkie Sale!

All Silkies will be just £20 phen

Not every Silkie can be a show winner, at the end of each season we offer our not quite as stunning birds to the public for a bargain price.
If you are not too fussed about standards and perfection but still want a pretty and lovely natured garden hen then this is the weekend for you to save the date!

All Silkies sold are form the same parent stock, all are still fully vaccinated, wormed, coxy treated, Salmonella cleared, guarenteed female and as healthy and lovely as the rest, but may not have the exacting standards we look for in all our other hens.

From less feathers on their legs to a slightly less puffy pom pom they are however still perfectly, wonderful birds.

Grab a bargain and give them a lovely home.

Get in touch to arange your time for viewing...  the days are filing fast so get in touch ASAP!

 1. How to tell if you have a broody hen.
Silkies will be very easy to spot once they have gone broody, they will stay in their nesting box and will NOT come out, they will cluck at you if you get too close to them which is a very uncharacteristic trait of a none broody Silkie.
You can encourage a Silkie to go broody by placing a couple of dummy eggs in her nest area, these can be unfertilised eggs or rubber dummy eggs which you can buy from any good pet store or poultry centre.
Once you have noticed that your Silkie is broody you can then put fertilised eggs under her.
For the best chance of a good hatch rate you do not want your eggs to be more than 10 days old.
 
2. How many eggs can my broody Silkie hatch?
Silkies will also hatch other species for you, from ducks to other chicken breeds; she will then raise those babies as her own.
She is an amazing mother and diligent to her young.
When you have noticed your Silkie is broody you can then put fertile eggs under her, up to 10 bantam eggs, 6 normal hen eggs or 5 duck eggs. She can even sit on larger eggs but I would only put about 2-3 under 1 hen.
 
3. How to manage a sitting Silkie hen.
If you have decided to use your broody Silkie to hatch eggs then she will not require much from you.
Make sure she stays warm and dry.
She will get off to eat once a day but keep an eye on this as sometimes a Silkie can go so broody she will forget to eat or drink, make sure the food and water is close by so she can get to them easily. If she is not getting up to eat and drink then you will need to remind her that this is a god idea.
Gently move her off her eggs, she will give you a little bit of chatter but persevere, once she is off she will automatically go for her food and water then immediately sit back down again.
She will almost never not sit back so don’t worry, if she does not sit back then you will have to move the eggs quickly to an incubator…. But this never happens!
Keep an eye on her after this, she should then remember to get up and feed, if she doesn’t just keep repeating this once a day until she does.
The eggs will take up to 21 days to start piping in the case of hen eggs.
Eggs from common ducks like Pekins require 28 days to hatch. Eggs from Muscovy ducks hatch in about 35 days.
 
4. What to do when the eggs start Pipping.
When your eggs begin to pip (the chick uses their little beak to break the shell from the inside). This means your chicks are on their way, this can begin anywhere from 2 days before hatch date to up to 2 days after so the main thing is to be patient.
With a sitting Silkie you will not need to do much, she will do the work for you; just keep an eye on her.
If you have a lot of other hens in your coup you may need to move them to allow your Silkie some peace to hatch the new babies. I wouldn’t advise moving Mumma at this stage as it might disrupt her.
Once her babies are hatches and a few days old then you could move her and them to a secluded location away form jealous older birds and cockerels.
(However a coop of only Silkies will not hurt the new arrivals not even the cockerels).
Keep an eye on your Silkie as she hatches her new chicks, but don't be tempted to "help" your chicks out of their shells.
If they're not pipping or they've pipped but they're not pecked a out of the shell they're not ready, leave them! By “helping” you could release a chick too early and without meaning to you could kill it.
If the yolk sac together with the blood vessels have not been fully absorbed into the stomach, the likelihood is that trying to 'help' by peeling away the shell will rupture one of these blood vessels and the chick will bleed to death.
Remember - from pip to hatch can take as long as 36 hours. 
Let Mumma do the work she knows what she is doing!
Once all the chicks have hatched then you can help by removing old shells.
We once had a Silkie hatch 8 chicks in the dead of winter, we did offer her some help in the beginning by putting in a hot water bottle with her at night, to help keep the babies warm, I’m not sure of this is what you should do but we didn’t loose any and Mumma hen seemed happy with it, otherwise just let her be.
 
5. What do I feed the new baby chicks.
Put some chick crumb in the cop with Mum when they start to hatch, in a chick feeder, this will be small enough for the chicks to get to, keep feeding Mum her normal grain but in a feeder that’s raised up off the ground so the chicks can’t reach it.
Once they are 4-5 weeks they can move onto a grower or a rearer then at about 20 weeks they can go onto adult food.
Be careful with water, this will need to be in a chick water feeder, if you put a saucer in or anything shallow and open chicks can fall in and drown very easily.
 
 
You’re done! You did it, you now have a lovely little clutch of chicks hatched by your very own broody Silkie. Once the chicks are large enough they can go on their own. You will know when this is as your Mummy Silkie will continue to sit on the chicks to keep them at the right temperature until they no longer need her.